Friday, May 12, 2023

Did the Hardy Boys really meet one of the 60's Avengers? (1978)

 If you thought having the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew meet up with some of TV's best known sleuths of the period in season 2 was novel, it was topped in season 3 when Frank & Joe (Parker Stevenson & Shaun Cassidy) travel to London when their father (Edmund Gilbert, no relation to ye scribe) disappears while on a case yet again.

While Patrick Macnee's character wasn't readily identified, there is a certain bowler hat and a umbrella/cane that also has a sword hidden inside, if you recall The Avengers back in the 60's. Known simply as Sir John, he lends the brothers a hand, along with Pernell Roberts (ex-Bonanza, a year away from Trapper John, MD). Radio & film star Dana Andrews (ex-I Was a Communist For The FBI) also appears in "Assault on The Tower":


Sources say this was an unofficial Avengers crossover. Producer Glen Larson must've been a fan, such that he also cast Macnee in an episode or two of Battlestar Galactica that same season. And, yeah, that's Jack Kelly (ex-Maverick, Sale of The Century) as their contact with the government, as seen in the open.

Rating: A-.
at

2 comments:

  1. Mike DoranSeptember 09, 2023

    "An episode or two ..."?
    By 1978, Patrick Macnee had permanently emigrated to the USA, ultimately becoming a naturalized citizen.
    On Galactica, Macnee provided the weekly narration at the opening credits, as well as character voices throughout the series.

    ReplyDelete
  2. hobbyfanNovember 21, 2023

    I know Patrick Macnee had guested on Galactica. A 2-parter, IIRC. I think it was actually Lorne Greene (Adama) who did the narration at the end of the episode, encapsulating the fleet's journey to Earth.

    ReplyDelete