"This is my boss, Jonathan Hart, self-made millionaire. He's quite a guy. This is Mrs. H. She's gorgeous. What a terrific lady. By the way, my name is Max. I take care of them, which ain't easy, 'cause their hobby is murder." - Lionel Stander as Max in the "Hart to Hart" opening credits
Hart to Hart: The Complete First Season DVD Review
By A.J. Carson
Few people can claim to have had careers as successful and diverse as that of Sidney Sheldon. In the 1960s, he created the hit sitcom I Dream of Jeannie featuring a scantily clad genie (Barbara Eden) who gains a reluctant master in astronaut Tony Nelson (Dallas' Larry Hagman). He then turned to novels, writing several best-sellers, including The Other Side of Midnight. In 1979, he returned to television to create yet another hit, the jet-setting crime drama Hart to Hart.
The series follows the adventures of Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner), a self-made millionaire, and his glamorous wife Jennifer (Stefanie Powers), a writer. Jonathan runs so many companies that he can't even keep track of them. His diverse portfolio - which includes cruise lines, pharmaceutical companies, and a shipping line - allows the couple to pursue their true passion: solving crimes. It's a good thing, too, since everywhere they turn there's another murder, theft, or kidnapping. Assisting the duo are their loyal houseman Max (Lionel Stander) and their fluffy dog, Freeway.
The series kicks off with a full-length TV movie, Hart to Hart. When a friend of the Harts' dies under mysterious circumstances after spending time at a spa, the duo goes undercover to learn the details of his death. It isn't an auspicious start. Featuring guest stars Roddy McDowell, Jill St. John, Eugene Roche, Michael Lerner, and Stella Stevens, the film is silly from start to finish. Hypnosis, redneck sheriffs (in seaside California?), and stiletto-wearing killer spa babes - no cliché is left untouched. In its most contrived plotline, Jonathan and Jennifer pretend not to know each other for the first half of the movie. The fact that they are married is also kept from the audience. The effect is that the series' greatest assets - Wagner and Powers - are kept apart for too much of the running time. St. John's character also verges uneasily on camp.
Viewers with fond memories of Hart to Hart may be surprised by how often the series simply coasts on the considerable charms of Wagner and Powers. The two are expertly cast, and their chemistry is so perfect that it would be unsurprising if many fans assume that the pair is actually married in real life. Unfortunately, this chemistry is the only thing many of the episodes have going for them.
This is especially true when one realizes how formulaic the series is. In show after show, the Harts stumble across some sort of crime, often involving their friends and acquaintances. An old friend is targeted by Mexican drug traffickers ("Passport to Murder"), an employee develops a deadly crush on Jonathan ("You Made Me Kill You"), an ex-girlfriend's impending marriage seems suspicious to Jonathan ("With This Gun, I Thee Wed"), Jennifer's artist pal is killed in order to increase the value of his works ("Color Jennifer Dead")...it goes on and on.
Still, the series is often entertaining. Several episodes are standouts. In "Jonathan Hart, Jr.," a young boy shows up on the Harts' doorstep claiming to be Jonathan's long-lost son. In "Which Way, Freeway?," the Harts' cute pup stumbles across a murder. In "Downhill to Death," the Harts head off to Vail when they believe that their good friend is planning on murdering his wife.
Guest stars in season one include Dee Wallace Stone (The New Lassie), Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes), Kathleen Lloyd (Equal Justice), Bonnie Bartlett (Little House on the Prairie), Markie Post (Night Court), Bert Remsen (Dallas), Rene Auberjonois (Benson), Daniel J. Travanti (Hill Street Blues), Vincent Schiavelli, Jeanette Nolan, Heidi Bohay (Hotel), Cynthia Harris (Mad About You), Barney Martin (Seinfeld), Juliet Mills (Passions), Michael Des Barres (The New WKRP in Cincinnati), Eve Arden (Our Miss Brooks), John Hillerman (Magnum, P.I.), and Lloyd Bochner (Dynasty).
The twenty-three episodes that make up the first season are divided onto six discs. Each disc is decorated with portraits of the Harts. The discs are housed in three slim, clear keepcases, each of which holds two discs. The front covers are decorated with publicity photos of Wagner and Powers looking glamorous. The back covers include episode titles and plot synopses. The double-sided coversheets show through to the insides of the cases. The interiors feature production stills. The keepcases slide into a cardboard sleeve which showcases a photo of Wagner and Powers that looks as if it could have been torn out of the pages of NRA magazine: Jonathan and Jennifer leaning against a Rolls Royce in eveningwear while each clutching a gun.
The static menus are simple to navigate. Viewers can play all of the disc's episodes or pick them individually. There are no scene selection menus, but the episodes are divided into chapters.
