The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Ghost Farm

There is some confusion on the database about this production. It is listed twice, as separate episodes of the "Mickey Mouse Club"; once as "The Hardy Boys: The Mystery of the Ghost Farm" (1956) and again as "The Mystery of Ghost Farm" (????). Both are incorrectly classified as TV Episodes and both refer to the same thing, a 15-episode serial that was first shown as a part of the MMC's 1957-58 season, the same concept as serials like "Spin and Marty", "Annette", and "Corky and White Shadow". This was the club's third and final season. It had been cut back to just a half hour running time so these 12 minute serials took up even more of the show's format.

As in the first "The Hardy Boys" serial ("The Mystery of the Applegate Treasure") (1955), "Ghost Farm" is based on characters from Franklin W. Dixon's books: teen brother detectives Frank and Joe Hardy (Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk) who try to solve the mystery of a haunted farm where the farmer has died and left no one to care for his livestock. The animals are mostly old and sick as the farmer had run a sort of shelter for discarded farm animals, including a very mean Billy Goat named "Billy". Frank and Joe discover a plan to destroy the animals and try to prevent this from happening.

A ghost assists the boys as they work to prevent the acceptance of a false inheritance claim by a relative of the farmer. Iola Morton (Carole Ann Campbell) has a thing for Joe who is not yet interested in the attentions of girls.

The "Ghost Farm" mystery was not as good as the earlier "Applegate's Treasure" but was still very entertaining. The abandoned house was not particularly spooky and the ghost was obviously sympathetic and therefore not particularly scary.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This confused mish-mash of a story never should have seen the light of day.The boys run around a farm looking for ... what? There is zero dramatic tension, even with the sub-plot of protecting farm animals from-what, exactly? A suitable follow up might be entitled "The Mystery of Watching Paint Dry."

The second Hardy Boys mystery done on the Mickey Mouse Club has Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk discovering a farm that is abandoned and the animals in a wretched condition. But clues say that someone is there and taking some care of them and who does not want their presence known.

It's the animals that concern the Hardy Boys, but there is a real mystery dealing with some very adult crimes. At the end the brothers do discover it.

This was a nicely done serial that from the 50s still holds up well.

This serial was filmed in in June and early July 1957. The farm sequences were shot in the San Fernando Valley, while the Burbank studio lot and buildings doubled for Bayport. Viewers can tell not a lot of expense went into this teleplay. Although the decision having been made not to adapt one of the Hardy Boys books this time out, the story line was original. The five principal cast members returned from first Hardy Boys serial. Tim Considine as Frank Hardy and Tommy Kirk as Joe Hardy; Carole Ann Campbell as Iola Morton and Sarah Selby as Aunt Gertrude; and Russ Conway again appeared as the boy's father Fenton Hardy, though in a much smaller role this time. Some other actors in this episode are: John Baer as Eric Pierson; Hugh Sanders as Mr. Binks; Bob Amsberry as Sam the Farmer; Andy Clyde as Lacey; Yvonne Lime as Gloria Binks; John Harmon as Bray. This third and final episode series sees Frank Hardy has discovered girls, annoying younger brother Joe, who is bored and longing for another mystery to solve. Joe and Iola find a new mystery at an old abandoned farm, where they find animals still living on an farm that appears to be abandoned and appear to b under fed, but then there are signs of someone taking care of them. As Iola is wanting to get away from the "spooky old farm ", she runs into several people asking why she was there. When Iola summons Frank, he rides out to talk with Joe and Joe cons Frank into helping him solve this new mystery. It was entertaining enough, not what kids of today would like, but then there are some who prefer the older shows. I would watch this with grandchildren, just show them how life used to be.