The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure

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The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure is a 1956 American TV serial that was broadcast in episodes of The Mickey Mouse Club . It was based on The Hardy Boys stories in particular The Tower Treasure . [1]

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According to Diabolique magazine: "Watching the serial today it's very much an item of its time, but Kirk's performance is a wonder – relaxed, energetic, a complete natural; he's not as conventionally good looking as Considine but he seems more at home on screen. He was the perfect Disney star." [2]

Cast

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In the late 1950s, Disney contracted with the Stratemeyer Syndicate and Grosset & Dunlap to produce two Hardy Boys TV serials, starring Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk. The first of the serials, The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure, was aired on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1956 during the show's second season. To appeal to the show's audience, the Hardy Boys were portrayed as younger than in the books, seeming to be twelve or thirteen years old. The script, written by Jackson Gillis, was based on the first Hardy Boys book, The Tower Treasure, and the serial was aired in 19 episodes of fifteen minutes each with production costs of $5,700. A second serial, The Mystery of Ghost Farm, followed in 1957, with an original story by Jackson Gillis. This serial shares some elements with "The House on the Cliff", the second Hardy Boys book.

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Russ Conway was a Canadian-American actor and he is best known for playing Fenton Hardy, the father of The Hardy Boys in the 1956-7 The Mickey Mouse Club serial. Born Clarence Russell Zink, he is the brother of the actor Donald Woods, who was born on December 2, 1906, and died on March 5, 1998. Conway graduated from UCLA in 1937, and later earned a master’s in theater arts and a teaching credential from UCLA. During World War II, Conway was in an Army special services unit. For several months, he was entertainment director at Ft. Ord before serving in the Philippines and later in Japan, where he worked as a producer and announcer for Armed Forces Radio. He started acting in Hollywood in 1947. His film appearances included “Twelve O’Clock High” (1949), “War of the Worlds” (1953), “Love Me Tender” (1956) and “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane” (1962). His television guest spots included roles on “The Fugitive,” “Mod Squad,” “Barnaby Jones,” “Mission Impossible,” “Sea Hunt” and “The Untouchables.”

References

  1. Looking at Hollywood: Top Role in War Film Goes to Paul Newman Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 23 Aug 1956: c2.
  2. Vagg, Stephen (9 September 2019). "The Cinema of Tommy Kirk". Diabolique Magazine.