The Hardy Boys - a brief history

The Hardy Boys have been around as long as Nancy Drew has.  They were created in 1927 and written under the name of Franklin W. Dixon. Much like Nancy Drew, they have been maintained by ghostwriters. Frank and Joe Hardy have been featured as phone contacts and physical characters in Herinteractive Nancy Drew games, have their own PC games, and their books continue to be written.

Since I've done a feature on Nancy Drew's history, it's only fair to do one on Frank and Joe Hardy. Their images don't generally change, mostly because they are men, but their personalities vary by series to a small degree. Men don't have fashion to worry about, usually, so it makes perfect, logical sense that their images don't change as much as Nancy's. They live in Bayport with their mother (Laura Hardy) and their father, plus their Aunt Gertrude. In some books they work for The Network/ATAC (american teens against crime).

The Original Series

Let's get a mental picture of these brothers. Joe is blonde, the younger brother, and is more impulsive. Frank is dark haired, the older brother, and more level-headed. The pair have a father, Fenton Hardy, who is a private investigator. He calls on his sons to help him with some of his cases. Love interests depend highly on the series.

The original series included Laura and Fenton Hardy, Aunt Gertrude, Chet Morton, various other friends, and the platonic female friends Cali Shaw and Iola Morton. Iola is Chet's sister, to answer the question you didn't ask. It doesn't imply romance here. The focus is on action and adventure, because it is aimed at young boys.

Any series aimed at young and growing boys has a natural tendency to focus on adventure, action, and sometimes "getting the girl". It encourages men to be leaders in every aspect of their lives and feeds young boys' needs for excitement. The Hardy Boys are no exception to that rule. The more mature the series, the more it focuses on "getting the girl". In this way it is different from the Nancy Drew series that it often crosses over with. Nancy has a more independent theme going on (if you look at the original, at least).

The Series That Followed

Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys crossovers often include the idea of Frank and Nancy getting together. This is known as "Francy". This is because both have so much in common, and it is a great writing technique to get drama going. The more drama-filled the series, the more "Francy" you see.  Hardy Boys have thrived alongside Nancy Drew, through Nancy's stories as well as their own. There are Hardy Boys series wherever you find Nancy Drew, with a few exceptions.

Crossover series include Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Supermysteries I and II and a shared 1970s TV series. There was a 90's TV show, but it was canceled mid-season due to low ratings. The individual book series include Undercover Brothers, Hardy Boys Casefiles, Clues Brothers, and Hardy Boys Adventures. Some of these are aimed at more mature audiences, others are aimed at younger audiences (ex. Clue Brothers).  Within these are a mix of romance and completely platonic friendships. The Supermysteries and casefiles play with varying levels of drama, while the original series and Clues Brothers are aimed at a younger audience and have almost no drama.

A Steady Storyline

In the Nancy Drew blog post I pointed out distinct changes in characters, but here there are only minor changes in personality. Frank is flirtatious in some series (Nancy Drew Hardy Boys Supermysteries TV series), but introverted and awkward in others (Supermysteries II books). Actors and writers have tweeked them here and there, but the basics remain constant. Joe is impulsive and flirtatious, while Frank is a thinker. The newer series may exclude some of the original friends and add more characters in their place, including many short and long term love interests, but I can't find changes to character traits established in the original books.

While Nancy Drew changed with times, the Hardy Boys didn't have to, mostly because they were men. Fashion for men has not changed much. The standards that men are held to have changed only slightly, in most circles. Action-filled adventures are still in demand for young men and boys, while young girls' lives have changed so much more in comparison. Society has changed more for women than men, though it has shifted for both. In short, while Nancy's image varies between series, these two brothers don't, and if they do it's minor.

Want to hear a history of any more fictional characters? Let me know in the comments below!



Pictures:
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Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hardy_Boys