The Thin Man is a classic 1934 black and white movie based on Dashiell Hammett's novel. Starring the suave William Powell as Nick Charles and the beautiful Myrna Loy as Nora Charles, it recounts the screwball adventures of the wealthy couple as they solve a mystery with the help of their wire-haired fox terrier Asta.Nick is a former police detective and Nora is a rich debutante who wants her currently-retired detective husband to solve mysteries while he's just fine spending her money and drinking. The dialog is snappy and the style is perfect for anyone interested in the era. The movie has a nightclub scene (a prerequisite for movies made in this era) as well as a dinner party at the end where the villain is exposed.
I'm a big fan of the Thin Man series (an additional 5 movies were made with Powell and Loy in the title roles and I own them all) and recommend these movies for the screwball comedy and sophisticated feel of the 1930s and 40s.
Posts
What a great movie from a golden age of film. I used to run a pulp game set in the late 1930’s; and it really was a lot of fun. I think most people have a soft spot for this period with its sense of style, easy on the ear slang, and the sheer self assurance of the characters.
ReplyDeleteThe Thin Man series is a regular fall-back in our household when TV programming fails us (as it so often seems to do). Even though the final two films (TTM Goes Home & Song of TTM) suffer in comparison to their predecessors, each film is a gem - thanks almost solely to the likability and perfect chemistry of Powell and Loy. Three thumbs up for The Thin Man! (I don't know where I'm going to find that third thumb, but this series definitely deserves more than two thumbs.)
ReplyDelete(On a side note: For fans of the Thin Man films, I highly recommend 1935's Star of Midnight, featuring Powell and Ginger Rogers. It's not as neatly woven a tale as Hammett's The Thin Man, but it's certainly in the Thin Man vein, and the chemistry between Powell and Rogers is as vibrant as the chemistry between he and Myrna Loy. In fact, if Loy had been cast in Roger's role and Powell's character's vocation been detective instead of criminal lawyer, this film could easily have been the prequel to the Thin Man series. It's a must see for any fan of the Thin Man.)
Star of Midnight is excellent. And I also recommend 1936s My Man Godfrey with William Powell and Carole Lombard.
ReplyDelete