Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase

Plot synopsis:
The elderly Turnbull sisters want to donate their mansion for a children's hospital. However, their father's will states that at least one of them has to stay in the house every night for twenty years before they can inherit the estate; there are two weeks left to go.
Then some strange things start occurring. A stranger forces his way past Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville) and brazenly searches the Drew house for related affidavits her lawyer father Carson (John Litel) has obtained. Then, the Turnbulls' chauffeur Phillips (Don Rowan) dies, though it is uncertain if it was a murder or a suicide. The frightened old ladies consider leaving their home. When Nancy recognizes the dead man as the trespasser, she begins investigating, dragging her boyfriend Ted Nickerson (Frankie Thomas) into one predicament after another, eventually getting him fired and jailed.
When police Captain Tweedy (Frank Orth) arrests the two sisters for Phillips' murder, their ownership is endangered. Just in time, Nancy and Ted discover a secret passageway in the basement linking it to the neighboring house, owned by Daniel Talbert (William Gould). Talbert would make a lot of money if a racetrack were to be built on the two properties, but the Turnbulls had turned down an offer to buy their place.

Tags: murder

Review:
Fourth, final, delightful entry in the terrific "Nancy Drew' Series.
produced four entries in its "Nancy Drew" series.
Perky, blonde, vivacious Bonita Granville is perfection as the feisty teenaged sleuth.
And the underrated Frankie Thomas outshines them all with his droll, engaging, All-American-Boy niceness as Nancy's would-be boyfriend Ted, whom Nancy drags reluctantly into each of her outlandish crime-solving schemes.
This final entry packs more fun, suspense, and twisty plot turns into a mere 60 minutes than most of today's bloated bombs manage to squeeze into two hours.
The Drew's home, nestled on a cozy small-town American street, complete with picket fences and old-fashioned street lights, could be a block away from the Hardy family's domain.
Although done on a B-budget, the production values of the entire Nancy Drew series are first-rate (craftily utilizing the sets of Warners' big-budget films of the era).
Watch "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase" (and spend the night in a "haunted" house, shivering along with Nancy and Ted) and I guarantee you'll be hooked--and searching TCM's listings for showings of the other three entries in the series.
Mystery, wry comedy, spine-chilling suspense, first-rate writing, crisp direction, and endearing performances by actors with charisma to spare--movies of any generation don't get any better than this!
The Drew series quartet is a fascinating forerunner of the teenagers-in-jeopardy genre revived in 1978 by "Halloween" (and a thousand imitators) for a more blood-thirsty generation.
There's not one single drop of blood to be seen in the entire Nancy Drew series, but the suspense and chills are no less palpable.
Bonita Granville was especially well cast as Drew, and cohort Frankie Thomas shared a good onscreen chemistry with her.
NANCY DREW LIVES ON FOREVER.
It always was a great joy to read Nancy Drew books and being able to see "The Hidden Staircase" was a wonderful thing Hollywood was able to give to the public in the 1940's.
Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas and John Litel gave excellent performances and made the Drew characters come to life.
Overly energetic Nancy still heads a solid, fun film.
Long before Harry Potter arrived to slake the thirst of voracious young readers, the factory minted Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mystery series were getting regular readers.While straight forward and relatively uncomplicated in their mystery plotting, they were basically solid "B" level templates, and at the height of the 30's Hollywood mystery vogue, Warner Brothers jumped on the bandwagon with a creditable four film series of Nancy Drew's - this final effort arguably the best (and the only one to share a title and a couple plot elements with an actual Nancy Drew book).Bonita Granville makes a borderline silly Nancy, with a mad energy level approaching Betty Hutton levels and (plot-wise) causing as many problems as she solves, but once accepted, her chemistry with John Litel's warm Carson Drew (the father figure) and Frankie Thomas' guileless comic foil/boyfriend Ted Nickerson is outstanding.
Had the series tried for more, these solid supporting performances might well have kept it around for a longer run, but Granville's frequently charming caricature and Frank Orth's even sillier Police Captain Tweedy (who never listens to ANYONE once he hears half a clue) firmly place it in limited audience "B" territory - above the cartoonish "Dick Tracy" series, but several steps below the longer running "adult" Charlie Chan's, Mr. Moto's, Sherlock Holmes', Thin Man's or even the solid Saint's, Falcon's or Lone Wolf's.The best thing about the series 70 years after it was first shown (and which should still hold the attention of the serious film lover) is its beautifully observed picture of life in small town America just before World War II, when icemen actually did deliver blocks of ice to the actual ice boxes which adorned most kitchens (and the standard system for calling for delivery) both of which form interesting plot points.We're not talking great art here.
Consider the drop in quality of the still decent 3rd and 4th Harry Potter films - as the books got better, "movie-movie" directors made the films less faithful and less effective.
At least the Nancy Drew series ended on a high note as they edged closer to the source material..
Nancy Drew Captured.
captured the spirit of the Nancy Drew novels, and presented them in great style.
The give and take between Nancy and her father is actually better than the books, and Ted Nickerson, as played by Frankie Thomas, makes the character stand out far more than in the books, where he was just a straight man for Nancy.
And Bonita Granville as Nancy gives a phenomenal film portrayal of the heroine of millions, without going over the top, and she is especially likable and memorable.
We have to remember this is a film portrayal of a book, it is not the book, nor was it meant to be, and it captures exactly the feeling of Nancy Drew mysteries.
I gave it a 10 not because it was the best movie ever made, but because it was a great interpretation of the book that lost nothing in the translation to screen, and gained in the character given by superb actors..
Wills like this one are usually only found in mystery novels.
Two spinster sisters were left property by their father on the condition that at least one of them remain there every night for twenty years at which time they can sell out.
That certainly must have cramped their social life, no wonder they remained spinsters.But when the family chauffeur is murdered and other strange things happen our teenage heroine goes to work.
As usual Bonita is helped by Frankie who it seems she can talk into just about anything in these films including having all American football player Thomas lose his clothes and have to get into drag which was an offense back in the day.In three of the four films law enforcement is represented by Frank Orth as the local police captain.
Seeing Orth in what was his career role as the bumbling Captain Tweedy, no wonder they need Granville's help whenever a serious crime occurs.There would be no more Nancy Drew films after this as Granville left Warner Brothers.
Bonita Granville has the title role in "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase," the final entry into the Nancy Drew series.
It also stars Frankie Thomas and John Litel.
This particular film is based on one of the actual books, but how closely it sticks to the story - well, I haven't read Nancy Drew in nearly 50 years, so I can't remember.
Since in the books, Nancy had two girlfriends, missing in the series, it probably doesn't stick all that closely.In this one, Nancy is determined to make sure that two elderly sisters keep to their father's will so that the house can be donated to a hospital.
That won't happen unless at least one of them is in the house every night for twenty years.
With only two weeks to go, and their chauffeur shot dead in the house, the ladies want out - fast.Nancy manages to drag Ted Nickerson, her quasi-boyfriend, into all kinds of trouble, and that's where the fun happens.
Nancy always got into deep water in the books, but I remember her as more serious and perfect.
That wouldn't have worked for the films, so Nancy is kind of a Lucy and Ted is Ethel, an unwilling participant in her schemes.Bonita Granville was a fine movie Nancy, very lively, wacky, and likable.
It's a shame there are only four "Nancy Drew" films.
Fourth and final entry in the wonderful Nancy Drew series starring the ever-adorable Bonita Granville.
This time out Nancy's trying to help a couple of elderly sisters.
They want to donate their mansion for a children's hospital but their father's will stipulates the ladies must live in the house every night for twenty years before it's theirs.
With two weeks to go before the twenty year deadline, someone is trying to scare the old ladies out of the house.
So Nancy investigates, dragging best friend Ted (Frankie Thomas) into trouble along the way.
As in the other films in the all-too-short series, pretty Bonita Granville is extremely likable.
John Litel as her dad and Frankie Thomas as her sidekick are also great.
The culprit behind the mystery is pretty obvious but it's still fun.
Seems odd nobody suggested someone stay with the two old ladies to keep them safe, but I guess we wouldn't have had much of a movie then.
Exciting finish, as the Drew series was usually good at providing.
The old-fashioned charm of the Keene novels is missing....
filmed several of these Nancy Drew stories in the late 1930s with Bonita Granville, Frankie Thomas and John Litel top-billed and this one is probably the best--and the only one actually based on one of the early Carolyn Keene novels.But the script is a hapless, far-fetched one and really stretches credibility and patience when viewed today.
Bonita Granville as Nancy does an excellent job, as does Frankie Thomas as her All-American boyfriend Ted, and John Litel as her lawyer father.
Not my daughter's Nancy Drew.
This is the first of these Nancy Drew movies I have seen, having just watched it on TCM.
When my daughter was growing up, I read to her every night, and often read a Nancy Drew mystery.
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.
Nancy's Fourth & Final(?) Case..
William Clemens directed this fourth and final cinematic outing starring Bonita Granville as Nancy Drew, John Litel as her father Carson Drew, and Frankie Thomas as her boyfriend Ted Nickerson.
Here, two elderly ladies call upon Carson to help them after their chauffeur is murdered.
The two ladies have been living in an old mansion for twenty years, and must stay another two weeks before they can sell it to be used as a children's hospital, but someone wants to stop them, and Nancy and Ted defy authorities to investigate.
The best of the series, which uses more imagination in its story, though it still feels half-baked and too abrupt, coming up short, though the three leads(especially Granville) are fine, and could have made a fifth case, sadly not to be.
This plot was used on the later(and unrelated) "Nancy Drew Mysteries" with Pamela Sue Martin called 'The Mystery Of The Whispering Walls'(Much better handled too.).
Final in the Series.
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (1939) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Fourth and final film in Warner's detective series has Bonita Granville returning as Nancy Drew.
In this film, two old women are about to turn over their property to charity but someone is trying to haunt them out of it.
You see, the women must stay there day and night for two weeks or the will is no good and the property is turned over to the city.
Granville is good in her role as usual but the supporting characters are weak this time out..
This is the fourth of four Nancy Drew films by Warner Brothers starring Bonita Granville.
It was based on the Drew story "The Hidden Staircase", though I've never read the book and have no idea how close it is to the original tale.
But, knowing Hollywood, many liberties were taken with the story.The story begins by learning that two elderly sisters, the Turnbulls, stand to inherit the home they've been living in many years.
Naturally, the pushy Nancy Drew has decided to make the case her business and naturally the cops investigating are all idiots!This film is one of about 600,000 B-mysteries made by Hollywood...and they were churned out like mad by both the big studios and the tiny ones.
When I was growing up I loved kid's adventure books but passed on Nancy Drew,she was for girls only.
series wisely trimmed the fat,eliminating Nancy's girlfriends who helped her in cases,making Ted,not Ned,more prominent.
It's highly unlikely the series could have continued,both leads were maturing out of the teen-age stage,Bonita left Warner bros.
Interestingly,the series involved murders,not missing treasure or stuff like that.
Bonita plays Nancy like a real girl,not perky and perfect with every step,she messes things up even with her enthusiasm..
Bonita Granville makes a perfect Nancy Drew, but the plot was far-fetched..
Whoever heard of anyone willing two spinster sisters an estate with the provision that unless at least one of them occupy the house every night for the next twenty years it will revert to the city.
That's the ridiculous premise of this Nancy Drew murder mystery.
But once I got over that, I rather enjoyed watching the antics of the young Bonita Granville as she tries to solve the case with her friend, Frankie Thomas.
Frank Orth has some good comedy as the inept police captain.
Unfortunately, the badly-named title is itself a "spoiler," since through most of the movie everyone wonders how the murderer got into the house.For those interested in credits, Dick Elliott (billed last) never shows up, nor is his character ever mentioned..
Fairly enjoyable but lesser Nancy Drew movie.
Out of the three Nancy Drew films starring Bonita Granville that I've seen so far (this one, "Reporter", and "Trouble-Shooter"), "The Hidden Staircase" is my least favorite.
It's still enjoyable to watch, but the mystery is one of the least interesting (even though the identity of the bad guy is a surprise), the climax (Nancy and Ted are trapped in an underground tunnel) is underwhelming compared to the wild plane ride of "Trouble-Shooter", and even Nancy herself, for the first time, occasionally comes dangerously close to crossing the line from adorable to obnoxious, especially when she not only gets Ted into trouble with the law, but takes off and leaves him behind (after the "shooting" incident).
I wouldn't recommend starting to watch the series with "The Hidden Staircase".
.. In the last of the Nancy Drew film series, another volume is adapted for the big screen, but mostly in title and character only.
Again depicted as giddy, the film takes plot elements from the book of the same title, and adds much comic relief, and much nonsense, plus darkens the entire plot with murder.
In the novel, Nancy helps the acquaintances of a person involved in her first case in investigating their "haunted" mansion.
Her father turns up missing, and Nancy must investigate thoroughly before she discovers the two cases are connected, by illegally entering another home and discovering a secret passageway, connected to the haunted house by several flights of a "Hidden Staircase." In the 1930 novel, Nancy carries a revolver in addition to her trusty electric torch.The film keeps a passageway between two homes, under a city street, no less, and involves much mayhem as Nancy tries to find out who killed a servant in the home of the Turnball sisters.
Nancy is involved as she arranged for the ladies to donate the house to River Heights following completion of the terms of a will, requiring one of the sisters to occupy the home daily for twenty years.
The series stoops to ridiculous comic levels, with Ted losing his pants once in public and then having his clothes stolen while he sleeps, leaving him with the choice of another public underwear appearance, or wearing "drag," turn of the century gowns, complete with a bonnet.The story resolves with silly conclusions, and not much of a staircase, and, despite drawing on the novel, is far worse than the two films not drawing on texts.
The entries is this series are pretty much alike.
Nancy Drew (Bonita Granville), a teen-aged girl, finds some mystery in Riverside Heights and pursues it, despite the warnings of her father and friends, to its happy end.
Everything is shot on the cheap on the Warner's back lot.The startling feature of this film, and the others, is Bonita Granville.
Except when whispering -- "There's a hidden door somewhere." And even that deserves an exclamation point which I refuse to give it.Her friend, confidant, and unwitting fool, is Ted Nickerson, a gawky adolescent boy, who was only featured in one film, "Ted Nickerson Discovers His Fist." Nancy Drew inveigles him into so many questionable enterprises, after most of which he winds up humiliated, and she shows so little interest in him, that at some point he must ask himself, "What have you done for me lately?" Oh, Ted. You poor schmuck.
Another few years and you'd be wearing a brown uniform in a brown milieu while Nancy was back home forgetting all about you..
Nancy Drew, with the invaluable assistance of her friend Ted Nickerson, comes to the aid of two old spinsters about to lose their home.
As part of their father's will, the old women must live in the house for 20 years or its ownership will change to the city.
It's up to Nancy and Ted to find out what's going on and, in the process, unmask a killer.Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is probably my least favorite of the series.
While I realize that none of the four movies in the series is set in what I consider the real world, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase takes it a bit too far.
For example, while Nancy is quite often misleading about what evidence she may have found while investigating a case, she crosses the line in this movie when she fabricates a suicide note and/or fails to tell the police about a bullet casing she's discovered.
Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is still a lot of fun.
Bonita Granville and Frankie Thomas are as enjoyable as ever.
While there's no real mystery as to the killer's identity, watching Nancy and Ted discover the how's and why's is a lot of fun.
Finally, I'm a sucker for a movie set in an old house with moving walls and secret passages.