Nancy Drew...Reporter (1939)

Nancy Drew, Reporter meets Hitchcock - well, kinda....

Nancy Drew, Reporter (1939) is a very good entry in this series. I watched it for the first time the other night and was amused by two scenes with Psycho references. Since the movie was made over 20 years before Hitchcock's masterpiece, the scenes are pure coincidence, but worth sharing...during the movie, one of the characters appears in drag looking eerily like Mother Bates! and in another scene, which takes place on a rooftop, there is a sign in the background advertising the Bates Hotel! I had to smile. Check it out. August 17, 2007

Find that Can!

Nancy Drew was and is an incredibly popular book series, but film makers knew a good story when they found one, and decided to make this one into a film series. Bonita Granville stars as Nancy, an excitable young girl who itches to solve mysteries. In this movie, she finds herself assigned to a childish topic when she volunteers to work for the local newspaper. She switches her topic with a real reporter's and finds herself listening to a murder trial. She believes the main suspect is innocent and does all she can to prove her theory, even if that includes involving her lawyer father and her boyish neighbor against their will. With run ins with boxers, photographers, and security guards, this movie keeps you on your toes.

This film is ideal for young audiences too because of the age of the main characters. There are several "Golly"s and "Gosh"s thrown into the dialogue which makes these teenagers seem a bit younger than they would be in today's world. However, a good mystery is suitable for all ages, just like this movie. July 3, 2007

Perky and incorrigible, Nancy Drew puts poison and boxing together to solve the case

To really enjoy Nancy Drew you need a high tolerance for perkiness and a sympathetic understanding that movies like this were designed for an America that has long vanished. Nancy (Bonita Granville) finds herself working as an intern at a newspaper and manages to finagle her way into a murder case. We know what happened, why and who did it within the first five minutes. We just need to sit back and see how Nancy involves just about everyone she knows to catch the killer. The charm of the movie depends on your appreciation of Nancy Drew's indomitable energy, ability to get herself into and out of scrapes, and her high-spirited confidence. Believe me, nothing gets Nancy Drew down for long. For connoisseurs of musical performances, there is a memorable one in a Chinese restaurant. Unable to pay a bill, Nancy, her sort-of-yet-innocent boyfriend, his 13 year-old little sister and her 11-year-old tag-along male chum convince the owners they are entertainers and will prove it if they don't have to wash dishes. The four of them perform an extended jive riff on "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It's not bad, just jaw-dropping odd. July 2, 2007

stop the presses...Nancy Drew is on the case!

Take a trip back to a simpler time, when an unassuming teenage girl could track down the missing evidence in a messy murder trial. Carolyn Keene's "Nancy Drew" series received definitive screen versions in the late 1930s thanks to the Warner Brothers films franchise starring Bonita Granville as teen sleuth Nancy Drew.

In NANCY DREW...REPORTER (filmed in 1939), we follow Nancy while she works as a student reporter at the city newsdesk. Enterprising young lady that she is, Nancy secretly swaps her assigned story for a hot murder trial, where pretty chemical lab assistant Eula Denning (Betty Amann) will surely go to the gas chamber unless Nancy uncovers the vital evidence that will clear her name. Nancy teams with her next-door-neighbour Ted Nickerson (Frankie Thomas) as they set off on a dangerous, thrill-packed race against time...

Bonita Granville remains the definitive screen Nancy; the perfect embodiment of the enterprising, go-gettum spirit of the books. Frankie Thomas (best-remembered as TV's "Tom Corbett: Space Cadet") is also very fine as the reluctant stooge to Nancy's crime capers.

Playing two troublesome whistle bomb-wielding children, Mary Lee and Dickie Jones are veteran scene-stealers. John Litel plays Nancy's father, with Larry Williams, Sheila Bromley and Thomas E. Jackson.

The print on offer from Alpha Video Classics is quite good-quality, and the price is certainly very nice. (Single-sided, single-layer disc). May 25, 2007

BED BUG HOTEL!

Bonita Granville was a delightful ball of fun during the 1930's in this "B" series from WB. This entry was one of the best in the series. She looks cute as a button dressed by Milo Anderson and brings energy to the "B" script by Kenneth Gamet. Director William Clemens keeps everything moving quickly for an enjoyable bit of fun for young mystery fans, and film buffs fond of the always terrific Bonita Granville.

Nancy gets her chance as a reporter along with some other girls as a promotion run by the local paper. There's a fifty dollar prize and a medal for the student who turns in the best story after three days. The weary editor hands out some generic fluff to each girl but, of course, Nancy is more interested in the big story involving the death of rich elderly woman, and off she goes to the inquest instead.

When the verdict turns out to be murder by a rare poison used in photograhy, Nancy is hot on the case! Betty Amann is the innocent girl, Paula Denning, Nancy tries to clear by beating everyone to the container with the real killer's fingerprints on it. But a boxer named Soxie (Jack Perry) with a disfigured ear wants it too and uses his girlfriend (Sheila Bromley) to grab it from her in a crowd.

Nancy can't do it alone so enlists the help of her pal Ted (Frank Thomas Jr.) with a new hat. Granville and Thomas were good together and it was endearing that he didn't quite realize he was Nancy's boyfriend. Dickie Jones and Mary Lee were also fun as Ted's young siblings wrangling their way into everything. There's a fun scene where they end up having to sing for their meal at the Mandarin Cafe while in hot pursuit of the story.

John Litel portrayed Nancy's dad, Carson Drew, in the series and there is one especially nice scene between the two that is filled with warmth and the fun of a father/daughter relationship. Nancy tricks him into helping the Denning girl but with Nancy and her pals on the case, the outcome is never really in doubt.

There is a delightful entry with a marvelous ending typical of the series. This one is a fine mix of energy and humor and won't disappoint fans of the sweet Bonita Granville, a young and shining star from the era who deserves to be remembered. March 11, 2007

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