The Trump administration has cancelled millions of funds with arts funding. The film about the beloved Nancy Drew series was on the chopping block.
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Cathleen O’Connell didn’t need a flashlight or an amateur detective to figure out what it means when the Trump administration drew her funds for a film about fictional crime solver Nancy Drew.
Her project about a fearless detective written by multiple authors under one pen name was almost over.
The National Humanities Fund ended hundreds of grants in April, citing belt tightening and “priority” readjustment. O’Connell saw her honorable $600,000 award disappear like a phantom in the books she worshipped as a child.
She despaired. Then she thought: What would Nancy do?
“Nancy Drew won’t give up,” she said of her beloved literary heroine who always cracks cases. “I didn’t want to disappoint them either because I had a lot of support from people along the way.”
Now, filmmakers are turning to the Kickstarter campaign to make up for some of the differences in funding. She lost $350,000 in federal grants and hopes to raise at least $95,000 by July 30th to end “Nancy Drew: The Case of the American Icon.”
The campaign met O’Connell’s original $50,000 target in 11 days, she said. This response convinced her that she could raise more and make the film she first imagined.
“Kickstarter will get in touch with viewers and tap on the fan base to get excited about the project,” she said. To the more than 400 people who donated, she said, “I wrote a thank you note to everyone.”
The mystery of 1995 has been solved
This year marks Nancy Drew’s 95th anniversary.
The series debuted in 1930 (“The Secret of an Old Watch”) and has sold over 70 million copies for almost a century, according to publisher Penguin Random House.
Curious details tied all the books together. A luncheon where her father, Carson Drew, her trusty female side kicks Beth and George, the Blue Roadster and always Nancy solves the mystery.
In his study of the film, O’Connell discovered that an amateur detective, an icon of 20th century fearlessness and female ingenuity, is still inspiring readers on the 21st, with updated stories, illustrated versions and new video games still inspire.
Hundreds of art grants have been cancelled
O’Connell has won the Federal Humanities Grant, behind the 106-page proposal. The grant landing was like winning a Pulitzer Prize or completing a Ph.D.
Later, at the direction of President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk’s government efficiency began looking for ways to cut federal spending. This email was hit in the project’s inbox on April 3rd at 11:30pm.
“Your grants no longer impact the needs and priorities of agents,” an email signed by NEH Acting Director Michael McDonald, part of which was shared with USA Today.
He added: “NEH is reusing its funding allocations in new directions to promote the president’s agenda.”
Early on, Doge was still in “chainsaw mode,” O’Connell said. Her grant was about 1,000 people cancelled by NEH.
The federal agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Attic box
O’Connell, 60, grew up in rural Maine. She saved 25 cents weekly allowances to buy Nancy Drew’s book ($1.25) with every new one coming out. She then clad in Sluth’s latest adventure.
A few years ago, O’Connell found a box in an attic filled with yellow volumes, titled “The Secrets of a Forgotten City and the Mystery of Crocodile Island.” She knew that the author, Carolyn Keene, was not a real person, but a pseudonym for many writers of hired authors.
She wanted to learn more.
“I wanted to see the documentary,” she said. “It wasn’t. People asked me, ‘Why are you doing this?’ The question is, why has this not been done before? ”
