Bess Marvin

Elizabeth "Bess" Marvin is a character in the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. She is one of Nancy Drew's best friends, along with George Fayne, who is Bess' cousin. Bess and George are introduced to readers in the 1931 novel,The Secret at Shadow Ranch. Bess was originally described as having beautiful hair (later described as blonde), slightly plump, pretty, and blue eyed. She is very feminine, and is easily frightened when involved in Nancy's adventures. Bess believes that every crook has a good reason for committing his/her crime. Bess always fears the worst is going to happen and insists that Nancy give up several mysteries. She is somewhat flighty, fickle, and a bit of a flirt - quite the opposite of cousin George, who is more practical, steady, and very much a tomboy. Bess flirts with every cute or handsome boy she meets. Despite her fears, she is a strong sleuth in some volumes, even taking a proactive role in the capture of criminals on occasion.

Bess loves to shop, and has a weakness for food. She has an extreme love of ice cream and other desserts. In most volumes in the series, George makes at least one comment on Bess' diet. Bess, admittedly, cannot stick to a diet, no matter how she tries, and frequently talks about food. Bess often is seen involved in the same activities as Nancy, at a lower skill level, including dancing, art, music, acting, and stunt horseback riding.

Her boyfriend is Emerson College student Dave Evans. In the original series, she has no steady boyfriend until the 1952 volume The Mystery at the Ski Jump. The continuity was changed during the series updates, and he appears in the revised versions of some earlier entries in the series. Bess is a true romantic. She is loyal, and she always enjoys helping Nancy, albeit with some trepidation. Although George considers her a coward, Bess does sometimes surprise even herself with her bravery, and she occasionally deciphers clues that stump even Nancy!

In the Nancy Drew movie of 2007, Bess was played by Amy Bruckner.

In the television series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries (1977–1979), Bess was played by Ruth Cox.

Nancy Drew
The series and novels
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories
1930s
  • The Secret of the Old Clock (1930)
  • The Hidden Staircase (1930)
  • The Bungalow Mystery (1930)
  • The Mystery at Lilac Inn (1931)
  • The Secret at Shadow Ranch (1931)
  • The Secret of Red Gate Farm (1931)
  • The Clue in the Diary (1932)
  • Nancy's Mysterious Letter (1932)
  • The Sign of the Twisted Candles (1933)
  • The Password to Larkspur Lane (1933)
  • The Clue of the Broken Locket (1934)
  • The Message in the Hollow Oak (1935)
  • The Mystery of the Ivory Charm (1936)
  • The Whispering Statue (1937)
  • The Haunted Bridge (1937)
  • The Clue of the Tapping Heels (1939)
1940s
  • The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk (1940)
  • The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion (1941)
  • The Quest of the Missing Map (1942)
  • The Clue in the Jewel Box (1943)
  • The Secret in the Old Attic (1944)
  • The Clue in the Crumbling Wall (1945)
  • The Mystery of the Tolling Bell (1946)
  • The Clue in the Old Album (1947)
  • The Ghost of Blackwood Hall (1948)
  • The Clue of the Leaning Chimney (1949)
1950s
  • The Secret of the Wooden Lady (1950)
  • The Clue of the Black Keys (1951)
  • The Mystery at the Ski Jump (1952)
  • The Clue of the Velvet Mask (1953)
  • The Ringmaster's Secret (1953)
  • The Scarlet Slipper Mystery (1954)
  • The Witch Tree Symbol (1955)
  • The Hidden Window Mystery (1956)
  • The Haunted Showboat (1957)
  • The Secret of the Golden Pavilion (1959)
1960s
  • The Clue in the Old Stagecoach (1960)
  • The Mystery of the Fire Dragon (1961)
  • The Clue of the Dancing Puppet (1962)
  • The Moonstone Castle Mystery (1963)
  • The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes (1964)
  • The Phantom of Pine Hill (1965)
  • The Mystery of the 99 Steps (1966)
  • The Clue in the Crossword Cipher (1967)
  • The Spider Sapphire Mystery (1968)
  • The Invisible Intruder (1969)
1970s
  • The Mysterious Mannequin (1970)
  • The Crooked Banister (1971)
  • The Secret of Mirror Bay (1972)
  • The Double Jinx Mystery (1973)
  • Mystery of the Glowing Eye (1974)
  • The Secret of the Forgotten City (1975)
  • The Sky Phantom (1976)
  • The Strange Message in the Parchment (1977)
  • Mystery of Crocodile Island (1978)
  • The Thirteenth Pearl (1979)
  • The Triple Hoax (1979)
1980s
  • The Flying Saucer Mystery (1980)
  • The Secret in the Old Lace (1980)
  • The Greek Symbol Mystery (1980)
  • The Swami's Ring (1981)
  • The Kachina Doll Mystery (1981)
  • The Twin Dilemma (1981)
  • Captive Witness (1981)
  • Race Against Time (1982)
  • The Case of the Rising Stars (1988)
1990s
  • The Treasure in the Royal Tower (1995)
  • The Wedding Day Mystery (1997)
  • The E-mail Mystery (1998)
2000s
  • Werewolf in a Winter Wonderland (2003)
The Nancy Drew Files
  • Secrets Can Kill, etc.
The Nancy Drew Notebooks,
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew
  • The Slumber Party Secret, etc.
  • Sleepover Sleuths, etc.
Nancy Drew On Campus
  • New Lives, New Loves, etc.
Nancy Drew Girl Detective,
Papercutz' Girl Detective graphic novels
  • Without a Trace
  • A Race Against Time, etc.
  • Where's Nancy?, etc.
  • The Demon of River Heights
Hardy Boys crossovers
  • Super Sleuth
  • Be a Detective
  • SuperMysteries
Super Mysteries
Video games
Adventure series
  • Secrets Can Kill (1998)
  • Stay Tuned for Danger (1999)
  • Message in a Haunted Mansion (2000)
  • Treasure in the Royal Tower (2001)
  • The Final Scene (2001)
  • Secret of the Scarlet Hand (2002)
  • Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake (2002)
  • The Haunted Carousel (2003)
  • Danger on Deception Island (2003)
  • The Secret of Shadow Ranch (2004)
  • Curse of Blackmoor Manor (2004)
  • Secret of the Old Clock (2005)
  • Last Train to Blue Moon Canyon (2005)
  • Danger By Design (2006)
  • The Creature of Kapu Cave (2006)
  • The White Wolf of Icicle Creek (2007)
  • Legend of the Crystal Skull (2007)
  • The Phantom of Venice (2008)
  • The Haunting of Castle Malloy (2008)
  • Ransom of the Seven Ships (2009)
  • Warnings at Waverly Academy (2009)
  • Trail of the Twister (2010)
  • Secrets Can Kill Remastered (2010)
  • Shadow at the Water's Edge (2010)
  • The Captive Curse (2011)
  • Alibi in Ashes (2011)
  • Tomb of the Lost Queen (2012)
  • The Deadly Device (2012)
Dossier series
  • Lights, Camera, Curses (2008)
  • Resorting to Danger (2009)
Other works
  • Nancy Drew (2007 film)
  • The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries
  • Supermystery
  • The Nancy Drew Files
  • Girl Detective
Characters
  • Nancy Drew
  • Helen Corning
  • Carson Drew
  • Eloise Drew
  • George Fayne
  • Hannah Gruen
  • Bess Marvin
  • Ned Nickerson
  • Penvellyn
  • Togo
People
  • Edward Stratemeyer
  • Mildred Benson
  • Harriet Adams
  • Walter Karig
  • Susan Wittig Albert
  • Emma Roberts
  • Andrew Fleming
See also
  • Carolyn Keene
  • Simon & Schuster
  • Stratemeyer Syndicate
  • The Hardy Boys
  • The Dana Girls


Famous quotes containing the word marvin:

    “And he had an ethical bypass at birth.”
    —Stanley Weiser, U.S. screenwriter, and Oliver Stone. Marvin (John C. McGinley)