"Fun" would be the best way to describe this film in one word. It is not a cinematic masterpiece, nor is it especially well made, but it is a delight to watch nonetheless. Granville gives it her best in the title role and some of the situations that she and her friends get involved in, such as having to do karaoke and a boxing match, make really amusing viewing. There is a certain charm to the film that is hard to deny. It fails to create much suspense with most of the mystery solution given early on, the plot is slim, the supporting performances are mediocre
but overall it really hits the spot if one is in the mood for an entertaining film that does not require much thought.
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sol-16 February 2006
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Spondonman16 March 2004I 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. -
chileorgullo8 January 2006You 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.
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Snow Leopard6 July 2005This very enjoyable B-feature was part of a series that starred Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, with Frankie Thomas as her loyal and often beleaguered friend Ted. As long as you have the right expectations, it's good fun to watch. The detective story is simple but lively, and it has many pleasant light moments that make the time fly by.
In this feature (which is not one of the stories adapted directly from the books), Nancy tries her hand at being a reporter while she simultaneously attempts to clear an heiress of a murder charge. The plot is meant to be enjoyed rather than analyzed, and the settings likewise are pleasantly varied, as long as you aren't too critical of the details.
Granville probably didn't find this role much of a challenge, but she gives it exactly what is called for. She makes it believable that Nancy really could outsmart all of the 'adult' characters, and she also has plenty of lively energy. Thomas makes Ted seem appropriately fretful about Nancy's taste for adventure, yet always ready to help.
Several of the sequences work pretty well as light entertainment, and the brisk pace holds it together rather effectively. This is really just what you hope for in a B-feature - not much of a weighty nature, to be sure, but more than enough to make for an enjoyable hour or so of viewing. -
mlevans25 January 2006Although 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. -
A very enjoyable movie. Oh sure, there will be the people who analyze everything to the last degree who will find things to complain about. But for a fun, lighthearted 68 minutes be sure to watch the movie. Since I never read a Nancy Drew book I don't know how close it was to the character, but this one was about teenager Nancy getting herself into and out of plenty of scrapes and near disasters. She takes on a murder case as a mis-representing cub reporter and gets her father lawyer to help the accused lady whom she feels was framed and innocent. She sneaks into the murder house where one of the bad guys is hiding and watching her. I found myself feeling the suspense. Bonita Granville does a great job. I didn't like her in the part at first but she won me over fast. She apparently did other Nancy Drew movies and now I will have to keep a look out for them. She also did some Andy Hardy movies with Mickey Rooney and was a producer of the Lassie TV series. The younger sister of the male lead was Mary Lee and was in some Gene Autry movies and if that was her really singing in this movie, wow what a voice for a young girl! The younger brother Dickie Jones went on to become Buffalo Bill Jr on TV when he was a bit older and I remember watching and liking him in that show. John Litel as the father and of course, he was in so many movies over the years and always did a professional job. The movie is just plain, good old fashioned fun - give it a watch.
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Before Veronica Mars, there was Nancy Drew, the teenage amateur detective with an attorney father created in a series of juvenile novels by "Carolyn Keene" (not a real name). Nancy Drew...Reporter was the second of four films that starred Bonita Granville as the title character for Warner Bros. Directed at a fast pace with crackling dialogue and humorous and suspenseful moments throughout, this movie is a breeze at just 68 minutes. Wonderful supporting cast includes John Litel as Nancy's father, Frankie Thomas as Nancy's boyfriend Ted, and Mary Lee and Dickie Jones as Ted's sister and her friend who cause trouble wherever they go. The last two had a future association with Gene Autry with Lee appearing in some of his '40s movies and Dickie (later Dick) also appearing with him then starring in later TV series "Range Rider" and "Buffalo Bill, Jr." for Autry's production company. Though it stops the story, there is a wonderful swinging version of Nursery Rhymes as sung by Granville, Thomas, Lee, and Jones. Dickie would also be famous as the title character voice of Walt Disney's Pinocchio. Well worth seeing for fans of Drew and '30s programmers. P.S. Joan Leslie and Florence Halop appear as classmates of Nancy in the newsroom field trip sequence.
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blanche-27 March 2009Bonita 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. -
whpratt125 September 2003Have always enjoyed the Nancy Drew books, especially "Nancy Drew & The Secret Clock". What I enjoy most about the Nancy Drew pictures are the old 1930's Ford's with the Rumble Seats in the back, and watching Bonita Granville(Nancy Drew) "The Lone Ranger" '56 jumping in an out of the old classic cars along with her boy friend? Frankie Thomas "The Major & the Minor"'42. The fake scenery looks horrible by today's standards. However, the old homes and the furnishing tell stories of what was going on in 1938 & 1939. These films were low budget and it appealed to a very innocent generation with a higher standard of living. These films will always remain classics!
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Sylviastel15 May 2014For some reason, this film was included in the Shirley Temple collection but she's not in it at all. I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. I will say that it is both entertaining and light fare. The actress who played Nancy Drew does a fine job. Nancy Drew is well known as the fictional teen detective to readers everywhere. I am surprised that this adaptation was done early. Bonita Glanville was probably the first Nancy Drew. This film is only an hour about Nancy Drew trying to help the wrongly accused. She is believable and likable allay once. Her portrayal is fine. The script is average. The cast does a decent job. There is danger though with an injured boxer on the wrong side of the law.
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bkoganbing15 June 2007City Editor Thomas E. Jackson is not a happy man being saddled with these six high school kids who won a day to spend as a reporter on his paper. But when one of them is Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, you know they're in for some big trouble.
Nancy's not happy with the puff assignment she received, she takes a real one from a reporter's desk who's late that day to cover a coroner's inquest. Betty Amann who nursed a rich old lady is being charged with her murder. Nancy sees some suspicious behavior from a man in the audience and she follows him to the crime scene which is still taped off. If you think that stops her, you haven't seen any of the films in this series.
Two things stand out about this one. The teenage girls of 1939 got to see young Frankie Thomas as Ted Nickerson stripped to the waist as Nancy convinces him to pretend he's a boxer. He goes into the ring with a real boxer who's her real suspect and the results are predictable.
The second thing is that this is the only one of the Nancy Drew series with a musical number. Granville, Thomas, and two younger kids in their charge, Mary Lee and Dickie Jones are stuck for a bill in a Chinese restaurant. Owner Willie Fung says sing for your supper or wash dishes. Young Mary Lee is up to the challenge with a nursery rhyme swing medley that's real nice.
Again, nothing outstanding, but amusing nonetheless. -
xredgarnetx7 January 2007NANCY DREW REPORTER is the second in a series of four programmers from the late 1930s, all directed by the same individual and starring the same cast. In this one, our junior reporter is hot on the trail of a poisoner, and her frantic hunt takes her into the netherworld of boxing, among other intriguing places. As has been noted elsewhere, the manic Nancy Drew of the movie series is not the more sedate Nancy Drew of the books, plus she is a bit older on film. But Bonita Granville's high spirits and fast-paced delivery are infectious, and so we go along for the wild ride. Granville, who later produced LASSIE on TV and in films, was absolutely charming at age 16, and is supported by some of the best actors of the day, including Frankie Thomas as her long-suffering boyfriend and John Litel as her authoritative lawyer dad. The 68 minutes on this one go by very fast, aided by a highly whimsical musical score. There's even a musical interlude halfway through that makes good use of Granville terrific singing voice. To add to the merriment, the cars seen throughout are an absolute riot. A must see. Also, the film quality and sound are first rate, way above many B films of the era. The people who put this trifle together clearly treated it the way they would any A production of the time.
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I wasn't able to see the first film in this series, so my reviewing "Nancy Drew...Reporter" is not ideal. I know that they made several of these films starring Bonita Granville in the late 30s and early 40s--but somehow I never got around to watching any of them. My reason for picking this one first is that it is the only one that is currently in the public domain (downloadable from IMDb's link). But considering I love B detective films, I was excited to see it--especially since it gave Miss Granville a different sort of film role. You see, usually she was cast as an obnoxious brat--and here she is sweet and precocious instead.
"Nancy Drew...Reporter" begins with Nancy and a group of other teens all going to the local newspaper. The editor has no interest in working with these kids and tells them he's got a contest to see which of them can write the best story--and gives them very mundane story ideas out of a hat. Nancy, however, has better ideas and goes off to investigate a real honest to goodness murder (just what every teen should be doing). In the process, she manipulates her boyfriend, father, the cops and just about anyone else in order to get her story. And, being almost terminally plucky, she is able to do just that by the end.
This is a very typical B-detective story aside from having it star kids. In a lot of ways, it's like "The Thin Man" meets "Babaes on Broadway". Some may object to all the kiddie hi-jinx (especially that of the bratty little kids who tag along) but it's all well-written and fun. While I'd never put this on the same level as a Falcon or Boston Blackie film, it is close and worth a look if you like these sorts of films.
By the way, while not nearly as good and culminating with a cute musical number, the film replicated the Laurel & Hardy bit from "Men 'O War" where Stan and Ollie try to take out a couple girls even though they haven't enough money for them all to get sodas. -
Hitchcoc23 October 2006While a really lightweight bunch of fluff, this has enough action and pleasant enough characters to manage to tell a pretty good story. I never did figure out exactly how the sought for evidence would exonerate the falsely accused young lady (he apprehension seemed to be based on some pretty flimsy evidence). But the spunky group of amateurs, including some fun kid actors, worked pretty well. I especially enjoyed the singing in the Chinese restaurant. Nancy is a bit too spunky for my tastes (actually, she seems a bit old), but how can you criticize a movie like this. There are some good comic performances. One character that really doesn't work is Nancy's father. What a dull performance. None the less, it worked OK and probably was enjoyed by the moviegoers of the time.
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sbibb19 February 2004The 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.
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utgard144 August 2014Second in the Nancy Drew series starring the adorable Bonita Granville. It's also my personal favorite. This time Nancy's working on the school newspaper. She and the other kids are given the opportunity to write stories for the big city paper, but the paper's grumpy editor gives them all fluff assignments. This doesn't sit well with Nancy, who decides to cover a woman's murder trial. This leads to her trying to prove the woman's innocence.
Another enjoyable entry in the series, with solid work from Granville as the spunky and smart girl detective. Love her great chemistry with father John Litel and sidekick Frankie Thomas. Thomas is great and has some of the movie's best scenes. Mary Lee and Dickie "Pinocchio" Jones are fun as a couple of bratty kids who team up with Granville and Thomas for a musical number. Look fast at the beginning for baby-faced Joan Leslie as one of Nancy's classmates. This is the only one of the four Drew movies that's in public domain now. -
In her second case for the movies, pretty teenage sleuth Bonita Granville (as Nancy Drew) enters a "young newspaper reporter" contest. Naturally, she sheds her human interest story assignment for something more dangerous, and decides to cover a murder trial. Soon, Ms. Granville is re-investigating the case, eventually putting herself in danger. Granville, looking more and more curvaceous, enlists the aid of young wavy-haired neighbor Frankie Thomas (as Ted Nickerson), who looks swell in boxing trunks. ("One Round Lugan, the Frisco Flash!") This entry's story isn't as well-paced as the first, but the teen detectives are still very appealing. John Litel (as Carson Drew) leads an entertaining supporting cast.
****** Nancy Drew... Reporter (2/18/39) William Clemens ~ Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, John Litel -
Another pleasant programmer in the Nancy Drew series starring BONITA GRANVILLE as the girl sleuth, this time it's NANCY DREW...REPORTER based on the Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene.
This one was written by an original screenplay writer, not based on an actual Drew story, but it follows the mold of the original books, using some of the same characters again. Nancy is determined to prove Eulah Denning is not a murderess but her father (JOHN LITEL) vehemently disagrees with her. DICKIE JONES (he was the voice for "Pinocchio"), is her pesky kid neighbor and once again, Nancy has to enlist the aid of FRANKIE THOMAS to help her do some investigating.
Watch for JOAN LESLIE in a bit role as one of Granville's classmates on a field trip.
The story has Nancy tricking her father into defending the accused woman while she works on finding exculpatory evidence. Litel, by the way, has a much lighter touch than usual as the stolid attorney and actually kids around with his daughter in this one. FRANKIE THOMAS has his usual line where he says, "You're not going there alone, are you?", as Nancy talks him into joining in on her detective work. The accent is more on comedy than mystery, especially when Nancy gets boyfriend Ned involved in a boxing match.
There's even a totally unexpected sequence where Nancy, Ned and the pesky kids have to literally sing for their supper in a Mandarin restaurant. The plot goes off in all directions without keeping track of finding the real murderer, which makes it one of the weaker entries in the series.
Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to have a writer work up an original screenplay. At any rate, it doesn't work this time. -
gridoon20245 March 2011This was my introduction to the cinematic world of Nancy Drew, and now I plan to see more of her - at least the three other films starring Bonita Granville as the title character. She is delightful as the smart, precocious Nancy, though the show is nearly stolen by Dickie Jones and Mary Lee, who play two of the funniest, most adorable brats you'll ever see! The film strikes a fine balance between seriousness and playfulness; it's ideal for children around Nancy's age (and not much younger), but will also not bore the older audiences. The mystery plot is pretty slight (and I still can't understand why the boxer didn't recognize Nancy at the gym), but engaging enough. **1/2 out of 4.
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Bonita Granville plays an excellent Nancy Drew. Sure, she's scatty, flighty...manipulative even but it's a refreshing change from the ole play-by-the-rules Nancy Drew in the books. In this one Ned Nickerson (changed to Ted)is not her perfect boyfriend but he makes the perfect sidekick: awkward, bumbling fool who always falls for Nancy's (his annoying next door neighbor by the way) tricks. Frankie Thomas plays Ted/Ned to perfection! This is a great movie; perfect for the whole family...just make sure the kids can love and appreciate black and white pictures, old cars, clothes and money (five dollars to get the bumper fixed?)
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zardoz-1316 January 2013Actress Bonita Granville wasn't a raving beauty, but she was spunky and she could act circles around other dames. "Nancy Drew, Reporter" was the second of the four Nancy Drew B-movies that she appeared in for Warner Brothers. This crime thriller about a wrongly accused murderer is fairly average, but "Case of the Stuttering Bishop" director William Clemens keeps the action moving at a breakneck pace. This is one of the B-pictures that Bryan Foy produced for the studio and it looks polished with several Warner Brothers contract players, one of whom is Joan Leslie. Leslie went on to become a major Warner Brothers starlet in movies like "Sergeant York" and "Yankee Doodle Dandy." The biggest mystery in this fast-paced yarn is the murder weapon, something called sodium ferrinide that contains poison and is used to kill a woman. Mind you, the murder occurs off-screen before the narrative unfolds. One of the most memorable lines is Nancy's description of a reporter: "A reporter has the right to do things an ordinary citizen shouldn't."
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jcholguin11 October 2003Nancy Drew decides that the story which an editor of the Newspaper has chosen for her is too bland for someone with her energy. So when no one is watching, she switches stories and investigates a death. The story itself is minor as the writers of this film decide to show the developing relationship of Nancy and Ted. Two miserable little kids appear, Ted's little sister and her friend. Pranks and getting in the way are what they are good at. One prank (car smoke bomb) actually comes back to help catch the real criminals. These two little kids become very tiresome and hopefully will never return in future films, we can only hope!
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No doubt some of today's young people (at least the less lascivious ones) will like these well made Nancy Drew programmers from the late 1930's, but they are likely best received by old geezers such as yours truly. That is geezers who just love cute, beautiful, sassy, exuberant, 16-year old Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, just like the granddaughter they have or wish they had! Sweet, manipulative, cute little Nancy! I say little because she was short, even though built like a miniature Joan Blondell. She can twine her stern, dignified, swank attorney father (John Litel) around her pinkie with one hand tied behind her back and the fingers crossed -- just as easily as she could yours truly! Okay, it is a grandpa syndrome. I just love these little Nancy Drew movies, but the grouchy old wife, after watching the first picture of the series, finds Nancy silly, irritating, and fluffy, and furthermore refuses to watch any other.
Nancy Drew, Detective, the second of the four-picture series, is breezy, clever, fast moving, fast talking, light-hearted fun. Though assuredly a B-picture, it gets the same high-gloss production values from Warners as the others of the series. The sets are first-rate, even if the same ones are used in all four movies. Direction by William Clemens and cinematography by Arthur Edeson are "A" class, and Heinz Roemheld's florid original score propels the action along at a break-neck pace.The young actors who carry most of the load are kept on their toes by Warner's stable of superb character actors, led by the ever reliable Litel and including Thomas E. Jackson, as a tough city editor giving Nancy a bigger break as a reporter than he knows, and Olin Howland as the police sergeant who helps the kids get the goods on the bad guys. The lanky, 6-foot-plus Howland is hilarious in his disguise as a grumpy, elderly woman!
But it is the adorable and energetic Bonita who carries the picture, along with Frankie Thomas as Nancy's long-suffering, much-manipulated boyfriend Ted. In this picture the two teen sleuths get some bratty, tag-along help from Ted's horrid little sister (Mary Lee) and her equally obnoxious pal (Dickie Jones). Actually the brats are cute if you view them in the right light. This picture is more of a comedy than a mystery, and one of the best scenes occurs when Nancy, Ted, and the brats get in trouble at a Chinese restaurant and have to sing for their supper. It's a cute number if you're in the right mood. Astonishingly, Mary Lee, who was actually 15 but looked only ten, had a voice like a chain-smoking, thirty-six year old torch singer! Bonita could sing, too, the adorable, little cutie!
Nancy Drew, Reporter is primarily for fun. I probably rated it higher than I should have. Certainly not Accademy Award material. But a delight from beginning to end. An enduring example of how the big studio systems of Hollywood's Golden Era could turn out good-looking, entertaining pictures while only half-way trying. -
Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville) and her classmates are given the opportunity to write actual stories for a newspaper. Not satisfied with covering a poetry reading, Nancy switches her assignment with one of a real reporter and ends up at an inquest. Based on the evidence presented, a lady is accused of poisoning an old woman for an inheritance. But Nancy's not buying it. Dragging her pal Ted Nickerson (Frankie Thomas) and her father Carson (John Litel) along for the ride, Nancy is determined to find the real killer.
As with Nancy Drew, Detective, the plot is hardly what matters in a movie like this. In fact, the plot is probably the weakest element of Nancy Drew Reporter. It's too light, too breezy, and, worst of all, too predictable. I defy anyone not to pick out the killer within the first few minutes. However, it's the cast that makes these movies worthwhile. Once again, Bonita Granville shines. She gives real life and spirit to her character. I hate to repeat part of my comment on Ms. Granville from Nancy Drew, Detective, but it remains apropos "She has an infectious charm that dominates the entire movie. It's hard to watch her and not have a smile on your face. You just naturally root for her." She once again joined by a strong supporting cast. I especially enjoyed Ned's bratty sister played by Mary Lee. Really nice job! Finally, I should probably mention that Nancy Drew...Reporter features a musical number. Nancy and company literally sing for their supper in a Chinese restaurant. While it hardly fits with the rest of the movie, I thought it was cute. -
mark.waltz20 August 2013When an accused murderess is sentenced, high school reporter Bonita Granville steps up to the plate to follow a suspicious suspect whom she believes to be the killer and in the process gets into all sorts of trouble. Along the trail with boyfriend Frankie Thomas and a few bratty siblings, she manages to outwit the law. Little Mary Lee steals the scenery when she all of a sudden breaks into song after the gang can't pay the bill in Willie Fung's Chinese restaurant. Washy dishy!, Fung hollers repeatedly after Granville announces that they don't have the 65 cents. The riotous conclusion involves a man in drag. At 70 minutes, the film is no drag, but it ain't a bucket of intelligence either. Love the kid with the Donald Duck voice, though!