Cozy Mysteries discussion

I've been reading the Nancy Drew series again, this time with my daughter. Somewhere I read that the earlier books in the series were touched up to give them a more modern feel in their latest editions.

Does anybody know more about this?

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

Yes, a lot of the earlier books were "modernized," and some of them more than once. For instance, the type of car driven by Nancy changes a couple times. A good source of information is the book Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak.

Hey Heather,

Thanks for the tip. I'll track down a copy of that book.

Stephen
http://www.StephenDRogers.com

It's funny - that would make me less inclined to pick up the books. I love reading about the world _around_ the detective. It's one of the reasons I so readily re-read Stout, Christie, Marsh, etc.

I'm with you, Andrea. Reading about the setting and time is as much fun as solving the mystery.

Hey Andrea,

In the earlier "updated" books, I don't remember seeing anything that struck me as wildly modern. My daughter was a little confused when Nancy and her friends went into a drug store to get ice cream sodas. :)

Stephen
http://www.StephenDRogers.com

Agreed! It's also why I usually refuse to watch movie remakes. I mean, a movie was a classic in the 60s, 70s or the 80s or whatever decade for a reason, and part of that was the culture contained within the story, including the styles and technology of the time.

Hey Heather,

That's why I enjoyed the remake of DOA. Both versions were so true to the culture of the their times.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

Not sure why they would be modernizing them, other than since its geared toward a younger audience, they would want them to relate more to Drew's character to keep them interested.

Most young people wouldn't know what a roadster is now. :-) I love that time frame so would prefer the originals. I also loved Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her.

I don't know when they were first written, but when I discovered them probably in the 60's my mother said she read them around 1920. She looked at one of my copies and immediately picked up the difference in the car on the cover and Nancy Drew's hairstyle. If I remember correctly she had long blond hair done in a flip hair style. My mother said in her day she had the Roadster and hair "bobbed" and was usually drawn as wearing a hat and gloves. I noticed when my daughters picked them up one of the books had Nancy in slacks. But they didn't follow mom's and my pattern of reading all of them that we could and then moving on to Agatha... my girls read one Nancy Drew book and then went straight to Agatha!

My grandmother gave my (much) older sister the early Nancy Drew books, and they were passed on to me to read. Even then they were so different than what I was used to. Did you know they made a series of Nancy Drew movies back in the late 1930s? Or maybe it was the early forties, but I think thirties. Anyway, they were kind of interesting to watch.

Hey Marja,

The 2007 movie (with Emma Roberts) was pretty good, although I thought Carson Drew was miscast.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

There was a TV show in the 70's- Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. I think the format was one mystery apiece- maybe 1/2 hour each? They didn't investigate together.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075513/

Hey Shay,

Yes, my daughter found episodes on YouTube.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

Stephen wrote: "Hey Shay,

Yes, my daughter found episodes on YouTube.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com"

I get not liking Nancy Drew, but I've never managed to get my sons interested in all of those series that I liked when I was a kid. The Three Investigators, Box Car Children, etc.

Hey Shay,

The Three Investigators? Off to hunt...

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

Stephen wrote: "Hey Shay,

The Three Investigators? Off to hunt...

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com"

I think it was a TV show, but it was a mystery (book) series. I remember there being some kind of affiliation with Alfred Hitchcock.

I was a devotee to the Three Investigators. The books were "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators".

Stephen wrote: "Hey Marja,

The 2007 movie (with Emma Roberts) was pretty good, although I thought Carson Drew was miscast.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com"

Hi Stephen,

The 1938 Nancy Drew movies starred Bonita Granville. The acting was certainly different than the newer movies, but I enjoyed them. It was kind of trippy to see some of the ideas they came up with way back when.

Marja wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Hey Marja,

The 2007 movie (with Emma Roberts) was pretty good, although I thought Carson Drew was miscast.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com"

Hi Stephen,

The 1938 Nancy Dr..."

The 1938 movies (four of them) are on clearance at Amazon for $5.86; it appears to be four 1 hour movies on 1 DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Collec...

Marja and Shay,

Unfortunately, I don't think my daughter will watch any movie older than me. :)

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

I used to be that way, but all of a sudden I've found a new fondness for thirties movies. I discovered an author named Stuart Palmer through an old movie. He wrote a series in the thirties about a school teacher who solved mysteries, and I'm really enjoying the stories.

I love movies from the 30s & 40s. But I can see where young people would be bored.

And, they're in B & W. We were watching AMC and a black and white movie came on and the kids fled the room. The gradually came back and enjoyed the movie- kept asking how the color faded from the movie and wondered when that would happen to Sponge Bob, too.

Hey Shay,

I've managed to keep my daughter in her seat during a few black-and-white movies, but it's a rare thing. :)

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

It made me smile to hear how the kids react to old black and whites. Now imagine if sat them down in front of a silent movie.

Hey Marja,

Great idea! I have to track one down. :)

(My daughter has finally accepted that I want captions on. She'll just LOVE title cards.)

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

I would hate to read an "updated" Nancy Drew. When I began reading them at about age 7, I was drawn in by the "old" way of living that Nancy presented to my little mind. I loved her hair, the styles George and Bess were described in and even the way they talked that sounded splendid to me! I wished I were like them, and often wondered why my world wasn't the same way. A "new" Nancy Drew would not sit well with me. I am glad I still have the original 1920's copies that my grandmother kept. I want my daughter to read Nancy Drew the way it was meant to be.

I agree, Emma. Otherwise, just start a new series which would be fine. But when I read the series as a little girl, it was already very old-fashioned which I think was what I liked best about the books.

I don't think that the updated Nancy Drews are all that updated (although newer more modern new titles have been written) beyond "roadster" becoming "convertible."

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com

I would definitely not be reading any "updated" Nancy Drew books. For me, it would be like taking a great memory of my childhood away. Just like the old Shirley Temple movies. I adored them!

I loved Nancy Drew's as a kid. I'm not sure I would like reading an updated version. My mom loved them when she was a kid too. I have found some copies and my mom has been re-reading them as of late. I'm planning on doing the same thing when I have a chance.

I grew up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys' books, and I passed all the books I still had to my niece and nephew a few years ago. These were versions from the 1960's, and I'm sure there are references in there they weren't familiar with, but they still enjoyed them. I don't understand this new rage of re-issuing books or movies or tv series, but I guess it works for some people.

I couldn't get enough of Nancy Drew when I was a girl. I have two daughters, neither of whom had any desire to read Nancy Drew, either the old books or the new books.

Stephen wrote: "Hey Marja,

The 2007 movie (with Emma Roberts) was pretty good, although I thought Carson Drew was miscast.

Stephen
www.StephenDRogers.com"

I vote for the miss cast on Drew also.

I really loved the 1960 versions of Nancy. still will read them. I do not care for the updated updated ones. My problem with reading these right now is "too many mysteries-too little time.)

The B&W 1938 movies were so much better than any modern ones.