Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939 film)

Last updated
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
Nancydrewhiddenstaircase1939poster.jpg
Australian Film poster
Directed by William Clemens
Written byKenneth Garnet
Based on Nancy Drew
by Edward Stratemeyer and
The Hidden Staircase
1930 novel
by Mildred Wirt Benson
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography L. William O'Connell
Edited byLouis Hesse
Music by Heinz Roemheld
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • September 9, 1939 (1939-09-09)
Running time
60 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is a 1939 American mystery film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Garnet. It is the fourth and final film in the original Nancy Drew film series and a sequel to Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939). The film stars Bonita Granville as teenage amateur detective Nancy Drew, Frankie Thomas as her boyfriend, and John Litel as her father. It was loosely based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Wirt Benson. The film was released by Warner Bros. on September 9, 1939. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

Elderly sisters Rosemary and Floretta Turnbull want to donate their mansion for a children's hospital. However, their father's will states that at least one of them has to stay in the house every night for twenty years before they can inherit the estate; there are two weeks left to go.

Then some strange things start occurring. A stranger forces his way past Nancy Drew and brazenly searches the Drew house for related affidavits her lawyer father Carson has obtained. Then, the Turnbulls' chauffeur Phillips dies, though it is uncertain if it was a murder or a suicide. The frightened old ladies consider leaving their home. When Nancy recognizes the dead man as the trespasser, she begins investigating, dragging her boyfriend Ted Nickerson into one predicament after another, eventually getting him fired and jailed.

When police Captain Tweedy arrests the two sisters for Phillips' murder, their ownership is endangered. Just in time, Nancy and Ted discover a secret passageway in the basement linking it to the neighboring house, owned by Daniel Talbert. Talbert would make a lot of money if a racetrack were to be built on the two properties, but the Turnbulls had turned down an offer to buy their place.

Cast

Production

It was the only film to borrow its title from a book in the series, although the plot was altered substantially. One critic wrote that "the only similarity between the book and the film was the word staircase." [3] Nancy's boyfriend Ned Nickerson became Ted Nickerson, as "Ned" was considered too old-fashioned, [4] and housekeeper Hannah Gruen was replaced by Effie Schneider, a minor character who had appeared in only a few books as the Drews' part-time maid; in the films, Effie's traits are combined with Hannah's. Nancy's friends George and Bess were eliminated completely, "mystery elements were downplayed, plots simplified, and the romance spiced up." [5] To promote the film, Warner Bros. created a Nancy Drew fan club that included a set of rules, such as: "Must have steady boy friend, in the sense of a 'pal'" and must "Take part in choosing own clothes." [6] These rules were based on some research Warner Bros. had done on the habits and attitudes of "typical" teenage girls. [7]

Bonita Granville starred in four films — Nancy Drew... Detective (1938), Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939), Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939), and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Drew</span> Fictional character in a juvenile mystery series

Nancy Drew is a fictional character appearing in several mystery book series, movies, video games, and a TV show as a teenage amateur sleuth. The books are ghostwritten by a number of authors and published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Created by the publisher Edward Stratemeyer as the female counterpart to his Hardy Boys series, the character first appeared in 1930 in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series, which lasted until 2003 and consisted of 175 novels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hardy Boys</span> Fictional detectives and book series

The Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in several mystery series for children and teens. The series revolves around teenagers who are amateur sleuths, solving cases that stumped their adult counterparts. The characters were created by American writer Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of book-packaging firm Stratemeyer Syndicate. The books themselves were written by several ghostwriters, most notably Leslie McFarlane, under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon.

<i>The Hidden Staircase</i> Nancy Drew 2, published 1930

The Hidden Staircase is the second volume in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series written under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene, published in 1930 and revised in 1959. The original text was written by Mildred Wirt Benson, and she has said that it is her personal favorite of the Nancy Drew Books she wrote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonita Granville</span> American actress and producer (1923–1988)

Bonita Gloria Granville Wrather was an American actress and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Ridgely</span> American actor (1909–1968)

John Ridgely was an American film character actor with over 175 film credits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Litel</span> American actor (1892–1972)

John Beach Litel was an American film and television actor.

<i>Nancy Drew</i> (2007 film) 2007 American mystery thriller film

Nancy Drew is a 2007 American mystery comedy film loosely based on the series of mystery novels about the titular teen detective of the same name by Edward Stratemeyer. It stars Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew, with Josh Flitter and Max Thieriot. Directed by Andrew Fleming, the film follows Nancy Drew (Roberts) as she moves to Los Angeles with her father Carson on an extended business trip and stumbles across evidence of an unsolved mystery involving the death of a murdered movie star, prompting Nancy to solve the cold case. It was released in theaters on June 15, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Critical reactions were mixed, but the film grossed $30 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frankie Thomas</span> American actor (1923–1965)

Frank Marion Thomas Jr., was an American actor, author and bridge-strategy expert who played both lead and supporting roles on Broadway, in films, in post-World War II radio, and in early television. He was best known for his starring role in Tom Corbett, Space Cadet.

<i>The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries</i> American television series

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries is an American television mystery series based on the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew juvenile novels. The series, which ran from January 30, 1977, to January 14, 1979, was produced by Glen A. Larson from Universal Television for ABC. Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy starred as amateur detective brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, respectively, while Pamela Sue Martin starred as amateur sleuth Nancy Drew.

<i>The Angels Wash Their Faces</i> 1939 film by Ray Enright

The Angels Wash Their Faces is a 1939 Warner Bros. film directed by Ray Enright and starring Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and the Dead End Kids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Orth</span> American actor (1880–1962)

Frank Orth was an American actor born in Philadelphia. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of Inspector Faraday in the 1951-1953 television series Boston Blackie.

Mary Lee was a big band singer and B movie actress from the late 1930s into the 1940s, appearing mostly in Westerns. She did not make any screen appearances after 1944.

<i>The Return of Doctor X</i> 1939 film

The Return of Doctor X is a 1939 American science fiction-horror film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Wayne Morris, Rosemary Lane, and Humphrey Bogart as the title character. It was based on the short story "The Doctor's Secret" by William J. Makin. Despite supposedly being a sequel to Doctor X (1932), also produced by Warner Bros., the films are unrelated.

<i>Nancy Drew... Reporter</i> 1939 film

Nancy Drew... Reporter is a 1939 American comedy-mystery film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Gamet. The film stars Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, John Litel, Frankie Thomas, Mary Lee, Dickie Jones and Larry Williams. The film was released by Warner Bros. on February 18, 1939. It is a sequel to Nancy Drew... Detective (1938) and was followed by Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter (1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renie Riano</span> American actress

Renie Isabel Riano was an English-born American actress who, with the exception of the Jiggs and Maggie comedies, had minor roles in 1940s and 1950s films. She was sometimes credited as Reine Riano, Renee Riano, or Rene Riano.

<i>Nancy Drew... Detective</i> 1938 film

Nancy Drew... Detective is a 1938 American comedy film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Garnet. The film stars Bonita Granville, John Litel, James Stephenson, Frankie Thomas, Frank Orth and Helena Phillips Evans. The film was released by Warner Bros. on November 19, 1938.

<i>Nancy Drew… Trouble Shooter</i> 1939 film by William Clemens

Nancy Drew... Trouble Shooter is a 1939 American comedy film directed by William Clemens and written by Kenneth Gamet. The film stars Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, John Litel, Aldrich Bowker, Charlotte Wynters and Edgar Edwards. The film was released by Warner Bros. on June 17, 1939, and was the third film in the original Nancy Drew film series. It is a sequel to Nancy Drew... Detective (1938) and Nancy Drew... Reporter (1939) and was followed by Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939).

<i>Indianapolis Speedway</i> (film) 1939 film by Lloyd Bacon

Indianapolis Speedway is a 1939 American drama film directed by Lloyd Bacon and written by Sig Herzig and Wally Kline.The film stars Ann Sheridan, Pat O'Brien, John Payne, Gale Page, Frank McHugh and Grace Stafford. The film was released by Warner Bros. on August 5, 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sophia Lillis</span> American actress (born 2002)

Sophia Lillis is an American actress. She starred as Beverly Marsh in the horror films It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019), as well as Sydney Novak in the Netflix drama series I Am Not Okay With This (2020). Lillis has also appeared in the HBO psychological thriller miniseries Sharp Objects (2018) and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).

<i>Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase</i> (2019 film) 2019 American teen mystery comedy film

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is a 2019 American teen mystery comedy film, based on the book The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene. It was directed by Katt Shea, with a screenplay by Nina Fiore and John Herrera, and served as a reboot of the Nancy Drew film series. The movie, produced by A Very Good Production and Red 56 and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, stars Sophia Lillis in the role of amateur detective Nancy Drew, as she investigates a haunted house. It also stars Zoe Renee, Mackenzie Graham, Laura Slade Wiggins, Sam Trammell, and Linda Lavin in supporting roles. The same book had been adapted for a film of the same title in 1939.

References

  1. "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) - Overview". TCM.com. 2008-02-14. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
  2. Hal Erickson (2016). "Nancy-Drew-and-the-Hidden-Staircase - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2015-09-01.
  3. Kismaric and Heiferman (2007), 105.
  4. Plunkett-Powell (1993), 113.
  5. Kismaric and Heiferman (2007), 103.
  6. Kismaric and Heiferman (2007), 116.
  7. Nash (2006), 87–90.