DVD Review: Hart To Hart: The Complete Third Season

Hart To Hart is a series about Jonathan Hart (a self-made millionaire, as Max tells us in the opening sequence to the show) and his wife Jennifer, a couple whom murder seems to follow wherever they go, be it Chicago or Hawaii or Acapulco or France. This series was created by Sidney Sheldon, and stars Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as the couple, and Lionel Stander as Max, their friend and employee. Even the opening sequence is delight, with Max saying, “When they met, it was murder.” The Complete Third Season includes twenty-four episodes on six discs.

This show is a lot of fun, though many of the plot lines are on the goofy side. And there is some clunky dialogue. This line from the first episode is probably the worst: “Something tells me that the competition can be very competitive.” (Although this line from a song at the beginning of the second episode rivals it: “There’s love in the air, and that’s nice.”) But even when you’re shaking your head at the plot or at some of the dialogue, there is a smile on your face. And a lot of that is due to the chemistry of the two leads. One thing I really like about this series is that it allows for tender and honest moments between Jonathan and Jennifer. These moments are part of what makes them believable as a couple, and part of what makes the series enjoyable.

And long before the current series Hart Of Dixie existed, Hart To Hart used the same joke in the episode titled “Deep In The Hart Of Dixieland.” Most of the episodes’ titles are plays on “heart,” such as “Hartbreak Kid” and “My Hart Belongs To Daddy.” There is even one titled “Hart Of Darkness,” in which a substitute pool man puts a chemical in the Harts’ pool, temporarily blinding Jonathan. The man then torments Jonathan by moving furniture around in his hospital room. This episode features an incorrect Shakespeare reference (Shakespeare did not write “Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned,” as Lt. Grey claims; that was William Congreve, and the line is actually a bit different) and some excellent guest stars. That’s Ed Harris as the man out to harm Jonathan. David Paymer plays an orderly. And John Anderson plays a character named Jim Blye.

There are several other interesting guest appearances in these episodes. “Rhinestone Harts” features appearances by Robert Englund (yes, Freddy Krueger) as Buddy Kilgore, and Mickey Jones (who has played drums for Bob Dylan) as an announcer at a country bar. Steve Allen makes an appearance as himself in “Deep In The Hart Of Dixieland,” a very enjoyable episode with some great music. And “My Hart Belongs To Daddy” guest stars Ray Milland as Jennifer’s father. That’s a really good episode, involving the OSS and the son of a Nazi war criminal. Plus, it has this line: “Some people can liven up a room just by leaving it.”

“Hartland Express” is one of my favorite episodes, partly because Florence Henderson guest stars, partly because there’s a shot of a Cubs game, but mostly because Stefanie Powers looks tremendous in that lynx coat. And mysteries are always better on a train. (Speaking of mysteries, the lynx coat disappears after the first couple of scenes. Whenever Jennifer Hart opens her closet on the train, it should be there, but it’s not.) Then in “What Becomes A Murder Most,” Jennifer Hart is working on a campaign for a fake fur company. She says it’s an important campaign, but she just wore a lynx in the previous episode, so I’m not sure when it became important to her. The best line of this episode is by Laura Bancroft: “Now you see how simple and sweet everything is once I get my own way.” Carrie Nye is fantastic as Laura Bancroft. But her death is so stupid, as it would be easy for her to get away or at least call for help, but she just stands there waiting for the killer to get to her. I love later when the killer mails some photos. He’s very careful not to leave any fingerprints, but then he licks the envelope. Whoops!

Trouble follows the Harts everywhere, even underwater, as “From The Depths Of My Hart” shows. They go scuba diving to test some underwater camera equipment. This is a fun episode, with lots of underwater footage, a reference to Jaws II, and even a chase on ATVs. Those still look like fun (though they use the more-dangerous three-wheel types). This episode has maybe the best dismissal ever from the villain to his cronies: “Now get out of here. You’ve made me tired.”

“Harts And Palms” is another fun episode that begins with a car chase and includes a restaurant run by monks who have taken a vow of silence. Just try asking them about the day’s specials. This episode stars a young Jonathan Frakes (a few years before he’d join the crew of the Enterprise), and it takes at least one surprising turn. I love it when the Harts go after a bad guy themselves rather than calling the police, because it leads to a second car chase. Though they really shouldn’t park their rental in front of a fire hydrant.

And I can’t help but love “The Harts Strike Out,” because it opens with a shot of a Red Sox jersey, while a slow instrumental version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” plays, and later has a shot of a Ted Williams baseball card. And the owner of a sports memorabilia shop is wearing a Red Sox cap. (Interestingly, it’s the second episode in a row to refer to the 1977 World Series.)

“Harts Under Glass” is a really good and delightfully odd episode, guest starring John Dehner as the reclusive Dodsworth Nash, who wishes to add Jennifer Hart to his collection. But it does have two major problems: 1. Jonathan fails to tell Max how to open the glass case even after he saw another guy do it; and 2. The unbreakable glass shatters when it falls a few inches to the floor. The only episode that should be skipped entirely is “Murder Up Their Sleeve.” Every moment of this one is incredibly, shockingly stupid. But the rest are worth watching.

Hart To Hart: The Complete Third Season is scheduled to be released on December 9, 2014 through Shout! Factory. The DVD does not contain any special features.