Carolyn Keene Movies
As the author of the original Nancy Drew series of mystery novels, Mildred Wirt Benson (aka Carolyn Keene) shot to fame penning thrilling tales concerning a fearless and stylish teen detective who never failed to get to the bottom of the case. Born in Ladora, IO, Benson was the first person to receive a master's in journalism from the University of Iowa, in 1927. As a reporter who never backed down from a challenge, the future author laid the foundation for a literary creation that would enthrall generations and inspire numerous adaptations even after Keene herself halted writing Nancy Drew adventures. Paid 125 dollars per tome and receiving no royalties for the books or their resulting spin-offs, Benson continued to write novels (including the Penny Parker mysteries) and work as a reporter, all the while bound by an agreement with the publisher to keep her identity as the originator of Nancy Drew secret. Though her shrouded identity remained uncovered for years, she was finally revealed as the originator of the series when one of the publisher's daughters attempted to take credit and Keene was forced to testify in 1980. Working tirelessly well into her nineties, the tough writer wasn't slowed by failing eyesight, and even returned to her desk a day after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 1997. After going into semi-retirement in 2002 (at the age of 96), Benson died shortly after being struck ill at her Toledo Blade desk. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide- 1939
This final entry in Warner Bros.' Nancy Drew series is the only one actually based on a novel by Nancy Drew creator Carolyn Keene. Bonita Granville returns as the ebullient titular teenaged sleuth, while Frankie Thomas portrays Nancy's best friend and fellow "gumshoe" Ted Nickerson. The plot concerns a bizarre codicil in a will, requiring two elderly sisters to spend every night in their family mansion over a period of 20 years in order to lay claim to the crumbling old house. The ladies plan to contribute their legacy to a local children's hospital, but certain sinister forces in town hope to erect a racetrack where the mansion presently stands. When the sisters' chauffeur is murdered, Nancy and Ted investigate, even though Nancy's attorney father, Carson Drew (John Litel), has expressly forbidden them to do so. Their tremulous journey through the cellar of the mansion leads to a surprising revelation -- and, very nearly, to a watery grave. Arguably the best of the series, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase moves along at so fast a clip that the audience is left nearly as breathless as the heroine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, (more)
- 1939
The third of Warner Bros.' series based on the teenaged sleuth created by Carolyn Keene, Nancy Drew, Trouble Shooter stars Bonita Granville as the plucky Nancy. Nancy's father Judge Drew (John Litel) is tormented by the fact that an old friend has been accused of murder. The Judge insists that Nancy not get involved in the case, but that warning has never stopped her in the past. With the help of her long-suffering boyfriend (Frank Thomas Jr.) Nancy sticks her nose where she shouldn't and solves the mystery. 16-year-old Bonita Granville was perfect as every schoolgirl's favorite detective; her Nancy Drew unflappable even when stumbling across a corpse in a cabbage field. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas, (more)
The second entry in Warner Bros.' popular detective series, Nancy Drew, Reporter presented young sleuth Bonita Granville at her busybody best. This time, the irrepressible Miss Drew has entered a junior newspaper-reporter contest and, determined to win, insinuates herself into the ongoing investigation of the Lambert murder. Despite overwhelming evidence, Nancy refuses to believe that the murder victim's young ward (Betty Amann) is the culprit and instead shadows a mysterious man (Jack Perry) sporting a cauliflower ear. The brutish stranger and his floozy of a girlfriend (Sheila Bromley) lead Nancy and her faithful sidekick, Ted Nickerson (Frankie Thomas Jr.), on a merry chase that, naturally, ends with the apprehension of the real murderer. Trapped in the Bledenburg Hotel along the way, Nancy and Ted ingeniously call attention to their plight by changing the hostelry's neon sign to "Bedbug Hotel." Juvenile stars Granville and Thomas are this time aided by teenage singer Mary Lee, of Gene Autry Western fame, and child actor Dickie Jones, the latter insisting on imitating Donald Duck. A highlight of the film has the four youngsters performing swing versions of nursery rhymes in order to pay for their Chinese dinner. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, John Litel, (more)
- 1938
Nancy Drew -- Detective was the first in a series of breezy B-pictures based on the teenaged sleuth created by Carolyn Keene. Bonita Granville is perfectly cast as Nancy, while John Litel and Frankie Thomas are equally effective as Nancy's attorney father, Carson Drew, and erstwhile boyfriend, Ted Nickerson, respectively. Things get under way immediately when Mary Eldridge (Helena Phillips Evans), the wealthy benefactress of Nancy's high school, disappears under mysterious circumstances. In direct defiance of her father's orders, Nancy and Ted set off on their own investigation, which leads inexorably (and dangerously) to a highly suspicious rest home. The "ever popular" Mae Busch is her usual nasty self as a phony nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, John Litel, (more)
