The Thin Man – Vol 1

The intoxicating chemistry and repartee between the oft-teamed William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles--America's favorite soused detectives--is fully 100-proof in the marvelously witty Thin Man movies. You simply won't find more delightful movie company than Nick and Nora. The title, of course, refers not to Nicky the dick, but to the mysteriously missing scientist he and his lovely partner set out to find. Powell and Loy deliver their sparkling dialog with giddy enthusiasm (and occasionally slurred speech) in this rapid-fire, three-martini suspense comedy directed by famously speedy W.S. Van Dyke and adapted from the novel by Dashiell Hammett. The success of The Thin Man spawned a litter of sequels, including After the Thin Man (featuring a young James Stewart), Another Thin Man (in which a baby is added to the Charles family), Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, and Song of the Thin Man. --Jim Emerson

Filmed on what MGM considered a B-picture budget and schedule (14 days, which at Universal or Columbia would have been considered extravagant) The Thin Man proved to be "sleeper," spawning a popular film, radio and television series. Contrary to popular belief, the title does not refer to star William Powell , but to Edward Ellis , playing the mean-spirited inventor who sets the plot in motion. The recently divorced Ellis discovers that his new girl friend ( Natalie Moorhead ) has stolen $50,000 and is carrying on with other men. Not long afterward, he disappears. Anxious to locate her father, Ellis ' daughter Maureen O'Sullivan goes to private detective Nick Charles ( William Powell ) for help. Having just married the lovely and wealthy Nora ( Myrna Loy ), Nick has no desire to return to sleuthing, but the thrill-seeking Nora eagerly talks him into taking O'Sullivan 's case. Shortly thereafter, Ellis ' lady friend is murdered; so far as police detective Nat Pendleton is concerned, the still-missing Ellis is the guilty party. Nick is unsatisfied with this deduction, and with the help of his wire terrier Asta he manages to uncover several vital clues—including a decomposed corpse. At a fancy dinner party, between cocktails and the first course, Nick solves the mystery and exposes a hidden murderer. The story itself, lifted almost verbatim by scenarists Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich from the Dashiell Hammett novel on which The Thin Man is based, hardly matters. The film's strong suit is the witty repartee between Nick and Nora Charles, who managed to behave like saucily illicit lovers throughout the film even though they're married. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy would be adroitly exploited by MGM in several subsequent films, including five additional Thin Man mysteries produced between 1936 and 1948. — Hal Erickson