Hart to Hart: Season One

“Natalie sells tickets. I sell soap.”

This is the reason that Robert Wagner gave to ABC executives for not wanting to co-star on television with his film star wife, Natalie Wood--they simply work in two different media. Although they couldn’t get the well-known female lead of Rebel Without a Cause on board, execs persisted with Wagner, asking him what sort of television show he’d like to do. Wagner mentioned his love of detective movies, particularly the Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and Hart to Hart was born.

Hart to Hart (1979-1984) is a detective show which follows a happily-married entrepreneur and his wife, who are also amateur sleuths in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond. It’s insane how often mysteries and murder happened wherever they go; they are proto-Jessica Fletcher. In the first season, the most frequent line from Jonathan Hart (Wagner) is: "He's dead.” Co-star Stephanie Powers plays Jennifer Hart, whose most frequent line is a scream--she’s often being kidnapped by some fiend so that Jonathan can save her in the last act. She may as well be lashed to a railroad tie as a man in black stands nearby twirling his waxed mustache. The plots are that ancient and simplistic.

Still, the Harts look gorgeous solving problems in evening attire and jewelry, so they get a pass. The rest of the country lines up for rationed gas, but the Harts fly around in their private jet to play high stakes poker in an airplane hangar in some part of the Middle East that looks suspiciously like L.A.’s backyard. Later in this season, California also doubles for Italy! But Wagner and Powers are likable--they would have to be to get away with even half of what they are asked to do.

In season one, the best all around episode, bar none, is “Downhill to Death.” It’s a location shoot outside of L.A. for once --it’s in Vail, among lovely flurries of actual snow. The costuming is tasteful as always. Casting is great. And the script--oh, that beautiful, relatively complicated script!--contains plenty of twists so that you think you know who is doing what to whom and why, but you’re absolutely wrong.

Hart is populated with many brilliant guest stars, including those from the classic movies era. Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens are cast as villains at a health spa in the pilot episode (written and directed by Tom Mankiewicz). Jeremy Brett plays a sinister character who is after Jennifer’s antique car. It’s also great to see newer talents. Jameson Parker--who would later play one half of the title characters in Simon & Simon (1981)--makes an appearance as a college student bent on mayhem.

The first season of Hart to Hart has its good points: decent production values, stylish costumes and an amiable cast to wear them. However, one just cannot get over the run-of-the-mill scripts. (Let’s not even mention the pervasive puns.) Perhaps the plots get better in the second season. Until then, let’s distract ourselves with something positive.

Did I mention that the people look good? They do.


Written by Java, a Cafe guest contributor, who blogs regularly at Java's Journey.