The Pop Culture Addict's Place

When I say "the Hardy Boys" what do you think of?  The classic children's detective book series by Franklin W. Dixon?  Mystery?  Suspense?  Adventure? Shaun Cassidy and Parker Stevenson?  Late 1960's mod bubblegum rock and roll?  What?  You don't think late 1960's mod bubblegum rock and roll?  Well, dear friends, neither did I until a couple of days ago.  However,   I recently discovered a bit of 1960's television/animation/music trivia that, for some reason, has just boggled my mind and fascinated me.  So, dear friends and readers, join me as:

CONFESSIONS OF A POP CULTURE ADDICT

ATTEMPTS TO UNCOVER THE MYSTERY OF

THE HARDY BOYS + 3

OR

OH BOY, HERE
COMES THE HARDYS!  OH BOY, WE'RE HAVING A PARTY!

Okay.  Not since my fascination with
Hello Larry last winter have I found myself scurrying around looking for information on something so obscure as "The Hardy Boys +3", a completely formulated bubble gum pop band from the late 1960's.  Who were these kids?  Where did this madness begin?  How have we gone this long without ever hearing of them.  Well, lets start at the beginning - shall we?

It all starts with Filmation Animated Studios.  In the 1960's through to the 1980's Filmation was a powerhouse at churning out Saturday morning animated programs.  Some of the most famous included Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Shazam, He-Man, She-ra, The Brady Kids and the Archies.  In fact, if not for the success of Filmation's Archies there may have never been a "Hardy Boys + 3."

 In 1968, when Filmation put out "the Archie Show", as part of the program they had Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie jam out a musical number at the end of the program.  Enter producer Don Kirshner.  For those keeping track Don Kirshner has gone down in pop culture lore as being oftened vilified early Monkees producer who Mickey Dolenz once poured a bottle of Coke on, and in an argument caused Mike Nesmith to punch a hole through a door.  However, that is another story.  There was one thing Don Kirshner was good at and that was creating pop acts.  For the Archies series Kirshner assembled a crew of musicians, including Andy Kim and Ron Dante, and they wrote and performed songs on the animated series.  This, of course, became pop culture history when the Archies released their songs onto vinyl and scored big with "Sugar Sugar" and later with "Jingle Jangle."  The Archies band was a huge success.  However, since the musicians assembled looked nothing like the animated characters they were portraying it was nearly impossible to put together public appearances or concerts.

Looking for a similar success as "Sugar Sugar" Filmation decided that the format would work again.  However, they would have to find another franchise to use as a rock band.  Thats when some Einstein at Filmation had the incredibly stupid idea to turn the classic boys detective series "The Hardy Boys" into a traveling rock band where they would solve mysteries everywhere they went!  They tossed away the entire Hardy Boys mythos and tradition, dressed Joe and Frank Hardy and their best friend Chet Morton (now renamed "Chubby" to emphasize his over weight nature - further destroying the self esteem of overweight kids for a whole generation) in ultra groovy mod clothing, and added two new characters; the dippy token female character Wanda, and the token black character (to keep it politically correct) Pete.  "The Hardy Boys" aired in 1969 and lasted one season.  Now, since I was born in 1975 I can't say that I had ever seen the show but, as a result of my constant thirst for pop culture knowledge I was aware of the cartoons existence, mainly through an ad advertising it in old comic books from the Fall of 1969.  However, by all accounts the show, apparently, was a giant disaster.  Hardy Boys fans hated it due to its changes from the novels (I mean traveling rock band?  C'mon now),  the animation was terrible, the voice acting was obnoxious and the stories were cardboard.  It wasn't a shining moment in Filmation's history.

However, this was the part of the story I didn't know about, and the part that I find the most interesting.

Don Kirshner didn't want to make the same mistake of getting together a group of musicians that didn't look like the animated characters.  Thus, when assembling the band that would be "The Hardy Boys + 3" he got musicians that resembled the characters.  That way "The Hardy Boys +3" could go on tour, make public appearances, appear in teen magazines and, hopefully, become the same sensations as the Archies were.  The Hardy Boys +3 were played by Reed Kailing (Frank Hardy), Jeff Taylor (Joe Hardy), Norbert Soltysiak ("Chubby: Morton), Deven English (Wanda Kay) and Bob Crowder (Pete Jones).  The "live" versions of the Hardy Boys + 3 appeared in the opening and closing credits of the program.  Now an early press kit for the show claims that the characters were designed before the musicians were hired, however the resemblance to the musicians are so uncanny that I find that hard to believe.  During the year the show was on two albums were released:  "Here Comes the Hardy Boys" and "Wheels."  Now I can't say I have ever seen or heard of these albums until a few days ago but you have no idea the desire I have to own both of them.  Anybody looking for a nifty Christmas gift for me?  Get your e-bay accounts going cause both albums are common on e-bay at reasonable prices.  By all accounts the albums aren't all that bad and some of the songs are quite catchy.  However, this is not surprising with Don Kirshner at the helm.  If they are at all similar to the music of the Monkees, the Archies and, later on, the Brady Bunch one can assume they are at least likeable.  Care to listen to "The Hardy Boys +3" yourself?  You can play the band performing the theme song here.

So, who exactly "were" the Hardy Boys +3 and whatever happened to them?  This was the question I sought to find out.  The answers range from stupidly easy to find to whereabouts unknown...but we can guess.  Lets see what we can piece together.

The most prolific of all the Hardys was Reed Kailing who played Frank.  Before the Hardys Reed had been part of the band Destinations who played at the wedding of President Johnston's daughter.  After the Hardys Kailing was a member of "The Grassroots" (Midnight Confessions, Lets Live for Today), Paul McCartney's band "Badfinger" as well as played Paul in the original Broadway production of "Beatlemania."  Kailing also worked as a session musician of artists such as Mick Jagger and John Lennon.  You can visit Kailing's website here.

After that the trails on all the other members of the Hardy's gets rather sketchy.

My search for Devon English who played Wanda proved to be rather interesting in the erotic sense.  Deven was featured in a 1972 Playboy special featuring the Playboy Clubs bunnies.  Deven was working as a bunny in the Chicago Playboy Club and was featured in the magazine, although not nude.  However, a German hard core porn site claimed to have pictures of Deven English.  I briefly attempted to see if I could get a peek but could not easily access any files and didn't care to continue.  One can only wonder where Deven English is today although, for some morbid reason, I wonder if she continued in the sex trade like many failed starlets do.

Now you would think that someone with a unique name like Norbert Soltysiak would be easy to get a line on.  Well, sure enough there are a few Norbert Soltysiak's out there.  One is a Marathon runner from Albany NY, although I have a feeling that a guy who was called "Chubby" Morton is not the same guy.  Another Norbert Soltysiak is connected to the US Chess Federation.  However, in a website for 1960's independent record company Quill Records a Norbert Soltysiak was listed as being a member of a Chicago based band called "The Delights,' said to be Chicago's answer to "the Zombies."  Furthermore, I found a listing for a Norbert Soltysiak still residing in the greater Chicago area.  Could he be one and the same?

Now to search out Bob Crowder, who played Pete, I looked at his work before the Hardys.  Bob Crowder studied drums at the Chicago Conservatory of Music and was  a session drummer for the Shirelles, the Esquires, Jerry Butler and Fontella Bass.  One could only assume that Bob Crowder would continue work as a session drummer.  Sure enough a Bob Crowder exists in the Chicago area as a session drummer, mainly for jazz projects, and has recently worked with Malachi Jackson and Buddy Guy.  I'm not saying its the same guy but who knows.

Now to search for a name as common as Jeff Taylor is near impossible.  However, Taylor hailed from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin and there still is a Jeff Taylor in that area involved in the folk music scene.  Its not a lot - but its all I got.

However, wherever the Hardy Boys + 3 may be they possess the prestige of being a curious and obscure part of pop culture history.  Look, stranger things have happed.  If you are visiting this site and you are, or know of, the whereabouts of any of these folks please contact me.  Believe me I, as well as other pop culture lovers, know there is a story to be told and want to hear.

Finally, if any of you scour record shops and come across any Hardy Boys + 3 albums or 45's please swipe them up for me.  This pop culture guru thanks you.

Now excuse me why I listen to that groovy Hardy Boys theme song again.