Nancy Drew... Reporter

Bonita Granville is "Nancy Drew, Reporter," in this 1939 B feature, which also stars Frankie Thomas and John Litel. This particular story is not based on any of the books. Nancy is one of a group of teens vying for an award from the local newspaper, and of course, she steals an assignment off of someone's desk that will put her at an inquest. She decides that the woman accused of murdering an elderly woman is innocent and goes after evidence that will clear her.

Granville isn't the Nancy of the books, but the Nancy of the books isn't probably the best Nancy for the movies. I always think of Nancy as a very serious young woman with a sharp mind for mysteries. Granville is energetic, conniving, and a fast driver. She gets into trouble as well as danger. For some reason, her boyfriend Ned is now her boyfriend Ted (Thomas). Nancy's girlfriends aren't in the film. Instead, Ted has two brat siblings that follow them around.

The most interesting parts of the film are actually its depiction of life in 1939, with the old houses, the pay phones, and the fact that Nancy always looked more formally dressed than one sees today.

Very entertaining.

I watched this film last Saturday night, thinking it's been a long time since I saw this or the other 3 in the series. It didn't disappoint, I knew exactly what I was going to get and did. It all depends on personal preferences of course, but if this is an ancient cheap B pic how come 67 minutes simply flew by? I happened to watch Blazing Saddles for the first time the night before and found myself continually counting down the time remaining on the VCR clock.

It's a highly enjoyable romp in the best family Warner Bros tradition, even with that juvenile Vaudeville/Swing scene in it - it's not something that I can easily relate to! Having read most of the "classic" Nancy Drew books ghosted by Mildred Wirt (and the few by Walter Karig), I still think it was a perfect part for Bonita Granville as the teenage heroine (John Litel was a litel stocky as her Dad). Maybe the plot was also a bit less implausible and full of marvellously astronomical co-incidences than most of MW's stories were too!

And to top it all the DVD only cost £3, a nice production from Alpha Video.

Although it took a few minutes for me to accept Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, once I did, I really enjoyed this little film. Having read both some of the modern 'Nancy Drew Files' (and having submitted a manuscript for one) and one of the original 1930 stories, I was taken slightly off-guard by Granville's somewhat flighty, scheming character.

Still, Granville did make a good Nancy Drew. While she seemed to fluster and fright much more readily than the Nancy of the novels, she still showed the ingenuity, spunk, determination and courage. She was a wee bit more manipulative of her father, successful attorney Carson Drew, and of Ted (Ned in the books) Nickerson, the boy next door.

Ted was solidly played by Frankie Thomas, certainly not the athletic, confident Ned of the modern books, but an ideal sidekick for the movie Nancy. Thomas' wiry build and facial contortions added to the comic effect.

In fact, while the Nancy Drew novels have always been detective/adventure stories, the movie version – at least Nancy Drew … Reporter – was really a comedy. And a cut little comedy it was. The cast went well together and the script was cute. I wasn't bothered by the one musical number. Actually I found that young Mary Lee, later a Roy Rogers sidekick, had a very charming voice.

John Litel as Carson Drew was certainly different than the father in the books. The Carson Drew of the novels is a very serious, stoic attorney, who rarely shows much life. Litel's Drew was a pleasant surprise as a doting, affectionate father. He was quite charming when he carried Nancy to her bed, forcing the hyper teen to hit the sack, serenading her all the while. I suspect an identical scene filmed today would lead to speculation about the nature of the father-daughter relationship. This was 1939, though, and Nancy fibbing to the newspaper editor with fingers crossed behind her back was about as naughty as things got.

Overall, this is still a fun little family film. For its time and place, I would have to call it at least a solid '7.' This may have been a 'B' movie but, just like in high school, a 'B' is not usually a bad thing.

You can get this movie on DVD nearly anywhere for a dollar, usually a double feature with a Dick Tracy movie. It is well worth the investment. It is fast paced, and entertaining. Bonita Granville could give any current teen queens a run for their money. The other main character, Ted, (played by Frank Thomas, Jr.) reminds me of a young Jimmy Stewart. Also,in this movie,two other child actors play roles that were probably used as the basis for ChimChim and Spreidel in the Speed Racer cartoons. They are annoying, popping up throughout the movie, but show off their talent in a musical number. Great voices! The story also gives a look at what life was like in the 1930s. At least for the upper middle class. It is interesting to see the old cars and camera equipment used by Nancy and her "boyfriend". This movie is great for families with teens and small children. Adults will also find the hour long movie worthwhile.

The Nancy Drew series of films was made by Warner Brothers as part of their B-picture unit and was intended for viewing primarily by children. Nancy Drew...Reporter is a fine example of the series. The film was highly enjoyable, the acting was excellent, very clever bits in the plot. The film holds up just as well today, and makes a fine movie for children to sit down and watch. The film is in the public domain and can be found on DVD, Video, and TV.