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William ClemensNancy Drew... Reporter (1939)

Nancy Drew, reporter for the school newspaper, clears a girl of murder charges.


This movie is part of the collection: Feature Films

Director: William Clemens
Producer: Bryan Foy
Production Company: First National Pictures
Audio/Visual: sound, black & white
Keywords: Drama; Mystery

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Chez_When - - November 13, 2009
Subject: Cute, Fresh-Faced Overload...
Not like Nancy Drew Mystery books, but great little movie. Cute kids chase criminals, throw curve balls, sing and dance at a Chinese restaurant, and a myriad of other feats of daring, while hardly ever being noticed by the crook with the "cauliflower ear." Loved it and would love to see more Nancy Drew movies.

Reviewer: brownbear - - March 1, 2008
Subject: Nancy is a Winner
A fine film from the Age of Innocence. Just enjoy it and don't ask too many questions along the way.
It has one wondrous scene at a Chinese Restaurant. Nancy and 3 other teenagers cannot pay the 65 cents for their meal for 4. Rather than wash dishes they ask to sing instead. The restaurant has a Chinese Show Band!!! One of the great movie scenes.
Only the Americans can burst into song like this.

Reviewer: kareneliot - - February 10, 2008
Subject: A great choice
I really enjoyed this film.

Reviewer: Miss_Xanthippe_Svanstrom - - November 9, 2007
Subject: Film Version its Own Wondrous Entity
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is my favourite of the Nancy Drew series starring Bonita Granville, but Reporter runs a close second. There is plenty of action, a good mystery, and loads of humour--much of this latter provided by Nancy's gorgeous and gorgeously awkward sidekick Ted Nickerson (Frankie Thomas). A perfect mixture is reached in the chemistry between Miss Granville and Mr. Thomas; they seem to get on quite well and together put across the impression of years of flirtatious contention between them, enriching their onscreen characterisations in a delightful and very genuine way. John Litel plays Nancy's pompous but likeable lawyer dad to a T and Olin Howland amuses as the ambitious and slightly lunatic Sergeant Entwhistle. Too brief is Renie Riano's appearance as Effie the housemaid, who is such a grand character (someday I'd like to see her give Mr. Drew a swift kick!). Captain Tweedy (Frank Orth) is another regular who turns up momentarily only (Entwhistle filling in the rest of the time as the Captain is off being a radio sensation).

While none of the Nancy Drew films are based on Caroline Keene's books (except Staircase, and the resemblance between it and the novel is tenuous, I'm told), the writers at Warner Brothers did a magnificent job creating entertaining stories and characters with substance. The adolescent vitality and freedom of Ted and Nancy's world is enchanting. I wish there had been more than just four films! Alas, a contract for more Nancy Drew had not been penned, and just after Staircase, Bonita Granville signed with MGM!

Note the poison used in the murder, 'sodium ferronide'--I wonder if code forbade reference to its correct name, sodium ferrocyanide? Note also the gent playing the role of judge (William Gould, who was Daniel Talbert in Staircase).

Reviewer: rq52 - - October 22, 2007
Subject: more ND
I enjoy this little romp of ND, reporter. Got any more of this series? Much more than the tv series of the 1970's.

Reviewer: Charles Dickens - - July 18, 2007
Subject: Nancy
I would love to see more of this series presented here???????
Very entertaining.

Reviewer: billbarstad - - June 30, 2007
Subject: Enjoy!
I found this lighthearted comedy to be a well made, charming diversion. Many films of this kind were made during the depression of the 1930's and 1940's, but only a few, like 'The Thin Man', were as good as this. (Actually, 'The Thin Man' was better.)

The mpeg1 file has fine audio and video.