Product Description

THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB'S magical mix of entertainment was so captivating to television's first generation of children, watching it became a daily ritual. And so the first day of the show's second season, millions thrilled to the debut of a new adventure series, THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE APPLEGATE Treasure. All the cliff-hanging suspense unfolds right here, including the entire MICKEY MOUSE CLUB episode that introduced the series. Plus, you'll get clued in to the truth behind the novels' author Franklin W. Dixon, and you'll witness the reunion of Tim Considine (Frank Hardy) and Tommy Kirk (Joe Hardy) at the scene of the crime -- Stage 2 at the Disney Studio.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9074 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2006-12-19
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .70 pounds
• Running time: 269 minutes

Features

• THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB'S magical mix of entertainment was so captivating to television's first generation of children, watching it became a daily ritual. And so the first day of the show's second season, millions thrilled to the debut of a new adventure series, THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE APPLEGATE Treasure. All the cliff-hanging suspense unfolds right here, including the entire

Amazon.com
From the moment Thurl Ravenscroft intoned, "Gold doubloons and pieces of eight/ Handed down to Applegate," "The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure" became one of the best-loved serials on the The Mickey Mouse Club, second only to "The Adventures of Spin and Marty." Gifted young actors Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk make a believable pair of adolescent sleuths: Frank and Joe Hardy want to follow in the footsteps of their father, private detective Fenton Hardy. Summer vacation in the little town of Bayport seems boring until Frank and Joe run into Perry Robinson, a new kid in their neighborhood, who them leads into the search for the long-lost pirate treasure of local eccentric Silas Applegate. There's plenty of low-key daring-do, suitably sinister villains, misread clues, and wholesome comedy to keep young children (or grandchildren) occupied while Baby Boomers delight in recalling how they enjoyed the adventure in the mid-'50s.

The extras include the entire Mickey Mouse Club show from Oct. 1, 1956, when Considine and Kirk presented a preview of the new serial, and a short feature on how the Disney crew adapted the popular boys' books to television. Host Leonard Maltin conducts an agreeable interview with a disconcertingly aged Considine and Kirk. This Disney Treasure is a must-have for viewers who grew up during the '50s--or younger audiences who want discover the answer to the question, "Now where are those gold doubloons and pieces of eight?" (Rated G, suitable for ages 5 and older: mild violence) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews

The first Hardy Boys serial is the best.
This is the first of two Hardy Boys serials that originally appeared in "The Mickey Mouse Club". You will not get "The Mickey Mouse Club" on this DVD, just The Hardy Boys segments. In the mid 1990's the Disney Channel (cable tv) removed some of the MMC serials from the shows and created new half-hour shows of just those stories. New opening & closing titles were created for these new mini-series.

The then-famous song "Gold Doubloons & Pieces of Eight" introduces you to "The Mystery Of Applegate's Treasure". A serialized story loosely based on the first Hardy Boys book "The Tower Treasure".

Starring:
Tim Considine (of Spin & Marty fame) as Frank Hardy.
Tommy Kirk (Old Yeller & The Shaggy Dog) as Joe Hardy.

Purists will be disappointed that they are not getting the complete, unedited, hour-long "Mickey Mouse Club" shows that these ran in, but fans will still enjoy these re-edited episodes. However, Disney promises that the teaser episode (which was never included in the Disney Channel re-edited versions) will contain the entire hour long Mickey Mouse Club episode!

A Great DVD Package, Rich in Atmosphere
I grew up a child of the 1970's, and was riveted to "The Hardy Boys - The Mystery of The Applegate Treasure" in reruns of "The Micky Mouse Club" which were airing on a local station. I would tune in daily, and I think they only showed "The Hardy Boys" serial once a week (it was originally shown three times a week) and I still recall the stir of excitement which I felt when they skull and crossbones came on screen of the Hardy Boys introduction. By contrast, though I faithfully sat through "The Mickey Mouse Club" each day, it was always a little feeling of disappointment when the show aired without a "Hardy Boys" installment. Anyway, all this is one of the few of my early television memories which I have not been able to revisit until now (I don't have the Disney Channel).

Thanks to Leonard Maltin's always superb treatment, I can say that for me, revisiting the show after more than 30 years has not been a letdown in the slightest. Sure, the story is a bit on the simplistic side, but the fine acting and ultra-atmospheric sets (often at night) take me back not only to my childhood, but to an earnest time in the US when al-Qaeda wasn't a household word. It has been more fun for me to revisit this installment in Maltin's "Walt Disney Treasures" series perhaps than any other.

The extras are fun, though I wish there were more. It's great to see Considine and Kirk reunited after 50 years and it's nice that they seem to genuinely get along so well.

I remember "Spin and Marty" which was decent (and also fun to revisit in another Maltin DVD set), but when it comes to the MMC serials, it is this one which I will always remember most fondly, and which to me holds up the best.

Disney's Hardys Worth the cost
When I received this DVD, I felt like a kid at Christmas (Wait a second, it was my Xmas gift,So I was a kid at Xmas...Thanks Donna!).

I love classic Disney from the 50s, 60s and 70s. This is the second episodic piece of TV done on the Mickey Mouse Club (MMC), the first was S Walt Disney Treasures - The Adventures of Spin & Marty - The Mickey Mouse Club(which is already available on a Disney Treasures DVD-see my review).

This Hardy Boys has the Disney flair and was adapted it to the small screen well. It barely dates itself, a showcase of a project well done

The masters recording of this collection are clean and crisp, cleaner than most older shows and movies I have seen lately . Disney has made sure of it being great for the treasures collection

I remember watching this and not missing a day when It was on. I like the 80's Hardy Boys too, but this one is done better.

The extra stuff on the DVD is the intro episode of the Hardy Boys from the MMC, Showing how Disney transfered the book into Disney TV show and an all new interview with the actors who played the Hardy Boys

All I hope is that Disney soon will release the second Spin & marty, Annette and Hardy Boys serials from the MMC, the rest of Swamp Fox episodes, all of Texas John Slaughter...and place their first season of Disney's Zorro from their movie club to the general public

So detect this collection for your home video library, NOW

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD