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Nancy ayuda a dos solteronas mayores a cumplir las complejas disposiciones del testamento de su padre, pero el asesinato de su chófer complica las cosas.Nancy ayuda a dos solteronas mayores a cumplir las complejas disposiciones del testamento de su padre, pero el asesinato de su chófer complica las cosas.Nancy ayuda a dos solteronas mayores a cumplir las complejas disposiciones del testamento de su padre, pero el asesinato de su chófer complica las cosas.
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Elenco
William Hopper
- Reporter
- (as DeWolf Hopper)
Frederic Tozere
- District Attorney's Investigator
- (as Fredric Tozere)
Fern Barry
- McKeever's Secretary
- (sin créditos)
- Dirección
- Guionistas
- Todo el elenco y el equipo
- Producción, taquilla y más en IMDbPro
Opiniones destacadas
10sdiner82
From 1938 to 1939, Warner Bros. produced four entries in its "Nancy Drew" series. Each is a perfect delight; why didn't the studio continue making more of them? Perky, blonde, vivacious Bonita Granville is perfection as the feisty teenaged sleuth. John Litel is equally solid and dependable as her tolerant dad. Rene Riano is a joy as the Drews' long-suffering but devoted housekeeper. 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. Catch these unsung classics as soon as possible. After 60-some years, they are still fresh as if newly minted, and thoroughly irresistible.
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. Frank Orth's Captain Tweedy is amusing. 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. Wish there had been more of these movies.
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. Frank Orth's Captain Tweedy is amusing. 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. Wish there had been more of these movies.
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. Films in those days had a limited budget and it was an innocent age without all the blood and gore in todays films. No criticism is necessary for these Classic Films with Classic actors which are still being shown in the year 2000 and forever.
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.
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.
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. However, the will has an odd proviso--that they MUST remain in it every night until some goal is met. Well, they've abided by the will so far, but when their servant is murdered and all sorts of mayhem follows, the sisters' resolve begins to wane. 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. Why? Well, they were pretty cheap to make and made plenty of money! And, compared to the rest of them, this one is a bit better due mostly to better and more competent direction. Too many of them simply looked rushed but this one seemed more polished and complete. Well worth seeing.
The story begins by learning that two elderly sisters, the Turnbulls, stand to inherit the home they've been living in many years. However, the will has an odd proviso--that they MUST remain in it every night until some goal is met. Well, they've abided by the will so far, but when their servant is murdered and all sorts of mayhem follows, the sisters' resolve begins to wane. 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. Why? Well, they were pretty cheap to make and made plenty of money! And, compared to the rest of them, this one is a bit better due mostly to better and more competent direction. Too many of them simply looked rushed but this one seemed more polished and complete. Well worth seeing.
¿Sabías que…?
- TriviaFourth and last film in the "Nancy Drew" series released by Warner Bros. from 1938 to 1939. Three years later, the series' star, Bonita Granville, would return to Warners briefly for a supporting role in the Bette Davis classic, Lágrimas de antaño (1942).
- ErroresAs Ted and Nancy talk outside the Turnbull house following the scene in which the Turnbull sisters report the theft of minor household items, the shadow of the boom mic can be seen passing across a wooden post behind them.
- Citas
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.
- ConexionesFollows Nancy la detective (1938)
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- How long is Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase?Con tecnología de Alexa
Detalles
- Fecha de lanzamiento
- País de origen
- Idioma
- También se conoce como
- Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
- Locaciones de filmación
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- Ver más créditos de la compañía en IMDbPro
- Tiempo de ejecución1 hora
- Color
- Mezcla de sonido
- Relación de aspecto
- 1.37 : 1
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By what name was Nancy y la escalera secreta (1939) officially released in Canada in English?
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