Nancy helps two aging spinsters fulfill the byzantine provisions of their father's will, but the murder of their chauffeur complicates matters.
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Title: Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Bonita Granville | ... | Nancy Drew | |
| Frankie Thomas | ... | Ted Nickerson | |
| John Litel | ... | Carson Drew | |
| Frank Orth | ... | Captain Tweedy | |
| Renie Riano | ... | Effie Schneider | |
| Vera Lewis | ... | Miss Rosemary Turnbull | |
| Louise Carter | ... | Miss Floretta Turnbull | |
| William Gould | ... | Daniel Talbert | |
| George Guhl | ... | Smitty | |
| John Ridgely | ... | Reporter | |
| William Hopper | ... | Reporter (as DeWolf Hopper) | |
| Creighton Hale | ... | Reporter | |
| Frank Mayo | ... | Tribune Photographer | |
 |
Frederic Tozere | ... | District Attorney's Investigator (as Fredric Tozere) |
|
|
Don Rowan | ... | Phillips the Chauffeur |
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Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
Storyline
Nancy Drew and Ted Nickerson solve a murder and save two elderly ladies from losing their family home. The old mansion is complete with a moving wall and a hidden staircase. Written by SM <smortens@ix.netcom.com>
Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
9 September 1939 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Nancy Drew e a Escada Secreta See more »Filming Locations:
Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USACompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
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Nancy Drew: And a halfwit is a person who spends half their time trying to be witty.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
To promote this film, Warner Bros. created a Nancy Drew fan club for teenage girls. See more »Goofs
When Teds hands the crumpled note on torn paper to Mr. Drew, in close-up the paper is much smoother and has clean edges. See more »Quotes
Ted Nickerson: [trying to impress the maid with a joke] A duck is a chicken with snowshoes.Nancy Drew: And a halfwit is a person who spends half their time trying to be witty.
See more »
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This is the first of these Nancy Drew movies I have seen, having just watched it on TCM.
In general, I love movies from the 1930s, but this one was disappointing. When my daughter was growing up, I read to her every night, and often read a Nancy Drew mystery. It would usually take at least a week to finish one. They were quite good juvenile fiction, intriguing and suspenseful.
This movie has a totally different feel and tone. It is basically a comedy with a mystery subplot. Most of the characters are just silly compared to those in the books, especially Nancy, "Ted" (what's wrong with "Ned"?), and the police chief.
It got better once the staircase was discovered, and the last ten minutes or so was clever and entertaining. But still, I would much rather have a story faithful to the novels.