Any fans of HART TO HART here?

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ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan)
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Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#1 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Any fans out there who are into mystery, danger, adventure, romance?

HART TO HART was a very good detective/mystery series which I am quite the fan of. In fact I'd say it's about on par with MPI. It's light-hearted adventure and mystery mixed with some exotic locales and a very likable (and in love) couple very well played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers. It debuted in the fall of 1979 on ABC and was probably the only great thing to come out that year. That late 70s period was pretty much a wasteland when it comes to television. FIVE-O was in its last season and it was not a good season. Same with ROCKFORD. As for sitcoms the only thing going strong in 1979 (for me at least) was THREE'S COMPANY. That's pretty much it. Anyway, HART TO HART was a Spelling-Goldberg production, same as CHARLIE'S ANGELS which was also airing at that time. But I definitely place HART TO HART above the ANGELS. I really like the variety of mysteries and situations that the Harts would find themselves in. I also thought the show had a nice touch of class. A classy couple, those two. Maybe too perfect (for the real world) but a great make-believe couple. :)

But just like with MPI not all episodes were light-hearted. In fact I just caught a few episodes over the last 2 weeks (on Amazon Prime) which were quite dark. There's "Hart of Darkness" where a psycho played by a young Ed Harris assumes the role of a "pool man" and makes his way onto the Harts' property and dumps chemicals into the Harts' swimming pool, and then when Jonathan (Robert Wagner) takes a dip in the pool the chemicals burn his eyes and he goes blind. A very creepy episode! As good as anything you will ever see on MPI. The showdown at the end between Ed Harris and Wagner (while the latter still can't see) will give you the shivers. And then there's "Hartstruck" where Mimi Rogers is a deranged psycho who is obsessed over Jonathan and MUST have him. It's funny because she was in the MPI episode about an obsessed crazy chick ("Italian Ice") except she wasn't the crazy one there. Here she's just absolutely scary. Honestly this episode wipes the floor with "Italian Ice". Ann Dusenberry's psycho is like something out of a high school play compared to what Mimi Rogers does in this HART TO HART episode. Again, very creepy! She could have played Glenn Close's part in FATAL ATTRACTION. There was an earlier episode called "You Made Me Kill You" which also had a psycho obsessed with Jonathan. Kathleen Lloyd played that part. Also a very good episode but "Hartstruck" with Mimi Rogers just raised it to a whole other level.

Two other episodes that come to mind (perhaps a bit over-the-top but still riveting) are "Hunted Harts" where Ian Bannen plays a fellow businessman who loses a bid to Hart Industries and decides to take revenge on the Harts by inviting them to his Safari and then hunting them down for sport. Bannen really sinks his teeth into that part! Another is "Harts Under Glass" where John Dehner plays a reclusive Howard Hughes type who has a collection of everything which he considers to be an "ideal" object. Art, plant, animal, etc. Now he plan to add another "ideal" to his collection - the perfect woman who happens to be Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers). Of course that means Jonathan has to be eliminated. Some of these plots may sound a bit James Bondish in nature but I guess that's no surprise because Tom Mankiewicz was one of the creators of the show, and he wrote a few of the early 70s Bond films.

Oh, I almost forgot a REAR WINDOW-type episode called "What Murder?" where Jonathan witnesses a murder across the street in an adjacent high-rise (while looking through a telescope) but then loses his memory after running to report the incident and colliding with a man on a motorcycle. So now Jonathan has to get his memory back as well as remember what he witnessed just before losing it. A very suspenseful episode. I highly recommend checking these episodes out.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#2 Post by Pahonu »

ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 6:16 pm Any fans out there who are into mystery, danger, adventure, romance?

HART TO HART was a very good detective/mystery series which I am quite the fan of. In fact I'd say it's about on par with MPI. It's light-hearted adventure and mystery mixed with some exotic locales and a very likable (and in love) couple very well played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers. It debuted in the fall of 1979 on ABC and was probably the only great thing to come out that year. That late 70s period was pretty much a wasteland when it comes to television. FIVE-O was in its last season and it was not a good season. Same with ROCKFORD. As for sitcoms the only thing going strong in 1979 (for me at least) was THREE'S COMPANY. That's pretty much it. Anyway, HART TO HART was a Spelling-Goldberg production, same as CHARLIE'S ANGELS which was also airing at that time. But I definitely place HART TO HART above the ANGELS. I really like the variety of mysteries and situations that the Harts would find themselves in. I also thought the show had a nice touch of class. A classy couple, those two. Maybe too perfect (for the real world) but a great make-believe couple. :)

But just like with MPI not all episodes were light-hearted. In fact I just caught a few episodes over the last 2 weeks (on Amazon Prime) which were quite dark. There's "Hart of Darkness" where a psycho played by a young Ed Harris assumes the role of a "pool man" and makes his way onto the Harts' property and dumps chemicals into the Harts' swimming pool, and then when Jonathan (Robert Wagner) takes a dip in the pool the chemicals burn his eyes and he goes blind. A very creepy episode! As good as anything you will ever see on MPI. The showdown at the end between Ed Harris and Wagner (while the latter still can't see) will give you the shivers. And then there's "Hartstruck" where Mimi Rogers is a deranged psycho who is obsessed over Jonathan and MUST have him. It's funny because she was in the MPI episode about an obsessed crazy chick ("Italian Ice") except she wasn't the crazy one there. Here she's just absolutely scary. Honestly this episode wipes the floor with "Italian Ice". Ann Dusenberry's psycho is like something out of a high school play compared to what Mimi Rogers does in this HART TO HART episode. Again, very creepy! She could have played Glenn Close's part in FATAL ATTRACTION. There was an earlier episode called "You Made Me Kill You" which also had a psycho obsessed with Jonathan. Kathleen Lloyd played that part. Also a very good episode but "Hartstruck" with Mimi Rogers just raised it to a whole other level.

Two other episodes that come to mind (perhaps a bit over-the-top but still riveting) are "Hunted Harts" where Ian Bannen plays a fellow businessman who loses a bid to Hart Industries and decides to take revenge on the Harts by inviting them to his Safari and then hunting them down for sport. Bannen really sinks his teeth into that part! Another is "Harts Under Glass" where John Dehner plays a reclusive Howard Hughes type who has a collection of everything which he considers to be an "ideal" object. Art, plant, animal, etc. Now he plan to add another "ideal" to his collection - the perfect woman who happens to be Jennifer Hart (Stefanie Powers). Of course that means Jonathan has to be eliminated. Some of these plots may sound a bit James Bondish in nature but I guess that's no surprise because Tom Mankiewicz was one of the creators of the show, and he wrote a few of the early 70s Bond films.

Oh, I almost forgot a REAR WINDOW-type episode called "What Murder?" where Jonathan witnesses a murder across the street in an adjacent high-rise (while looking through a telescope) but then loses his memory after running to report the incident and colliding with a man on a motorcycle. So now Jonathan has to get his memory back as well as remember what he witnessed just before losing it. A very suspenseful episode. I highly recommend checking these episodes out.
I’m not a huge fan, but found it enjoyable when I watched. I very much remember the Mimi Rogers episode. Also, Tenspeed and Brownshoe debuted later in that TV season and is very enjoyable, but sadly didn’t go any further. Three’s Company is one of my wife’s favorite comedies ever, and high on my list too.

Mostly, I can’t get past your comparison of H5-O’s last season with Rockford’s! :shock: Season 12 of H5-O had two good episodes in like 22, and some absolute stinkers. Five or six of the final 11 Rockford episodes were really solid and it only ended because of Garner’s health. That’s more good episodes than season 11 of H5-O too!!! :lol:

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#3 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Pahonu wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:45 am Mostly, I can’t get past your comparison of H5-O’s last season with Rockford’s! :shock: Season 12 of H5-O had two good episodes in like 22, and some absolute stinkers. Five or six of the final 11 Rockford episodes were really solid and it only ended because of Garner’s health. That’s more good episodes than season 11 of H5-O too!!! :lol:
ROCKFORD final season had maybe 2 good episodes - "Nice Guys Finish Dead" and maybe "Deadlock in Parma". That's it. Everything else was the pits. As in arm-pits! :lol:

As for HF-O season 11 it's not even close. "The Skyline Killer" alone obliterates everything in ROCKFORD's 5th and 6th seasons combined! And that's not even mentioning other solid episodes from that season.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#4 Post by Pahonu »

ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 5:10 pm
Pahonu wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:45 am Mostly, I can’t get past your comparison of H5-O’s last season with Rockford’s! :shock: Season 12 of H5-O had two good episodes in like 22, and some absolute stinkers. Five or six of the final 11 Rockford episodes were really solid and it only ended because of Garner’s health. That’s more good episodes than season 11 of H5-O too!!! :lol:
ROCKFORD final season had maybe 2 good episodes - "Nice Guys Finish Dead" and maybe "Deadlock in Parma". That's it. Everything else was the pits. As in arm-pits! :lol:

As for HF-O season 11 it's not even close. "The Skyline Killer" alone obliterates everything in ROCKFORD's 5th and 6th seasons combined! And that's not even mentioning other solid episodes from that season.
The first two episodes alone are better than anything in season 11 of H5-0. Paradise Cove with Marriette Hartley and the two-parter with Lauren Bacall are excellent. The Big Cheese is a classic Rockford episode I can’t believe you don’t like. The plot is excellent with the twists and turns. It’s really a lot like episodes from the first couple of seasons that you prefer.

The two-part Tony Alika episode with Ross Martin is better than The Skyline Killer in season 11. Two things I remember from the latter: One, it’s an interesting premise with a serial killer trying to sell his story, but pretty hard to believe, and two, the big finale on the scaffold was awful. That double for Jack Lord was horrible and I don’t usually notice those things unless it’s Baaad!

Actually, as I think of it, the other journalist episode with Paul Williams trying to blackmail Alika was better too. The only other episode I can even remember is the one with former Bond, George Lazenby. The rest were pretty forgettable, plus no Chin Ho. :(
Last edited by Pahonu on Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#5 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Pahonu wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:58 pm
The first two episodes alone are better than anything in season 6 of H5-0. Paradise Cove with Marriette Hartley and the two-parter with Lauren Bacall are excellent.
Sorry buddy but you must be smoking something. Season 6 had "Hookman" which is not just one of the greatest hours of FIVE-O but one of the best hours of television. Ever. Comparing it to "Paradise Cove"? Seriously??? Everything from season 6 was better than "Cove".

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#6 Post by Pahonu »

ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:01 pm
Pahonu wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 9:58 pm
The first two episodes alone are better than anything in season 6 of H5-0. Paradise Cove with Marriette Hartley and the two-parter with Lauren Bacall are excellent.
Sorry buddy but you must be smoking something. Season 6 had "Hookman" which is not just one of the greatest hours of FIVE-O but one of the best hours of television. Ever. Comparing it to "Paradise Cove"? Seriously??? Everything from season 6 was better than "Cove".
That was supposed to be season 11 as per my original comment. The typo is duly noted and amended. :lol: Season 6 is excellent, then started the slow decline, but the real dregs were in the final two seasons. There were more duds than even okay episodes, and just a few worthy of H5-O’s former glory. That’s not the case at all for Rockford. It most definitely had not jumped the shark, as they say, but was halted because of Garner’s health.

Best hour of television, ever??? Seems a bit of a stretch to say the least! :shock: :lol:
Last edited by Pahonu on Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:03 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#7 Post by Pahonu »

Dang we strayed from Hart to Hart! :shock: :lol:

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#8 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

Pahonu wrote: Mon Jan 16, 2023 11:55 pm Dang we strayed from Hart to Hart! :shock: :lol:
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming. :)

"This is Jonathan Hart, a self-made millionaire. This is Mrs. H. She's gorgeous. By the way, my name is Max. I take care of them. Which ain't easy. Because when they met... it was MURDER."

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#9 Post by MagnumsLeftShoulder »

I’m not a huge fan, but found it enjoyable when I watched.
That's pretty much my opinion of Hart to Hart. It's complete fluff, but sort of entertaining. I was watching it a few years ago, but it got too repetitive for me. I wouldn't put it anywhere near MPI in terms of quality, but I don't think MPI is all that lighthearted anyway. On the surface it's a fluffy fantasy, but the show dealt with some serious issues without going to the dark side like most of today's dramas do.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#10 Post by terryfromkerry »

This thread got me interested in Hart To Hart again. I have watched the first 3 episodes so far. William Lucking from MPI episode Two Bird's Of A Feather co-stars as a bad guy in episode 3. Kathleen Lloyd aka MPI's Carol Baldwin is coming up in ep. 5. Enjoyable enough but I do not see myself viewing the complete series.
"Oh Jonathan !....oh Jonathan, come quickly ...... your hot cross buns are smoking".

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#11 Post by Chris109 »

Ya ever notice that in most series, there is always one episode where one of the main characters loses their eyesight and then takes it out on everyone around them? Granted I would also cause that's real life, but it's so common on tv where you just don't want to watch (no pun intended, but then again...) the episode.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#12 Post by ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) »

The episode where Jonathan loses his eyesight is a pretty dark and grim episode. Very suspenseful. Ed Harris is a really creepy psycho in that one! I urge everyone to check that one out - "Hart of Darkness". The score by Mark Snow reuses two very prominent cues from Jerry Goldmsith's ALIEN score. You'll recognize it immediately as soon as you hear it right at the beginning of the episode and all throughout whenever you see Ed Harris. I guess it's supposed to be psycho Ed Harris' theme. No way could Mark Snow say that was his original composition. It's so clearly Goldsmith's cue from ALIEN. And then another prominent one at the end (different cue) also from ALIEN and you just know that it's not coincidental or something that Snow composed that somehow resembles ALIEN. I mean it's the actual cue. I didn't see Snow give any credit to Goldsmith in the end credits. Not sure how that works.

Oh, and this was also the rare case where the blinded protagonist is actually not mad at the world for not being able to see. Jonathan actually is quite subdued and worried but is not lashing out at anybody. Compare that with Jack Lord in the Five-O episode "Blind Tiger" where McGarrett simply can't accept the fact that he can't see and can't do things on his own. He can't accept the fact that he has to rely on someone to get him through this. First comes denial and lashing out at everything and everybody. But slowly reality sets in and he has to accept it. Of course Jonathan was never the tightly-wound stubborn goat that McGarrett was.

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Re: Any fans of HART TO HART here?

#13 Post by Chris109 »

ZelenskyTheValiant (Ivan) wrote: Mon Jan 23, 2023 5:21 am The episode where Jonathan loses his eyesight is a pretty dark and grim episode. Very suspenseful. Ed Harris is a really creepy psycho in that one! I urge everyone to check that one out - "Hart of Darkness". The score by Mark Snow reuses two very prominent cues from Jerry Goldmsith's ALIEN score. You'll recognize it immediately as soon as you hear it right at the beginning of the episode and all throughout whenever you see Ed Harris. I guess it's supposed to be psycho Ed Harris' theme. No way could Mark Snow say that was his original composition. It's so clearly Goldsmith's cue from ALIEN. And then another prominent one at the end (different cue) also from ALIEN and you just know that it's not coincidental or something that Snow composed that somehow resembles ALIEN. I mean it's the actual cue. I didn't see Snow give any credit to Goldsmith in the end credits. Not sure how that works.
Hell, Led Zeppelin stole a bunch of songs and never gave credit.

I see Goldsmith did the score for Runaway with Selleck.

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