The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries "Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula" #2.1 (1977) (TV)

Goofy fun, 2 September 2007

Worried about their father who hasn't checked-in in over a week, Frank and Joe Hardy (Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy) look for clues in the last European village he was known to have been in. The boys soon discover that their father was on the trail of a gang of art thieves who appear to be using the movements of the rock singer Allison Troy as cover. They also discover a young woman named Nancy Drew who is looking for their father. The next step seems obvious – follow Allison Troy to the next gig. But Allison Troy just happens to be headed to a rock festival in, of all places, Dracula's castle. Has Dracula returned and is he responsible for Mr. Hardy's disappearance? And what does Dracula have to do with missing artwork? It's up to our intrepid threesome of amateur detectives to find out.

Yeah, the whole thing really is as silly as it sounds. The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew stumbling around secret passages in the bowels of Dracula's castle while a multi-day rock concert is going on above is without a doubt one of the more ridiculous ideas I've ever been asked to swallow. But even more ridiculous is Paul Williams as supposed rock god, Allison Troy. Sorry, I'll buy the Dracula story before I will Little Enos as a rock star. And it's not like there's much of a mystery surrounding the stolen paintings and the legend of Dracula. I spotted "Dracula" as soon as he came on screen. In all honesty, it's not very good.

Wait a minute – I admit The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Meet Dracula isn't very good, yet I've rated it a 6/10? What gives? Well, there's no accounting for sentimental value in these things. While I can't remember this specific episode, The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries was one of my favorite television shows in 1977. And the goofy charm in every one of the episodes still appeals to me. The show may not work for everyone, but it has always worked for me.

6/10