Nov. 11-17, 2012 TV Club-The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries- Season 1-Ep. 11

[MacGyver]

Leave your thoughts, comments and reviews of the "Wipe-Out" (featuring The Hardy Boys) episode of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries here.

[MacGyver]

This was a particularly cool episode of the show that really reminded me of The Hardy Boys books, and not just because there coincidentally is a Hardy Boys book called Wipeout- #96 in the Original Series (that book was printed in 1989 and though it does involve windsurfing and is set around a Mediterranean beach, the plot is quite different from this episode.)
    This episode is set in Hawaii (the first episode where Frank and Joe really do some major travelling from Bayport), where Frank is entered in a surfing competition. Also, this episode features a preview of the episode before the show starts, which not every episode necessarily does. We get some pretty cool shots of other competitors surfing to start off with (while Frank is watching from the beach and Joe is having fun hanging out with the girls that he and Frank have met who work at the hotel they?re staying at.) We also get an opening song with a performance of Surfin' U.S.A. by The Beach Boys!   (But I?m pretty sure it?s Shaun Cassidy performing the song.) And it?s accompanied by a nice montage of surfing action.
    Also, the credits list Lisa Eilbacher, Edmund Gilbert and Edith Atwater as ?Also Starring?, though none of them show up in this episode. This is the first episode where Frank and Joe have none of their supporting characters show up. It is nice that they are credited anyway though- I suppose the actors and actresses in those supporting roles must have had a contract of some sort for these first season appearances, so they had to be credited.
      Anyway, it?s also important to note one of the guest stars. I don?t know if this was really done on purpose or if it was just coincidental, but either way it?s pretty cool- James Shigeta appears in this episode as Officer Kapala. He also made an appearance in another Hardy Boys production 10 years earlier- he portrayed George Ti Ming in the 1967 pilot, The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Chinese Junk! So, intended or not, that?s a nice little bit of homage and trivia.
        Also, during the little surfing montage at the start of the episode and throughout the surfing competition that is going on at the opening of the episode, we can clearly see those ABC cameras filming the event! (And we see it again a couple of other times- on the reporter?s microphone and on the camera again and on the truck?) Nice product placement for the ABC Network that aired The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries show! :-)
      After the song montage, it?s Frank?s turn to surf and Joe is taking pictures as well as letting the camera double as binoculars, which the girls take turns looking into too. The waves seem to get the best of Frank but Joe seems confident he did a good run earlier and will get into the semifinals. After the reigning champion, Wally Seaver, has an interview with the reporter, the reporter interviews Frank. Frank says he?s been surfing for six years, but this is the first time he?s been in this kind of competition. Interesting tidbit there- if Frank is 18 (the age the revised books put him at), then he would have been surfing since he was 12- which certainly seems feasible enough. (Of course, with the series, the ages of Frank and Joe are generally left fairly nebulous, but one gets the impression they?re in their early 20?s, as the actors were in their 20?s when doing this show.) One other thing to note from the interview- Frank mentions that the waves are coming in pretty fast and we?ll probably see a lot of ?wipe-outs? this afternoon. We will hear the episode title repeated again by Frank a bit later in the episode. Most of the time, the episode titles don?t lend themselves to be worked into the dialogue like that, but it was kinda neat to see this one worked into the script.
        It?s also kind of interesting to see Frank as the one competing in the surfing competition alone. Though Frank is as much athletic as Joe, his younger brother is usually the one depicted as being the most athletic- so it?s nice to see the show kind of shake up that status quo a bit. It?s also nice that Frank mentions that he didn?t save for 18 months to come to Hawaii to lose. (So at least we have some rationale as to how Frank and Joe could suddenly afford to go to Hawaii and it wasn?t for a case that their father helped pay their way- they did it the old-fashioned way: they waited and saved up money!  )
        (Also, random note- look closely during Wally Seaver?s last run before the semifinalists are announced and you?ll see a beautiful little German shepherd puppy on the beach sitting by a girl in an orange bikini holding binoculars. I just love dogs and particularly German Shepherds as I used to have some as a child, so it was nice to see that. :-))
       As Frank and Joe and the girls (Becky and Liz) are walking back to the yellow jeep they?re driving, we find out why Joe isn?t in this competition. He tells Frank that they need to figure out a way to get their dad to move his operation to Hawaii and Frank asks, ?Why? I thought you didn?t like to surf.? And Joe replies, ?Who said anything about surfing?? So, apparently for this show, Joe doesn?t like surfing. (Though I know he does some surfing in some of the books, it?s not a huge point of contention or anything.)
          Joe mentions that a couple of bellboys he met have a band and are having a show on the beach that evening- so he and Frank and the girls make plans to go and see it. We then have a drive back to the hotel and get some nice establishing shots of Hawaii. (Presumably- I don?t know if this episode was actually shot on location or not- but it?s nice nonetheless. I also like the instrumental music that?s played during this sequence.) 
        Frank and Joe come back to Hawaiian Surf Hotel to find out that their room has been ransacked and their wallets and all their money and airplane tickets stolen, along with cameras and watches. They go to the police and find out that their tickets have already been cashed. I love how Joe comments that he?d hate to be Frank when he calls their dad to give him the news. Frank balks at this and Joe explains that he was the one who wanted to enter the competition. Frank says that they may not need to call for a while since they?re paid through the week at the hotel. Joe suggests getting jobs at the hotel to pay for food during the week, but Frank says he has a better idea. So they head back to the hotel in their jeep (with some more cool accompanying instrumental music- I really do love all the music in this episode. It sets the right tone with a bit of suspense and intrigue.  ).

[MacGyver]

      Becky sees the guys at the hotel and tells them she heard that they got wiped out from the desk clerk. (One more use of the episode title!  ) And then she tells them to eat at her table at the restaurant that evening and she?ll work with the chef to help them out on meals. Frank and Joe tell her thank you and she heads off. And Frank and Joe head to the front desk and surreptitiously grab the key that a couple has just left on the counter to drop off. (They do this while the clerk?s back is turned so that he doesn?t see them.) Then they let themselves into the couple?s room (with a handkerchief to prevent leaving fingerprints) and steal the couple?s valuables, sliding jewels and watches and wallets into white pillowcase-like bags. Frank and Joe then go to the restaurant and flash around that they have picked up some money to pay for expensive menu items, while we see the couple asking the desk clerk about their room being ripped off. The house detective takes Frank and Joe aside at the restaurant and says that he knows they ripped off the room. He warns them that he?ll be watching them and Frank and Joe act like they don?t know what he?s talking about. He warns them to get off the island and they head back to their table. Joe has a funny line here. The detective tells Frank, "Don't get cute." Joe replies, "He's smart. I'm cute."
        Whoa! So Frank and Joe got their things stolen- have they turned into crooks themselves now? I know they need money for food- but now it looks like they?ve broken the law to provide that!!! Anyway, we move on to the beach concert (with some absolutely gorgeous shots of sunset on the beach- I love sunset pictures- and the beach- and so a sunset on the beach is really pretty to me. I love to see God?s beautiful handiwork!).
       One of the surfers in the competition, Pomu, apparently is the lead singer for the band and he mentions that Joe has a band at home (though according to him, he?s not too good- might a little light-hearted jab at Shaun Cassidy?s musical expense  )) but he calls him up to sing with the band. Then we have a great moment here- Joe tells one of the girls (Becky, I believe it is) about how he plays with his band back home and they are a pretty good little group, but there?s this thing- every time Joe sings, Frank leaves. Hahaha! That was just funny to have the show acknowledge its own running gag. Frank claims it?s just Joe?s imagination, but Joe gives a Walkman to Becky so she can record his performance to ensure that Frank has a chance to hear it. Lol 
   And of course, as soon as Joe gets up there and starts singing Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys, Frank offers to buy the girls drinks and gets up and leaves!  But then he gets waylaid by two dudes- one of them is Wally! The other guy has Frank in a chokehold as both warn him off the island and away from their racket of stealing people?s valuables from the hotel. They come at him from behind and don?t allow Frank to see who they are.

[MacGyver]

We then jump to Frank and Joe driving in their jeep and Joe pulls out his Walkman and plays his performance of Fun, Fun, Fun for Frank. He tells Joe he?ll listen to it later. Frank determines he?s not going to let those guys run them off from Hawaii. Joe has a great line as he and Frank are walking to the beach. ?We?re making the biggest mistake of our young, soon-to-be terminated lives.? Frank goes off surfing to keep practicing for his competition and Joe hangs out with the girls on the beach with the binoculars they got from the hotel room. Frank and Wally are both on the same wave and get knocked over. Frank gets hit by Wally?s board and is dazed for a bit, so Joe rushes out into the water to save him. Frank says it was just an accident, but he tells Joe he?s not sure. Then he says if that was their first move, he?s going to make the next one. Frank confronts Wally and he talks him into giving him and Joe a piece of the action. Back at the hotel, the Hardys are still being watched by the hotel detective. Frank and Joe go to speak with the couple they robbed at the hotel! And then we find out that the Hardys were working undercover in cooperation with the police. (So we can sigh a sigh of relief knowing that Frank and Joe haven?t become criminals.  ) The couple tells them that someone else undercover wound up getting found out and killed in a hit and run. And while Frank and Joe have been in contact with Lt. Kirk, they are told that someone else of the police will contact them.
       Then at dinner, Becky passes on a message from Wally for the Hardys to meet with him in their room. Frank and Joe figure she must be part of the gang. Then they head to the meeting to find their room ransacked again. And then they find Wally and the other guy are already there (Lou is the other guy?s name.) Frank and Joe work a deal with the gang to work the islands alongside the gang. (Joe claims Frank is a black belt in martial arts to ward off Lou?s threatened attack. When they?re gone, Frank seems to indicate that?s not really the case obviously- though Frank has been portrayed as being into the martial arts- but then, I?m mainly thinking of books in the Digests and Casefiles series- I imagine it?s come up somewhere in the Original 58 books too- I just can?t recall any right now. But we?ve already determined not everything in this TV series is exact to the books. Honestly, even some of the books differ on things from series to series.) Frank and Joe reveal the hiding spot of the loot they had taken from the couple?s room- hidden in ice trays.
        Frank and Joe find out that the girls don?t want to hang out with them tonight and they?re still thinking that the girls are waiting for some kind of signal from Wally?s gang. (I honestly had the impression that they were more just disgusted that Frank and Joe were hooked up with Wally?s gang because they know he?s bad news.) Then Frank and Joe are contacted by Officer Kapala- the contact the couple told them about. He gives them a number to reach him at and then tells them they?re doing a great job and heads out.
      And once again we?re back to another jeep driving scene, where Joe again plays his Fun, Fun, Fun performance for Frank and Frank again turns it down for the moment as he?s trying to figure out what the next move for them and for the gang is going to be. Joe goes to talk with the girls while Frank goes to pay his entry fee. The girls explain to Joe that they?ve seen a lot of good guys go bad by hanging with Wally and they don?t want to get in trouble. Joe tries to tell them that they?ve got them all wrong. Then Frank gets contacted by the gang to go clean out the hotels (during the surf competition that they both will have to ditch) and he goes to get Joe so they can leave. Interesting here that Joe tells Frank he thinks Frank and he got the girls all wrong- and Frank doesn?t want to take a chance- but Joe says that sometimes you have to take chances. Joe slips Liz the number their contact gave them and then Frank, Joe, Lou and Wally go off to pull the job, all in the Hardys? jeep- again with some instrumental driving music. They all get disguised as bellhops bringing towels around and then they start cleaning out hotel rooms. (While Frank is cleaning out one room, you can see a Super 8 camera that he takes. That?s just neat to see nostalgic things like that on this show- of course, it was state of the art and pretty new at that time. It?s just funny to look back on it now though. I still love using a lot of ?old? technology.  ) Joe runs into one room where a lady is out on the deck sunbathing and just about gets found out.
         Meanwhile, their contact has been alerted to the girls calling him in. Then the gang and the Hardys go to one of the hotel rooms and start putting their haul away into suitcases (where you can see a lot more of those ?older technology? items- cameras and video recorders.) Frank and Joe walk out by their contact as the gang has a bellhop haul off the suitcases into a car for a couple in the room that they were using- apparently, the masterminds of the operation. The Hardys mention wanting to meet that couple before they fly out but Wally cuts them off. As they head out, their contact takes the information and orders an immediate check made for the couple at the airport. Frank and Joe are then walking back to the hotel after dropping off the gang and then they notice the bags for the couple in question are being taken back to the hotel. They follow the bellhop dropping off the bags so they can meet this couple. Then they get a surprise when the mastermind comes into the room. And in an interesting twist, they find out that the reason no one can catch this gang is that the house detective is leading the whole operation! Frank and Joe are ready to go call the police but Lou and Wally overhear them saying this and bring them in to the operation mastermind. Then the five of them walk off through the hotel lobby and Joe suddenly turns on his Walkman for everyone to hear. (Once more getting a quick snippet of Fun, Fun, Fun playing.) A security guard demands they turn it off and Frank and Joe cause a scene and then get hauled off by the security guard. It turns out to be a great move on Joe?s part as this gets the Hardys out of danger and then the gang walks right into the police?s arms. In another funny moment, Frank then asks Joe to turn the music off now that the gang has been captured and Joe says that he was just getting into it.  (And the song comes to an end at this point, so perhaps Frank has finally heard the full performance over the course of many attempts by Joe.  )
           Then we have another beautiful sunset picture as the Hardys are at another beach music show. Frank and the girls apologize to each other. And Joe sings again with the band and dedicates the song to Liz, as she kept the day from being a total ?wipe-out?. (So Joe gets to say the episode title too.) And then we have Joe performing Surfin' U.S.A. by The Beach Boys again with the band. Then we move to the credits with some intercut scenes of a few more shots of that ABC logo as the camera man films Frank and the others surfing. And then it?s back to the concert scene with Joe singing- and Frank sitting there and swaying to the music with the girls. (So for once at least Frank does sit there and listen to Joe sing. Lol  ).
         This episode was particularly cool to me because it features a couple of things. For one, as I?ve already noted, this is the first episode where the Hardy Boys really travel a ways away from Bayport. Also, they go undercover to stop a criminal operation, which is definitely much like some of their cases in the books. [The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge comes to mind offhand, for instance.]  And of course, we have great beach scenes, surfing and The Beach Boys? music! (I love The Beach Boys!  If I were to pick a favorite secular band, this would definitely be it. They have good, clean fun music and some songs that are even quite touching, moving and inspiring as well.)
       We can also assume that the Hardy Boys were able to use their notoriety as the sons of Fenton Hardy because the local police were readily willing to work with them and allow them to go undercover- and that?s also much in keeping with the books. It was a great, fun episode that also was a picture of episodes to come in the second and third season.

[tomswift2002]

Shots and sound bites from this episode would show up in later episodes of the series, particularly in "The Strange Fate of Flight 101" (or whatever the flight number was).

[MacGyver]

"Strange Fate of Flight 608". (I think you got it mixed up with The Secret Agent on Flight 101. )
Thanks for reminding me about scenes from "Wipe-Out" being used in later episodes. That is important to note.