Alpo
Member
Anybody here have kids or grandkids that read The Hardy Boys? I have a question or two.
The Hardys were written back in the 20s. And about the middle of the 50s they were all re-written. Times had changed. People’s attitudes had changed. Much of the “normal racism” of the 20s was no longer “normal”, and it was removed. Technology had improved, and the newer things were added.
I’m sure that they have been re-written at least once again, since it’s been 70 years, and I’m curious about a couple of things.
My first Hardy Boys was a birthday present in ’67. Mystery of the Devil’s Paw. Took place in Alaska. So before going up, Frank and Joe ditty-bopped over to the Army Surplus store and bought a couple of Springfield rifles. They were never mentioned again. They had no use in the story. But the idea of going up to Alaska – the Last Frontier – without bringing a rifle was foolish. So they bought guns. Now, these are high-school boys. 16 and 17 years old. After GCA68, they could not have bought the guns. Too young. And, since they weren’t really an important part of the story, I wondered if, in the latest version of the book, they even get them, or if Fenton buys them for the boys.
They meet a young Eskimo boy up there. Fleetwood (if I’m remembering correctly). Kid about their age. He talks like Tonto. “That right.” “Me do”. I wonder if he still talks like that, or if he speaks good English. He has to still be in the book – he was an important character.
The Hardys were written back in the 20s. And about the middle of the 50s they were all re-written. Times had changed. People’s attitudes had changed. Much of the “normal racism” of the 20s was no longer “normal”, and it was removed. Technology had improved, and the newer things were added.
I’m sure that they have been re-written at least once again, since it’s been 70 years, and I’m curious about a couple of things.
My first Hardy Boys was a birthday present in ’67. Mystery of the Devil’s Paw. Took place in Alaska. So before going up, Frank and Joe ditty-bopped over to the Army Surplus store and bought a couple of Springfield rifles. They were never mentioned again. They had no use in the story. But the idea of going up to Alaska – the Last Frontier – without bringing a rifle was foolish. So they bought guns. Now, these are high-school boys. 16 and 17 years old. After GCA68, they could not have bought the guns. Too young. And, since they weren’t really an important part of the story, I wondered if, in the latest version of the book, they even get them, or if Fenton buys them for the boys.
They meet a young Eskimo boy up there. Fleetwood (if I’m remembering correctly). Kid about their age. He talks like Tonto. “That right.” “Me do”. I wonder if he still talks like that, or if he speaks good English. He has to still be in the book – he was an important character.
