• Comment: Goodreads is not a reliable source. More reliable sources needed. UserMemer (chat) Tribs 14:02, 12 November 2024 (UTC)



Bess Marvin
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories character
First appearanceThe Secret at Shadow Ranch (1931)
Created byCarolyn Keene
Portrayed byRuth Cox (1977 TV series)
Jhene Erwin 1995 Series)
Jill Ritchie (2002 TV film)
Amy Bruckner (2007 film)
Mackenzie Graham (2019 film)
Maddison Jaizani (2019 TV series)
In-universe information
NicknameBess
GenderFemale
OccupationStudent
FamilyMr. Marvin (father),
Mrs. Marvin (mother),
Maggie Marvin (younger sister, as seen in Nancy Drew: Girl Detective)
RelativesEd Rawley (uncle, as seen in The Secret of Shadow Ranch)
Bet Rawley (aunt, as seen in The Secret of Shadow Ranch)
George Fayne (cousin)
NationalityAmerican

Elizabeth "Bess" Marvin[1]is a fictional character in the popular Nancy Drew Mystery Stories series. She is one of Nancy Drew's best friends, and the cousin of George Fayne, Bess being the more feminine cousin, and George being more tomboy-ish [2]

She is described as as being blonde with blue eyes, and "slightly overweight". [3] According to Nancy Drew: Girl Detective, she is 5'2 in height (157.58 cm). In the revised text, she dates a college student named Dave Evans. [4].

Both Bess and George were introduced to the readers in the 5th Book of The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, The Secret at Shadow Ranch.[5]

In the Nancy Drew Girl Detective books, she has a little sister named Maggie, but in other books, this is not mentioned, suggesting that she could be an only child.

In the series, Bess is a bubbly but naive young woman. She is easily frightened when it comes to mysteries and fears that the worse is going to happen. She is a loyal friend and enjoys helping Nancy in her mysteries, even though she usually asks Nancy to give up on her cases. She surprises herself sometimes with her bravery, and she sometimes solves clues that stump Nancy herself.[6]

Bess loves shopping and romance. She is quite flirty and attracts young men. She loves food, and George often makes comments about her eating habits. She enjoys playing matchmaker.

In the 1990-2000s stories, Bess gains an interest in computers. In Nancy Drew: Girl Detective She is mostly the same, but she's a skill mechanic (which is barely shown in the series). She has a rivalry with Deirdre Shannon, like Nancy and George.

Portrayals

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In the The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV show, she is only shown in a 2 part episode, portrayed by Ruth Cox. Besides that, George's Personality in that show is a mix of George in the books and Bess in the books.

In the 1995 series, Bess is portrayed by Jhene Erwin, and her character is a gossip columnist at The Rag. This show only lasted for 1 season which consisted of 13 episodes.

In the 2002 film, Bess is portrayed by Jill Ritchie. This was intended to be a pilot for a new series, but it didn't.

In the 2007 film she is portrayed by Amy Bruckner but she and George only appeared for a short time in the beginning

In the 2019 film, Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase, Bess is portrayed by Mackenzie Graham.

In the the 2019 series Bess is portrayed by Maddison Jaizani. In this show, she is not cousins with George and is a rich girl with a mysterious past.

References

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  1. ^ "IMG-0606 hosted at ImgBB".
  2. ^ "Screenshot 2024 11 12 5.00.28 PM".
  3. ^ "Screenshot-2024-11-13-6-40-26-PM hosted at ImgBB".
  4. ^ "Screenshot-2024-11-13-6-46-56-PM hosted at ImgBB".
  5. ^ "Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #5: The Secret of Shadow Ranch – Carolyn Keene". 20 August 2006.
  6. ^ "Bess Marvin".