Hart to Hart Information

Hart to Hart is an American television series, starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, a wealthy couple who moonlight as amateur detectives. The series was created by writer Sidney Sheldon and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. It ran from 1979 to 1984 on the ABC Television Network.

Premise

Jonathan Hart (Robert Wagner) was a self-made millionaire and the CEO of Hart Industries, a Los Angeles-based global electronics conglomerate. His wife Jennifer (Stefanie Powers) was a beautiful freelance journalist. Living the jetset lifestyle, the glamorous couple spent their free time as amateur detectives and in every episode they found themselves involved in cases of smuggling, theft, international espionage, or most commonly, murder. At their opulent California Estate, they were assisted by Max (Lionel Stander), their loyal, gravelly-voiced butler, cook, and chauffeur who also helped out in their "cases." The Harts' beloved pet dog was a Löwchen called "Freeway," so named because he was a stray they had rescued when he was found wandering on the freeway. The Harts own a Mercedes Benz 300 diesel Wagon, a dark green Rolls Royce Corniche convertible and a yellow Mercedes Benz SL Roadster with personalized California Vanity plates HART 3, HART 2 and HART 1 respectively. They also own a Gulfstream 2 private Jet, which is featured at the start of each episode. Max (Lionel Stander) describes the couple as well as himself at the start of each episode.

Production

Screenwriter and novelist Sidney Sheldon had originally written a script for CBS entitled Double Twist about a married couple who were also both spies. The script remained unfilmed for several years before producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg decided to update the idea for a potential television series. They offered the script to screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, who had by that time written several screenplays including three of the James Bond films. Their instruction to Mankiewicz was to update the script to make it more contemporary and viable for a potential weekly series. They also told Mankiewicz that if his draft was successful, he would also be able to direct the pilot episode himself. Mankiewicz reworked Sheldon's original script and it was renamed Hart to Hart. Mankiewicz also made his directorial debut with the pilot episode as planned, and remained a "Creative Consultant" on the series afterwards.

Spelling and Goldberg's initial choice for the role of Jonathan Hart was Cary Grant. However, Grant (who was 75 years old at the time) had effectively retired from acting some years earlier. They then decided to find a younger actor who might embody the same style and persona that Grant was famous for and offered the role to Robert Wagner.

Initial choices for the role of Jennifer Hart included Suzanne Pleshette and Lindsay Wagner, before the producers decided to offer the role to Stefanie Powers who had previously worked with Robert Wagner when she made a guest appearance in an episode of his series It Takes a Thief in 1970.

Lionel Stander who was cast as Max, had worked with Robert Wagner in an episode of It Takes a Thief. In that episode ("King of Thieves"), he also played a character named Max who was a lifelong friend.

The main title theme for the series was scored by Mark Snow.

Fashion and jewelry designer Nolan Miller, who later designed the clothes for Dynasty, is credited as the costume designer for the pilot and the first season.

The Hart's ranch-style house originally belonged to Dick Powell, an old friend of both Wagner and Spelling, and was situated in Mandeville Canyon, Los Angeles.

Episodes

See List of Hart to Hart episodes for more information

Ratings

• Season 1 (1979"80): Not in the Top 30
• Season 2 (1980"81): #23 (15.9 million viewers)
• Season 3 (1981"82): #15 (17.1 million viewers)
• Season 4 (1982"83): #17 (15.7 million viewers)
• Season 5 (1983"84): #41

TV movies

In 1993, almost a decade after the series ended, Wagner and Powers teamed up again for a series of Hart to Hart reunion TV movies. Eight 90-minute telemovies were made in total between 1993-96:

• Hart to Hart Returns (1993)
• Home is Where the Hart Is (1994)
• Crimes of the Hart (1994)
• Old Friends Never Die (1994)
• Secrets of the Hart (1995)
• Two Harts in 3/4 Time (1995)
• Harts in High Season (1996)
• Till Death Do Us Hart (1996)

Lionel Stander reprised his role as Max in five of the movies before his death (from lung cancer) in late 1994. His last ever screen appearance was in Secrets of the Hart, which aired in March 1995.

DVD releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released the first two seasons of Hart to Hart on DVD in Regions 1 & 2. It is unknown if the remaining three seasons will be released at some point.

In 2010/2011, Sony Pictures released all 8 TV-Movies on DVD individually via the Warner Archive Collection. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases and are available exclusively through WBShop.com and Amazon.com. On October 2, 2012, Sony released all 8 TV-Movies in two volume collections entitled Hart to Hart - TV Movie Collection, Volume 1 and Hart to Hart - TV Movie Collection, Volume 2. These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases, available via Amazon.com and are part of the Sony Choice Collection.

DVD Name	Ep#	Release Dates
		Region 1	Region 2 (GER)	Region 2 (UK)
The Complete First Season	23	October 25, 2005	November 8, 2005	April 10, 2006
The Complete Second Season	20	September 19, 2006	September 19, 2006	October 9, 2006
The Complete Third Season	24	TBA	TBA	TBA
The Complete Fourth Season	22	TBA	TBA	TBA
The Complete Fifth Season	22	TBA	TBA	TBA
Hart to Hart - TV Movie Collection, Volume 1	4	October 2, 2012	N/A	N/A
Hart to Hart - TV Movie Collection, Volume 2	4	October 2, 2012	N/A	N/A

Awards and nominations

International broadcasts

• In the United Kingdom, the show was shown on Sundays at 7.45pm nationally on the ITV Network for most of its run, though was later subject to regional variations. It was subsequently shown on Sky One, Granada Plus and Alibi.
• In Norway, the show was shown on NRK as "Par i Hjerter" ("Pair of Hearts").
• In Sweden, the show was shown on SvT as "Par i Hjärter" ("Pair of Hearts"); the first time in 1983.
• In Denmark, the show was shown on TV3 as "Par i Hjerter" ("Pair of Hearts").
• In France, the show was shown on TF1 as "Pour l'amour du risque" ("For The Love Of Risk"). It has been shown on Direct 8 since 2012.
• In Germany the show was shown on ARD and later with all episodes on Pro7, Kabel 1 and Das Vierte as "Hart aber herzlich", which translates to "Hard but hearty" or "Tough but hearty" and thus mimicked the original pun. The movies were shown on ProSieben.
• In Ireland, the show was shown on RT"? One.
• In Israel, the show was shown on Channel 1 as "Hart ve'Ishto" ("Hart and his wife").
• In Italy the show was first shown on Rai 2 television beginning from June 1981, and then replied many times. The new Italian title is "Cuore e batticuore", which translates to "Heart and heartbeat". Since June 2007 the show is aired on La7 television with the original title. Since June 2010 on CIELO TV channel.
• In Spain, the show was shown on TVE-1 between 1982 and 1987, and then later on on Antena 3 and Telecinco; as "Hart y Hart" (Hart & Hart).
• In Brazil, the show was shown on Rede Globo with the title "Casal 20", that translates roughly into English as "Couple 20", that means "perfect couple".
• In Serbia, the show was shown on TV Palma.
• In Kenya, the show was shown on Voice of Kenya (VOK) TV now KBC TV.
• In the Netherlands, the show was shown on TROS as "Harten Twee" ("Two of Hearts").
• In Greece, the show was shown on ERT2 as "Hart ké Hart" ("Hart and Hart"), subsequently on ANT1 and finally on the regional Makedonia Channel.
• In Mexico, the show was shown on Televisa as "Los Hart, investigadores" ("Hart, detectives").
• In Japan, the show was shown on TBS as "Tantei Hart and Hart".
• In Australia, on 7TWO