Nancy Drew Sleuth

Clues for Real Life

2007-11-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

My book is finally out! I had a wonderful opportunity last year to compile this book for Meredith Books and together with my editor there, Stephanie Karpinske, and the designers, the book turned out really nice. I'm very pleased with it.

I am still at work on other Nancy Drew book projects and hopefully those will come to fruition soon.

I will be doing a book sighing at the Poisoned Pen in Phoenix in December. You can purchase this book at my website--signed copies--here:

http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/thesleuthshop.html

Jenn:)

Clues for Real Life Advertising Flyer

2007-07-31T01:22:00.000-07:00

The Nancy Drew nostalgia book I compiled for Meredith Books--Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew comes out in November. I've scanned the advertising flyer for it. Click on the images for larger scans.

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew Crafts

2007-07-31T01:11:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Long time no blog! :) A fellow Sleuth member pointed me to Somerset Studio Gallery magazine, Summer 2007 issue. On page 139 starts a neat Nancy Drew purse project with neat accessories! Here are some small pics of the article and crafts, click on them for larger images. If you need a spiffy summer project, this is it! If anyone makes one, or attempts it, send me pics:)

I actually made a Nancy Drew trunk purse a few years ago decoupaging many images of Nancy Drew all over it. My mom lined it with a blue satin liner and it has a small flashlight and magnifying glass inside it.

Jenn:) (Who's about to turn 34 and wishes she had Nancy's agelessness!)

The Case of How Mysteryville's "It" Girl Goes to Hollywood

2007-07-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

I tried to have this article published in my local paper (Arizona Republic), but they hemmed and hawed with it so long that it's not timely anymore to submit anywhere else:P So, I decided to post it here at my blog. Maybe some of you will get a kick out of it!
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The Case of How Mysteryville’s “It” Girl Goes to Hollywood

A spooky old mansion dripping in old Hollywood kitschy glamour. A secret tunnel with plenty of sinister suspects to stir up a good fright. All the trappings of a page-turning Nancy Drew mystery yarn. Yet, this was no musty old book. The scene before me was unfolding through the magic of Hollywood on a soundstage at Warner Brother’s Studios.

The creepy atmosphere of the set was the perfect place to discover a few good clues to Warner Brother’s new movie, Nancy Drew. As the resident would-be gumshoe and Nancy Drew movie consultant, I came prepared. With my proverbial magnifying glass and my keen eyes, I was on a mission. Alas, I was without the glorious blue roadster or fashionable frocks Nancy often sported in her mysteries. No matter, I was just as determined as Nancy ever was to do a little sleuthing and get to the bottom of this puzzler…

Demystifying Nancy Drew

Baffling Mystery? Check! Spooky Scenery? Check! Chasing Dastardly Villains? Check! Sleuthing in old musty attics? Check! America’s Favorite Teenage Sleuth Nancy Drew’s back on the case in classic form and ready for adventure!

Directed by Andrew Fleming and produced by Jerry Weintraub, Nancy Drew will debut on June 15 to much fan fare, for it’s been nearly seventy years since the famous teen sleuth graced the big screen in the 1930s Nancy Drew films starring Bonita Granville. In this modern day classic, Nancy Drew is played endearingly by Emma Roberts.

Nancy remains rather timeless and fixated on mysteries rather than all the things most teenagers worry about like peer pressure and the social scene. Her love for a mystery and “old-fashioned things” contrasts Nancy to the rather spastic teens she must deal with after a temporary move to Hollywood while on one of her father Carson Drew’s business trips.

Nancy’s supposed to be avoiding sleuthing because LA is a dangerous place for a small town girl. But, she’s Nancy Drew. That means it’s in her nature to sleuth, snoop, and get to the bottom of all clues until she nabs the bad guys and saves the day. We wouldn’t have her any other way.

Doesn’t every eccentric movie star who dies a mysterious death leave behind a spooky old decaying mansion with a creepy caretaker and a mystery just waiting to be solved? Well, in Hollywood anyway, she does. Enter one intrepid teen sleuth.

True to form, with a spiffy sleuth kit, classy clothes (thanks to impressive costumer Jeffrey Kurland), and a snappy blue Metropolitan Nash convertible, Nancy determinedly solves the mystery surrounding the death of glamorous actress, Dehlia Draycott.

A long way from small town River Heights, Nancy finds herself in a not so friendly setting and laments, “In my book, courtesy counts!” Just how does Nancy find herself such a fish out of water? Read on for a few good clues…

Fashionable Clues Behind the Scenes of Nancy Drew

The mansion’s staircase seemed a tad rickety. The walls were crumbling. Vines had magically worked their way inside. Everything was glamorous yet dingy and it was believable. I’d literally stepped back into a time warp.

As I climbed the stairs to the mock second floor of the Draycott mansion, amidst the hustle and bustle of the crew, I ran into “Carson Drew” complete with robe, slippers and an old faded “River Heights Police Department 10-K Run” T-shirt. A fabulous lawyer and fit—now that’s my kind of Carson Drew!

An attic scene had just wrapped in which Carson arrives after a ghostly ruckus for a classic Nancy Drew movie line, “The Four Seasons isn’t haunted. What do you say?” I don’t think so! Anyone who knows Nancy Drew, knows she’d never end up at the Four Seasons when a “haunted house” is calling…

Tate Donovan, the actor behind attorney Carson Drew, waxed nostalgically with me about the movie and reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. I think the collector in me was fixated over that River Heights T-shirt, but I’m pretty sure he said he enjoyed playing the role!

Enter costume designer, Jeffrey Kurland, who designed the movie’s costumes. Kurland wanted to keep the look of Nancy timeless and elegant. In the movie, Nancy’s look is dubbed “The New Sincerity” complete with penny loafers, headbands, and classic lines. Can you say “Penny Loafer Fashion Moment?”

My next obsession became Nancy’s infamous sleuth kit. I was thrilled at its fashion-forward cleverness. The inside plaid design matched the lining of her coat and the seats in her snappy roadster!

Just what does Nancy carry in her kit you might wonder? In exploring the contents of the kit, I discovered an umbrella, a suped up flashlight, Ipod and recorder, digital camera, multi-tool, powders for fingerprinting, magnifying glass, evidence bags, lock picking tools, a pen, a container for a snack—like Hannah Gruen’s luscious lemon bars for calming cranky crooks, and a sweet little book marked “clues.”

Spooky Sleuthing: Spot the Clues to Classic Nancy Drew

All quiet on the set! Emma Roberts began filming a scene in the attic looking for evidence in old books which were full of dust that she blew off with each take. As musty and dusty as the attic was set up to be, my keen eyes spied a mock poster of Dehlia in a movie entitled “The Haunted Bridge.” A nod to the Nancy Drew book of the same name.

After the scene wrapped, Emma Roberts breezed over and introduced herself. Her burning question for this Nancy Drew expert? “What is Nancy’s mom’s name?” I was sorry to disappoint her, but Nancy’s mom was never named in the books. If you’re wondering what exactly happened to Nancy Drew’s mom, well that’s a mystery for another day. One likely to remain unsolved. Back to the set, Emma decides she’ll name her Margaret.

We segue way to an attic scene with actor Josh Flitter playing Nancy’s sidekick Corky. Gone are Nancy’s foil friends plump Bess Marvin and tomboyish George Fayne who only make a brief appearance at the movie’s beginning. Enter 12-year-old Corky who provides comic relief and develops a crush on Nancy, becoming an irritating thorn in Nancy’s boyfriend Ned Nickerson’s side.

Between freaking out at nearly being run down by goons to Corky’s amusing pick up lines like, “I think the ability to sleuth is an attractive quality in a woman,” to his giggling at Nancy’s daring jaunt into a tunnel, Corky doesn’t quite get the seriousness of all this mystery business. His character is a great contrast to Nancy Drew, who’s serious-minded when it comes to solving a case.

Part teenager, part mystery machine, Nancy Drew has had a one-track mind for over 77 years and there’s no stopping her affinity for getting to the bottom of something fishy. Tweaking this aspect of Nancy’s plucky personality would never do. Fans might revolt. Seriously.

Kudos to director Andrew Fleming for keeping Nancy tried and true. I chat up Fleming about the film’s classic Nancy Drew style. Fleming is busy pacing around the scene, getting the feel of the room as he enthuses about the film’s vintage movie quality. To him, the setting is timeless and fans should enjoy it. A fan of the classic Nancy Drew mysteries (the first fifty-six), Fleming and the crew worked hard to bring the mysterious aspect of the old decaying regency style mansion to life. Taking Nancy Drew out of her comfort zone in River Heights to LA, was a conceptual way to emphasize her timeless character when contrasted with the ultra modern movers and shakers in LA.

Recently Fleming stated, “There was a moment when I thought, why don’t we make her totally modern, give her high-tech gadgetry, make her sexy and hip? But if we did, what’s the point? Why call her Nancy Drew?”

Nancy Drew just wouldn’t be Nancy Drew without a few clues to uncover. Add in a secret tunnel and it’s the crème de la crème for mystery buffs. How apropos it was that I stumbled upon the entrance to the infamous secret passageway through Nancy’s bedroom fireplace. Unfortunately, with some resignation, I realized this would be just a tad too big to secrete in the back of my car. I stopped short of taking measurements to be sure. Nancy once used her skirt as a ruler in The Witch Tree Symbol. So, I suppose I could have improvised!

After a round of takes involving the secret passageway, I asked Emma how she got the part of Nancy Drew. She said she was interested in playing such an iconic character, though it was a daunting role in some ways. She hoped they were doing it right—creating something that Nancy Drew fans would approve of.

Nancy Drew fans can be fickle. They don’t like their Nancy Drew messed with. Yet, fans of all ages and generations should be happy to see that Nancy is still Nancy and that’s no mystery.

Later, as I’m about to leave mysteryville for my soundstage exit back into the real world, I sweetly pester the prop guy about interesting movie set collectibles. However, I had no blondies like Nancy uses in the movie to wheedle for more clues.

Did this mystery reporter uncover the clues to solve the puzzler of how Nancy Drew makes it in Hollywood? You betcha, and it’s one sizzler of a case. Check it out, June 15th, in a theater near you. There’s already talk of a sequel and the movie hasn’t even premiered yet! Sequel or not, whether on the big screen or throughout the pages of time, Nancy Drew will always be every generation’s mystery solve-It-girl!

And “that’s a cut!”
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Interesting Nancy Drew movie facts:

The filmmakers hired an etiquette coach to help refine Emma Robert’s depiction of Nancy Drew as an elegant young lady.

Emma describes the movie’s convertible as “a bathtub on wheels.”

Emma didn’t have her driver’s license yet when filming was underway, so she had to be pulled around by a trailer in the driving scenes.

Emma didn’t read the Nancy Drew books before signing on to the role, though she’s reading them now.

In a recent interview, Emma noted, “Nancy and I are both passionate, determined and ambitious. She will not give up until she gets the results she wants. I am very similar in that way.”

Emma says the biggest difference between she and Nancy Drew, is that Nancy Drew is perfect.

Just like in the movie, Nancy Drew was only 16 when the series first debuted in 1930. It was not until the 1950s, that her age was changed to 18.

In the movie, Nancy Drew uses delicious lemon bars to calm cranky criminals and blondies to wheedle clues out of people.

Actors Bruce Willis and Chris Kattan have cameos in the film.

Nancy Drew Movie: Food

2007-06-05T02:50:00.000-07:00

Getting closer...the movie has a grand Hollywood premiere on June 9th! As in the books, food plays a role in the new Nancy Drew movie. Hannah Gruen sends Nancy some delicious treats--and she even uses them to help sleuth and uncover clues!

Here's my recipe for lemon bars--my Mom's--and it's good! "Not good for a diet though," moans Bess Marvin! It's no wonder Nancy Drew always remained forever slim and attractive, she had the benefit of sleuthercise! Chasing down crooks in dark alleys and climbing lots of ladders and stairs in her signature heels--where can we sign up for that exercise class? Sign me up, I'm there!

"Movie Star Lemon Bars"

The best Lemon Bars—great for calming cranky crooks!

Crust:

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened

For large cake pan or two smaller 8 x 8 pans. Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter. Press into cake pan and bake 15 minutes at 350°.

Filling:

2 cups white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
4 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP lemon rind

Mix ingredients, pour into pan. Bake 20 minutes at 350°.

Glaze:

4 TBSP lemon juice
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 TBSP butter
Vanilla extract--1/2 tsp or to taste

(Sleuthing Tip: You can use milk instead of lemon juice, adding a little bit at a time.)

Mix ingredients and spread on cooled lemon squares. These can be frozen.

Jenn:)

June 2nd: Don't Judge a Movie By Its Trailer!

2007-06-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Sleuthers,

2 weeks until Sleuth Day!

I'm always amused when people freak out about stuff related to Nancy Drew:) I also think younger people tend to be a little more dramatic, since things to them seem to be "the world" and anything wrong is "the end of the world"--due to lack of perspective that comes with maturity and aging.

Not that I need to defend this movie--or my involvement with it--as I think it speaks nicely for itself, but here's a few thoughts. As with any collector/reader genre, there's always the naysayers (or shall we call them the Tophams?), the everythings, and the well it depends folks. I have been amused at some of the e-mails about the movie and the trailer I've received recently now that the movie is about to be released. Yes, the trailer focuses on Nancy vs. the LA mean girls. But, yes, the trailer also focuses on the movie as a mystery--you know, that little something that always intrigued Nancy in the books...

The movie is not a parody of Nancy Drew. Don't confuse humor with parody--they're not necessarily the same, and certainly not in this case. And to the same, don't confuse humor with comedy. A movie can have some humor without being a total comedy.

In the movie, Nancy is Nancy, classic like in the classics. She's nice, polite, knowledgeable, good at what she does, and likes to help others--and solve mysteries. She's not about trying to impress others or change for others, she's just herself and does what she loves to do--sleuth!

The movie is a mystery, set in LA, with a subplot of Nancy being this small town girl/"fish out of water" who is different from the LA teens she deals with, but in the end she wins them over. She's serious minded like in the books, intent on solving the mystery. There is some comic relief in her sidekick, Corky and then Corky and Ned's banter. In the end, naturally, she solves the mystery and heads back to River Heights.

Most of the trailer's scenes at the school take place near the beginning of the movie. The rest of the movie is Nancy's sleuthing to get to the bottom of the mystery of what happened to actress Dehlia Draycott.

Sure she's 16 in the movie and she was 18 for a long time in the books. True Nancy Drew fans know that she was 16 from 1930 until the late 1950s when she was aged to 18 due to driving laws in states. Since when is being 16 a whole lot different from 18? Believe me, I'm 33, whether you're 16 or 18, you're a kid plain and simple. Being 18 doesn't make you magically adult and sophisticated:)

Honestly, I haven't been given a valid complaint by anyone who has just seen the trailer, and my challenge/answer is to see the movie, you'll find yourself liking it more than you think! You can't really have an informed opinion on the movie, if you haven't seen it. And that's a fact!

Most people I know are very excited about the movie and Nancy being on the big screen after nearly 70 years! Those who have seen it that I've talked with, love it. They find it cute, endearing and so reminiscent of the classic Nancy Drew books in the spooky setting and house, the sleuthing, and Nancy's determination to get to the bottom of the case.

The greatest thing about this movie, is that they kept her classic. They didn't modernize her in a way as to change her character or personality. That would have been a disaster. Kudos to Jerry Weintraub and Andrew Fleming for a job well done--as well as cast and crew!

For fun, here are my 10 favorite Nancy Drew movie things:

1. Jeffrey Kurland's costumes

2. Hannah Gruen's lemon bars to calm cranky crooks

3. Blue convertible (not a hybrid!)

4. Opener with vintage books (some are mine) and line drawing images

5. Spooky old house with all the mystery trappings

6. Nancy Drew's old-fashioned birthday party

7. Nancy's Sleuth Kit

8. Nancy's magnifying glass pin with her initials

9. Corky's line: "I think the ability to sleuth is an attractive quality in a woman."
10. Leshing--the creepy caretaker

Jenn:)

Movie Sleuthing Countdown!

2007-06-02T03:08:00.000-07:00

Well fellow sleuths, just a couple of weeks now until the Nancy Drew movie hits theaters (June 15) and the Nancy Drew Sleuths converge on Pasadena, CA for our annual convention! With our snappy blue roadsters and magnifying glasses of course;)

I'm going to attempt in all the craziness of these last two weeks to update this blog with happenings and news each night (also known as the wee hours)!

Convention planning is at a whirlwind but things are finally coming together as they always do at the last. We will most likely have our biggest turn out thus far, this year! If you're in the LA/Pasadena area, come and join us! www.ndsleuths.com/ndsconventions.html

If you're lucky enough, your area mall may just have Emma Roberts stop by for a visit--she's making a small number of appearances to promote the Nancy Drew film all around the country. The other day she was in DC and got to meet the First Lady, Laura Bush--they both read to kids from The Secret of the Old Clock. Trivia tidbit: Nancy Drew got to have lunch with the First Lady in the original text of The Mystery of the Ivory Charm.

I've been interviewed for a lot of articles on Nancy Drew and the movie in the last week, so will update when articles start appearing. I'm hoping that the movie will inspire more Nancy Drew readers from today's generation and also inspire older fans to rediscover the books.

I saw Nancy Drew displays in the bookstores today, so she's getting more of a push these days!

More tomorrow!

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew Sleuth Convention Merchandise!

2007-05-15T01:43:00.000-07:00

Super fun Nancy Drew merchandise! Officially licensed from Simon & Schuster for a limited time/quantity at Cafe Press: http://www.cafepress.com/ndsconvention

Sales only through June 30, 2007, so order now:)

Several convention designs including a nostalgic/humorous design, "You Know You're a Nancy Drew Fan When..."

Support the Sleuths and help us out with our convention costs!

Jenn:)

Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew

2007-05-07T01:28:00.000-07:00

Here's the cover for the book I compiled for Meredith Books which will be published this coming November (2007): Clues for Real Life: The Classic Wit and Wisdom of Nancy Drew!

It is filled with great nostalgia advice in the classic style of Nancy Drew! Hardcover with a dust jacket.

Jenn:)

Too Cute!!!!

2007-04-16T00:30:00.001-07:00

Check out the cover of the DVD package for the 4 1930s Warner Brothers Nancy Drew movies! So cute! If you haven't seen the 1930's movies, they're a hoot. Some say they just aren't Nancy Drew, and they are certainly a comic version of the book sleuth, but they are amusing in their own way! A fun part of Nancy Drew's rich history. The DVD set comes out in June. You can pre-order at various websites including Amazon.com.

Learn more about the 1930's movies here:

http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/cmovie.html

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew Movie News & Poster

2007-04-14T01:44:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Nancy Drew movie poster is in theaters! And a banner. I went and saw a movie and took some pics--the theater was dark where the poster was lit up so the one of me by the poster is mostly in silhouette. I've updated my movie page at my website with new format styles, lots of stills from the movie, and a few more collectible items:

http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/nancydrewmovie.html

If you're interested in Nancy Drew and in the Pasadena/Burbank, CA area in June, stop by the Nancy Drew Sleuths' Nancy Drew convention! June 15-16. For more info check it out here:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/ndsconventions.html

Tickets are on sale for the general public!

Jenn

Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys TV Shows: 30th Anniversary!

2007-03-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Television series that began in January 1977 and ran for 3 seasons. Coming out in June is the release of the second season on DVD!

The Nancy Drew Sleuths convention in June will focus in part on the 1970s TV shows.
http://www.ndsleuths.com/ndsconventions.html

I'm sad to report that Andy Sidaris, husband of TV show producer Arlene Sidaris, has passed away. Some of you may not have realized that Andy directed some of the TV show episodes. My sympathies to Arlene and her family.

Jenn

Nancy Drew PJs Sale!

2007-03-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

The Gumshoe Girls are having a Spring Sale on their PJs and stuff, check out their website:

http://www.nancydrewgirldetective.com/

Check it out:)

I got one of their new style charm bracelets for Christmas and love wearing it--it is the type where you can add charms and objects to the bracelet, so if you have Nancy Drew/mystery theme charms, these go great with it!

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew Convention!

2007-03-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Any Nancy Drew Fans Out There!?

You might be interested in attending the big Nancy Drew convention in Pasadena, CA: June 13-17 this year! Timed to the release of the Warner Brothers Nancy Drew Movie! Check out the Nancy Drew Sleuths' website:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/ndsconventions.html

It's going to be lots of fun!

I've not updated this blog in ages, my usual excuse: Too many projects ongoing! But I'll be making an effort to update it more often now that the movie is fast approaching.

Anyone planning to see the movie? What do you think of the first trailer they've released?

I wanted to make a comment on that for all you sleuths out there:) The trailer does show that Nancy is solving a mystery--about an actress who died mysteriously, but it also has a "mean girls" kind of concept to it. If you've seen the movie "mean girls" you'll know what I'm talking about. I think they tailored the trailer to appeal to today's kids/tweens/teens by playing up this snotty girls issue between Nancy and the Hollywood teens while focusing less on the fact that this movie is about a mystery.

To anyone that has been turned off by that, never fear, the movie is about mystery and lots of it, the teen stuff is more of a backdrop to the mystery. So, I think this movie will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed Nancy Drew over the years--you'll get an instant feel of classic Nancy while watching her sleuth and search for clues in the old "haunted" mansion. You might recall the atmosphere of The Hidden Staircase or The Secret in the Old Attic, you'll get a sense of that in this movie.

They may even make a sequel or two--depends on the success of this first film, so go out and support your favorite teen sleuth by seeing the movie, and maybe you'll see more of them made. If they make a sequel, perhaps Bess, George, and River Heights will play a larger role.

Jenn:)

Join the Sleuths

2006-11-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

Join the Nancy Drew Sleuths! Or, send a membership to a chum as a great holiday gift!

www.ndsleuths.com

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew in Firsts!

2006-11-25T20:37:00.000-08:00

Nancy Drew & Mildred Wirt Benson: A Mystery Revealed. The original “Carolyn Keene,” nom de plume for the continuingly popular Nancy Drew mystery series, was “nobody’s sweet grandma.” She was Mildred A. Wirt Benson, a feisty, adventurous spirit. A career newspaperwoman, she set the standard for the enduring heroine that many fondly remember and still read today.

Read all about Nancy Drew and Mildred Wirt Benson in my article in the December 2006 issue of Firsts, a literary magazine for book collectors and enthusiasts. Firsts can be purchased on their website: www.firsts.com or in many independent and used/collector book stores!

A new licensee for Nancy Drew! Literarture is reproducing dust jackets for books 1-56, in limited sets of 200 for each title. www.literarture.net

Jenn

Nancy Drew News & Updates

2006-10-23T18:08:00.000-07:00

I must be insane to plan so much at the same time, but I guess that's why I like multi-tasking! I managed to pick Sept./Oct. to be the time to finish my book proposal and get it sent off to publishers, write an article for Firsts Magazine, put together the first printed edition of The Sleuth and get it mailed out, finish planning and excecution of the Sleuths' 6th annual convention in Chicago, and keep up with all of my Halloween party planning and sales. I think I need a vacation--and not the Nancy Drew adventure type vacation either:)

Some news! Of course, these dates are somewhat tentative at the moment, but are probably the final dates for next year's Sleuth convention: June 13-17. The premier of the Warner Brothers movie is on June 15. They say the dates are never set in stone, but it's likely these dates are since they've moved the date around so many times.

Above left, is the cover for the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective book, Murder on the Set which comes out next July--should be an interesting book, not sure if there is a tie-in to the movie coming out in anyway--something I need to look in to.

I'm also posting a few pics from the Sleuth convention which was a lot of fun! Members toured "River Heights Country" while solving mysteries at Red Gate Farm and found a Hollow Oak treasure! Activities included: All Day Bus trip of book hunting, antiquing, visit to a real life Red Gate Farm, Hollow Oak treasure hunt, Sleuth Madonna's Red Gate Farm party, Chicago sightseeing, visit to the American Girl Store to view Nancy Drew book on display, Danger on the Great Lakes dinner cruise on Lake Michigan, presentations at the Chicago Children's Museum, a Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza dinner, a Joker's Revenge game, and a fun Nancy Drew theme gift exchange. The pictures are of the book at American Girl, the cake at Madonna's party, and the image I put on cards I gave as part of my gift in the gift exchange--using sayings from Nancy Drew books.

Next year is a pretty big year for Nancy Drew--hope you are all as excited as I am!

Jenn:)

Nancy Drew News!

2006-08-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I've posted:) I've been working on the book and planning the Sleuths' upcoming convention in Chicago this October!

Quick highlights to note:

Release Date Changes! The Nancy Drew movie is now scheduled for a June 15, 2007 release instead of August 10! Barring any other changes, the Sleuth convention will now be in June of next year.

The Nancy Drew Sleuth Book will be reprinted next summer--July 2007.

Expect to see the Hardy Boys meet Nancy Drew again when the Girl Detective and Undercover Brothers series get together sometime in the near future.

Jenn

Nancy Drew News & Updates

2006-07-13T22:50:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted an entry in this blog!

Not much Nancy Drew news to tell right now. I did put up a Nancy Drew book for auction, a very scarce format 1 Nancy Drew Hidden Staircase with a dust jacket at eBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230007886271

Ends Sun. July 23. I also listed a full set of the Trixie Belden books if anyone is interested!

I've been working on my book and other Nancy Drew endeavors--including planning of the Sleuths' 6th annual convention in Chicago this October:

http://www.ndsleuths.com/ndsconventions.html

If you want to come, deadline to register/RSVP is August 1st, 2006.

I've added a few neat things to my collection! One is a ND movie director chair back. Also, an interesting issue of Variety from the early 1980s that features an ad for the 1970s Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew TV show, while they were in reruns plus some fun clippings and ads for the TV show.

Debuting next year is Girl Detective #24 in July 2007, titled Murder on the Set--might be some sort of play upon or tie in to the movie coming out next year?

I've also updated The Sleuth Shop at my website with a shopping cart system for immediate purchasing--Sleuth members don't use this, just contact me with what you want so I can give you your 15% off! I've added a lot of Nancy Drew books and vintage series books (boys' and girls') to the page and some gift items.

http://www.nancydrewsleuth.com/thesleuthshop.html

Jenn:)

Frankie Thomas aka "Ted" Nickerson Has Passed Away

2006-05-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

Frankie Thomas, who played "Ted Nickerson" in four 1930s Nancy Drew movies, Nancy Drew...Detective, Nancy Drew, Reporter, Nancy Drew, Troubleshooter and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, passed away last Thursday, May 11, 2006. While Frankie starred in quite a few movies and on Broadway, on TV as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, and later in life became a mystery writer, I wanted to note a few memorable Nancy Drew film related moments.

“Duped again!” Poor “Ted” Nickerson was always at the mercy of scheming Nancy Drew in the Nancy Drew movies. The basic premise of each movie was that something mysterious happened and Nancy got involved. Nancy drug Ted into her sleuthing schemes–often bribing or manipulating him. Carson Drew told Nancy to stay out of it. Captain Tweedy did not take Nancy very seriously. Nancy and Ted got involved in a daring plot regardless of Carson’s orders to stay out of it, and they ended up getting caught. In the end, Carson Drew and the police rushed to Nancy and Ted’s rescue. (He was Ted instead of Ned because the filmmakers thought the name Ned was too old-fashioned.)

In Detective, Ted had to dress up as a nurse to help Nancy sneak into a sanitarium. Other ruses that Nancy talked Ted into included posing as a reporter and then pretending to be boxer One-Round Loogan in Reporter. (Shown in a black and white still.) Ted did more than his fair share of the work and often ended up in trouble due to it.

In Hidden Staircase, Nancy made Ted, who worked for an ice company at the time, write a fake suicide note for which he got arrested at the movie’s end. Ted borrowed a gun from his uncle so Nancy could run a test, and left a note with it, “Pest, I’ve gone to work. Don’t bother me today on account of I was docked for stalling around with you yesterday. P.S. Don’t blow your head off.” Not to be put off by this note, Nancy pretended to be a “Mrs. Brown” ordering ice and had Ted deliver it into rural location. She used the ruse to get Ted to fire the gun. He said, “Someday I’m going to be psychoanalyzed to find out why I’m such a dope.”

Ted fired the gun and discovered the sign he hit said no shooting, sirens were heard and Nancy drove off leaving Ted to get in trouble. Later, Nancy threatened to turn Ted into his employer for goofing off on the job so he’d help her do some investigating and he ended up having to spend the night in the Turnbull mansion to take a picture of the “ghost.” In the night, the “ghost” stole Ted’s clothes so he had to dress up in women’s clothing and got arrested. Ted was the classic comedy straight man to Nancy Drew.

A clumsy character, Ted fell over ladder causing a pigeon to escape, fell over containers causing Nancy to lose site of a suspect and ran from a goon at a sanitarium and fell over in Detective. In Trouble Shooter, Ted ran to see about a nearby fire–right through lattice work off a porch and later got caught up in a rope and then fell on his head when Nancy cut through rope. As boxer One-Round Loogan, he flailed around the boxing ring and ended up knocked out in Reporter. In Hidden Staircase, Ted fell down hill running with his pants down and later while trying to stop Nancy from breaking into the Turnbull mansion, he fell through a window and said, “I’m going to give myself up.”

He made us laugh!

(Look for a more indepth article in the October 2006 issue of The Sleuth! Subscribe here: http://www.ndsleuths.com/thesleuth.html )

Jenn

Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew Fun Stuff

2006-05-08T14:42:00.000-07:00

The newly relaunched former Nancy Drew Notebooks are now Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew. The first two books are now out in some areas. There is a fun "junior detectives" club and membership card. There is a membership card you can cut out of the book--yikes! But collectors never fear, they have the same card online you can print out--full color. (I'd suggest printing it on card stock.) They also have activities from each book that are fun and a personality quiz to see if you are a Bess, Nancy, or a George.

Check out the website:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm?sid=808&pid=511133

Once there click on "activities", and the membership card and other activities will be there to click on.

Jenn

Nancy Drew Update: Girl Detective Series

2006-05-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Here's a synopsis for the upcoming books in the Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series, #20 Getting Burned and also the intriguing #21 Close Encounters:

Getting Burned--The animal shelter where Nancy volunteers burns down--which leaves a lot of displaced orphaned animals and a big case for Nancy. She and her friends put on a concert to raise funds for rebuilding the shelter. Strange people keep joining the volunteer staff though, and someone's trying to foil their plans. Whoever it is has picked the wrong gal to mess with!

Close Encounters--Nancy, Bess, and George head to Brody's Junction, Vermont, to fly down the slopes. Little do they realize they're in for flying saucers! Hundreds of tourists have invaded the town to watch the purported UFO sightings, which are odd enough. Odder still are reports of townspeople being abducted and the strange clues that seem to point to little green men as the culprits. Nancy's mantra, though, is "innocent until proven guilty," and she's hoping to have a close encounter with some hard facts before the town spins out of control.

In other Nancy Drew News, if you remember the 1995 Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys TV series (if you don't, many didn't see it either as it wasn't distributed well), you can order the shows at Amazon Canada (you might also see copies at eBay for sale too.)

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000F0UU3C/sr=1-1/qid=1146730913/ref=pd_bowtega_1/701-1180950-3103530?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=dvd&v=glance

Jenn

Nancy Drew Movie Update

2006-05-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Movie News: The May issue of Elle Girl has an article on Emma Roberts who plays her in the movie--she mentions a little bit about playing Nancy Drew.

Latest Cast List:
Max Thieriot as Ned
Josh Flitter as Corky
Kelly Vitz as Trish
Daniela Monet as Inga
Tate Donovan as Carson Drew
Emma Roberts as Nancy Drew
Barry Bostwick as Dashiel Biedemeier
Amy Bruckner as Bess Marvin
Kay Panabaker as George Fayne
Laura Harring as Dehlia Draycott
Rachael Leigh Cook as Jane Brighton
Caroline Aaron as Barbara Barbara
Cliff Bemis as Chief McGinnis
David Doty as Father Murphy
Robert Merrill as Century Actor
Jared Weber as Henchman #3
Craig Gellis as Thug #1
Chris Kerner as Basketball Player #35
Richie Rayfield as Vintage Movie Film Crew
Thom Williams as Henchman
Joanne Barron as Costumer
Pat Carroll as Landlady
Adam Clark as Sgt. Billings
Christina Leigh as Medical Patient
Ryan Raddatz as Assistant Director
Rich Cooper as Charlie
Pablo Espinosa as Security Guard
Curtis Ray Husted as Calculus/Woodshop Student
Perri Lauren as Click Girl
Ashley Sherman as No Woman
Shaina Vorspan as No Girl #8/No Woman #6

Jenn

Nancy Drew Cover Mystery Revealed...

2006-04-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

A fellow Nancy Drew fan, sent me this image and corresponding text along with it on the graphic regarding a cover art image for the new Nancy Drew: Girl Detective series. Thanks Jarrell!

Nancy Drew Goes Sci Fi!

2006-04-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, shades of #58 The Flying Saucer Mystery!

Nancy has a close enounter--but is of the alien kind?!