Accidental symbolism

Started by SDLagent, June 15, 2011, 01:47:06 AM

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SDLagent

Everyone knows Laura Hardy is the mother of the Hardy boys. Except, it would seem, John Button. In The Mystery of the Flying Express, book ghostwritten by him, Laura is, for some unknown reason, called Mildred! In the next book of the series, The Clue of the Broken Blade, as if to make-up for his earlier gaffe, Mildred is revealed to be Laura's middle name. Laura Mildred.

And after a strange error and a quick fix, the mother - the "co-creator" - of the Hardy boys has the initials "L.M." The same initials as another co-creator of The Hardy Boys, the first ghostwriter Leslie McFarlane. If Edward Stratemeyer was the "father" of The Hardy Boys then Leslie McFarlane was certainly the "mother".

MacGyver

Interesting connection. Intended or not, it does make a neat little tribute to Leslie McFarlane.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."- Jesus
"You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."- MacGyver in "Cease Fire"

SDLagent

I noticed it last year and thought it was pretty cool. And a little weird. What are the chances, eh?

tomswift2002

Well you also have to remember that in the 1941 version of Mystery of the Flying Express, Dr. Button also called Police Chief Ezra Collig, Police Chief Finch.  What a lynch!.   
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Hardy Boys UB Fan

Quote from: tomswift2002 on June 15, 2011, 07:50:46 PM
Well you also have to remember that in the 1941 version of Mystery of the Flying Express, Dr. Button also called Police Chief Ezra Collig, Police Chief Finch.  What a lynch!.   

Who was that? ???

SDLagent

And Chief Collig was called Clint Collig at least once.

Quote from: Katie on June 15, 2011, 07:52:22 PM
Who was that? ???

What?

Hardy Boys UB Fan

Quote from: tomswift2002 on June 15, 2011, 07:50:46 PM
Well you also have to remember that in the 1941 version of Mystery of the Flying Express, Dr. Button also called Police Chief Ezra Collig, Police Chief Finch. What a lynch!.   

Quote from: SDLagent on June 16, 2011, 05:09:30 PM
And Chief Collig was called Clint Collig at least once.

What?

*Sighs* What was tomswift2002 talking about?

MacGyver

Just what he said. In the 1941 version (i.e. original text version) of Mystery of the Flying Express, a character named Dr. Button mistakenly called Police Chief Ezra Collig by the name of Police Chief Finch.
(Although I'm sure it wasn't presented as a mistake within the text on the part of Dr. Button- it was probably just a random typo on the part of the typesetter or the ghostwriter.) And honestly- I can understand how such mistakes can happen- you get your mind thinking on one thing while still typing something else and sometimes you wind up putting something else different from what you meant to say.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."- Jesus
"You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."- MacGyver in "Cease Fire"

Hardy Boys UB Fan

Quote from: MacGyver on June 16, 2011, 06:46:56 PM
Just what he said. In the 1941 version (i.e. original text version) of Mystery of the Flying Express, a character named Dr. Button mistakenly called Police Chief Ezra Collig by the name of Police Chief Finch.
(Although I'm sure it wasn't presented as a mistake within the text on the part of Dr. Button- it was probably just a random typo on the part of the typesetter or the ghostwriter.) And honestly- I can understand how such mistakes can happen- you get your mind thinking on one thing while still typing something else and sometimes you wind up putting something else different from what you meant to say.

Okay. Now I get it. ;) 8)

MacGyver

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."- Jesus
"You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."- MacGyver in "Cease Fire"

Olivia

Quote from: SDLagent on June 15, 2011, 01:47:06 AM
If Edward Stratemeyer was the "father" of The Hardy Boys then Leslie McFarlane was certainly the "mother".

Very interesting and concise way of putting it.

SDLagent

Quote from: MacGyver on June 16, 2011, 06:46:56 PM
Just what he said. In the 1941 version (i.e. original text version) of Mystery of the Flying Express, a character named Dr. Button mistakenly called Police Chief Ezra Collig by the name of Police Chief Finch.
(Although I'm sure it wasn't presented as a mistake within the text on the part of Dr. Button- it was probably just a random typo on the part of the typesetter or the ghostwriter.) And honestly- I can understand how such mistakes can happen- you get your mind thinking on one thing while still typing something else and sometimes you wind up putting something else different from what you meant to say.

Dr. Button wasn't a character. He was the ghostwriter. And I'm guessing it was his mistake considering he also called Laura "Mildred" and had Fenton with a full beard among other strange departures from continuity.

Quote from: Olivia on June 16, 2011, 08:01:50 PM
Very interesting and concise way of putting it.

I don't think I ever thought of it that way until I found out Laura and McFarlane shared initials. But it works. If it wasn't for Stratemeyer the boys wouldn't have come into existent but if it wasn't for McFarlane they wouldn't be the same boys. He really shaped the characters much like a mother shapes the lives and characters of her young children.

MacGyver

QuoteDr. Button wasn't a character. He was the ghostwriter. And I'm guessing it was his mistake considering he also called Laura "Mildred" and had Fenton with a full beard among other strange departures from continuity.
Oh, okay- thanks for the correction.
"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me."- Jesus
"You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it."- MacGyver in "Cease Fire"

hardygirl847

Very interesting! I find it kind of silly that an editor would allow such a typo but this was many decades ago and I'm sure their processes for that were much different.

Either way, that is still a cool little tidbit. :)
I'm not on here as much or I just come on for a few moments. So I trying to keep up with posts. Sorry for being MIA. I've been off on a mission with Frank and Joe! :)

tomswift2002

Quote from: hardygirl847 on June 19, 2011, 02:14:25 AM
Very interesting! I find it kind of silly that an editor would allow such a typo but this was many decades ago and I'm sure their processes for that were much different.

Well, if you ever get a chance to read the 1937 version of The Secret Warning, you'll see just how much editing the editors at the Syndicate had to do inorder to get Dr. Button's manuscript upto an acceptable level, but also needing to "marry" it into an already exisiting script from another, more professional author (possible Leslie McFarlane).

But then at the same time, it would appear that the editor or editors who worked on Dr. Button's script of The Disappearing Floor (1940) just didn't care.
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