The Mystery of Witches' Hollow

Title card for 'The Mystery of Witches Hollow'

**The Mystery of Pirate's Cove** is the third episode of the first season of The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries. It premiered on February 13, 1977.

## Synopsis

Frank and Joe Hardy try to visit Captain Maguire, the uncle of their father's assistant Callie, but discover that he disappeared in a mysterious wooded place called Witches' Hollow. Their only clues are a mute boy's sketches.

## Cast

* Shaun Cassidy as Joe Hardy
* Parker Stevenson as Frank Hardy
* Lisa Eilbacher as Callie Shaw
* Ed Gilbert as Fenton Hardy
* Marc Vahanian as Simon
* Bert Kramer as Steve Donner
* Sandy Ward as Captain Bill Maguire
* Gary Springer as Chet Morton
* Dimitra Arliss as Hazel Thompson
* Brad Trumbull as Sheriff Andrew Houghton
* Bill Quinn as Andy Hudson

## Plot

Joe, Frank, Chet Morton, and Callie Shaw drive in their van at night. Chet is nervous because there is a storm coming. They pass by a farm with a hex sign on it and Callie explains that there is a lot of old superstition in Witches' Hollow. The hex signs are to keep away witches and goblins. Frank comments that they are not too far from Salem.

They are planning on stopping in Witches' Hollow to see Callie's uncle, Captain Maguire, who says that strange things have been happening in the area. Fenton is working on a case, so he wants them to check it out. Chet is not super happy about this.

They arrive at Captain Maguire's house and meet Mrs. Thompson, the housekeeper, who tells them that the captain is not at home. Frank notices there is a lot of mail sitting on the counter, which indicates that the captain has been gone for a while. Mrs. Thompson lets them inside as a boy watches the house from the forest.

Mrs. Thompson tells them to get comfortable, as they may have a long wait if "they" got to the captain. By they, she means "the forces of evil, the devil's workers and witches," who she said she warned the captain about. Mrs. Thompson leaves the house, as the boy continues to watch them.

Frank and Joe look at the mail and notice that some of it is postmarked from over a week ago. Callie looks around the cabin and sees that the captain's favorite gun - the one with an engraving - is missing. Joe notices a box of bullets that has been knocked over and guesses that the captain must have left in a hurry.

Chet wants to go home, but instead they call Fenton. He thinks they're overreacting, as it would not be the first time the captain went off hunting without telling anyone. Fenton says he will be in Witches' Hollow in two days and for them to just stay calm until he gets there. They decide to spend the night in the cabin and if the captain is not there by morning, they will go into Forestburg.

Outside, the boy continues to watch the house, and a mountain lion is on the prowl. The boy quietly enters the house, finds a knife on the counter and opens the fridge. The light from the fridge startles the mountain lion who growls, waking Callie. Callie screams, waking Frank and Joe, and frightening the boy, who runs away. Joe runs out after him despite Frank telling him to stop. Frank grabs a flashlight and tells Callie and Chet to stay in the house before going out after him.

After chasing the boy for a while, Joe is tripped and falls off a ledge, but just manages to grab hold of a branch. Frank soon finds him and lets down his belt to pull him up. As they make their way back to the cabin, they find some 12-guage bullets on the ground - the same as the ones in the cabin - and a torn-off hunting coat pocket stained with what looks like blood. Joe says they should not show Callie this until they know what is going on.

They go into Forestburg to show the Sheriff what they found, who is not pleased to be woken in the middle of the night for what he thinks is nothing. He tells them not to worry about the captain, because he is able to take care of himself, so Frank and Joe leave.

In some kind of basement, Captain Maguire is locked up in a cage as a mountain lion prowls around on the other side of the bars. A man - Steve Donner - enters and tosses food to the mountain lion, calling it his pet. The captain was caught by Donner spying on his "enterprises." They used to be friends and Donner calls him "Flatfoot," his old nickname for him.

The next day, Frank talks with Hudson, the man who runs the gas station. When he asks about the legend of Witches' Hollow, Hudson claims to have seen "her." He also say the captain three days ago when he came in for gas.

Frank and Joe talk to Fenton on the payphone at the gas station. He tells them he is getting all of Captain Maguire's old cases and will be in Witches' Hollow.

Hudson tells them that they should talk to Steve Donner - a construction contractor - who was close with the captain, so they go see him at his cabin.

Donner tells them that he does not believe in the Hollow, and that the captain - who he calls 'Flatfoot' - does not either. He also does not seem too concerned about the captain and that he can handle himself. He is a construction contractor who is going to build houses and condominiums when the parkway is finished. He tells the boys that the parkway construction is slow because of breakdowns, faulty materials, and having materials stolen. He says that the project may be cancelled, which would lose him a lot of money - and that the local's dislike of the project is also not helpful.

They ask him what the legend of Witches' Hollow actually is and he tells them that it is about an old woman who lived in the woods, where Donner's cabin is now, during the Salem witch trials. She had a thing for cats and took in a lot of strays. Legend has it that she raised a big black mountain cat. When they came to get her for the witch trial, she barricaded herself in the house with the cat. Instead of trying to break in to get her, they set fire to the house and she died in the fire. So now, every time there is a weird sound in the Hollow it's her scream and every time someone has a run in with a bobcat or mountain lion, it's her cat. Legend also claims that those who hear the screams are destined to be the next victims.

Frank and Joe thank Donner and leave his place. As they head to their van, Frank says there is no way to know what is happening in Witches' Hollow unless they spend the night there.

Frank, Joe, and Chet are out in the woods, setting up sleeping bags around a fire. Chet is nervous and wishes that he had stayed in the cabin with Callie. Frank decides to stay up to keep watch while the other two go to sleep.

In the captain's cabin, Callie calls Fenton and tells him what the boys are doing. Fenton does not like their plans, saying that there are several people who have been released recently that could be after the captain. Callie writes down all the information that Fenton has and says she will go out to tell the boys.

The same boy who broke into the house before, watches the three boys around the fire. Frank has fallen asleep. Callie walks through the woods, calling out for Joe and Frank. Somewhere, a mountain lion growls.

Frank hears the boy and grabs him, waking Joe and Chet. Joe and Frank wrestle him to the ground and realize that he is just a kid. The kid indicates that he cannot speak.

Callie comes across the mountain lion and screams. The boys follow the kid to find her. The mountain lion runs after Callie and she must manages to get inside the cabin safely. The boys come in right after her.

The kid draws a mountain lion and they realize he was trying to warn them about it. He also lets them know that he was in the cabin for food before because the captain would give him food.

Frank and Joe go to collect the sleeping bags and put out the fire. When they get back, Chet and the kid - who they figure out is named Simon - are both asleep. Callie shows him some of his other drawings: his house, and squirrels, and a drawing of lightning that they could not figure out the meaning of.

Frank stays up to look at the notes Callie had from Fenton. A man appears at the house and uses a piece of wood to keep the door shut from the outside.

Smoke begins to fill the cabin, and Joe wakes up coughing. He wakes up Frank, who goes to wake the others. Joe breaks a window and manages to get the door open. Frank carries Callie out and Joe does the same with Chet.

Simon is the one who realizes that the cabin is not on fire, but that the chimney was just blocked. Joe and Frank realize it cannot be an accident and that someone thinks they are getting too close to whatever mystery is going on.

They ask Simon is he knows where Captain Maguire is, but he does not know. They continue to ask him questions until he lets them know that all he knows is that someone took the captain. Frank and Joe decide to take Simon to the Sheriff, leaving Callie and Chet to unblock the chimney.

As they drive, they discuss what they know so far and say that someone must be using the local legends to cover something up. Simon tells them to pull off the road and leads them into the woods. He shows them tire tracks and they come to a ledge, from which they can see trucks coming past, with speakers playing recordings of a woman screaming - clearly to scare people out of the Hollow.

Joe wants to call the Sheriff but Frank points out that the trucks will be long gone by the time he gets there. They send Simon back to the cabin and hop aboard a truck unseen. The truck is full of cement - from Wallis & Mather, the company making the parkway - that has clearly been stolen from the construction site. They realize that the captain must have discovered the theft as well and could be in trouble. The jump off the truck and Joe lands in a mud puddle.

The next morning, Fenton has arrived at the cabin and Simon draws pictures to tell them what Frank and Joe are up to. Frank and Joe arrive and tell him what they found. Fenton does not think that the resentment of the locals is enough motive for such a large operation. When they mention Donner's name, Simon is clearly uncomfortable. Fenton decides to go to the Sheriff to tell him what they know, taking Callie with him.

Simon shows the boys the lightning drawing again, but they do not understand what he is trying to tell them. Eventually, they guess that Donner has something to do with the captain's disappearance when Simon draws a foot - referring to Donner's nickname for the captain (Flatfoot). So, Frank and Joe go with him to Donner's cabin.

At Donner's cabin, Donner tells the captain that there is a bill in local government to delay the parkway's construction for six months, and that the 'accident' the captain will have is all that is needed to pass the bill. If the construction is delayed - and cancelled - he will get better deals on contracts.

Frank, Joe, and Simon hide on a ridge above Donner's cabin and watch as he talks to an employee. Simon leads them down to an outside entrance to the basement, where they find a hallway to a locked door. Joe kicks it open and they come into the room where the captain's cage is, guarded by the mountain lion. They manage to calm the mountain lion with a piece of meat and put a broom handle through its collar to hold it in place long enough to let the captain out of the cage.

They run out to confront Donner but he drives off in a truck. Frank jumps into the truck bed and puts a tarp over the windshield, so Donner cannot see and has to stop. Before Donner is able to run for it, police cars approach with Fenton and Callie. Donner is arrested and Callie is reunited with her uncle.

At the cabin, they explain how the lightning picture represents Donner because Donner and thunder sound similar. The reward money offered by Wallis & Mather is for Simon, who will use it to go to art school and get any special tutoring he needs, and the zoo will take the mountain lion - Tabitha.

Frank and Joe say that they still need to take Chet on the camping trip they were intending on going on, but Chet does not want to spend any more time out in the woods of Witches' Hollow. Frank and Joe tease him, saying they could go to Devil's Rock instead, which Chet is also not very enthusiastic about.

## Locations

* Witches' Hollow
	+ Captain Maguire's Cabin
	+ Steve Donner's Cabin
* Forestburg
	+ Police Station
	+ Gas Station

* Bayport
	+ Hardy Home

## Trivia

* This is the only episode in the series to be largely adapted from a Hardy Boys book, #41 "Clue Of The Screeching Owl." It's also the only one to prominently feature the Chet Morton character from the books.

## Quotes

**Hazel Thompson** (to the kids): *"Better make yourselves comfortable. You might have a long wait if* they *got to him."*

**Joe Hardy:** *The guy who I was chasing tripped me.*

**Frank Hardy:** *Did you say a guy?*

**Joe Hardy:** *I don't know. A guy, a thing. Could've been a girl for all I saw.*

**Frank Hardy:** *Nah, couldn't have been. You wouldn't mind falling for a girl*

**Frank Hardy** (to **Chet Morton):** *Well, you see there's this place a little further north called Devil's Rock.*

**Joe Hardy:** *You'll love it.*

**Frank Hardy:** *There's a legend that says the place is --*

**Chet Morton:** *Forget it!*

1. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0597046/trivia/?ref\_=tt\_trv\_trv