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The Thin Man Overview:

The Thin Man (1934) was a Comedy - Crime Film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and produced by Hunt Stromberg.

The film was based on the novel of the same name and also Redbook Magazine Short Story written by Dashiell Hammett published in 1934 (novel); year n/a (magazine).

SYNOPSIS

Nick and Nora Charles, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, an urbane, fun and martini-loving husband-and-wife detective team, were known as much for their snappy repartee as for their sleuthing. The couple's wire-haired terrier, Asta, was an important part of the team, getting lost or hiding under the bed, paws over ears, at just the wrong moment. The birth of Nick, Jr., in Another Thin Man (1939) didn't dampen the Charleses' enthusiasm for investigative capers, though it did somewhat curtail their debauchery (the all-night parties became kiddie birthday bashes - complete with babies stolen for the occasion by some of Nick's less savory acquaintances). Incidentally, Nick was not the lean man of the title - Edward Ellis was. He played an inventor whose death Nick and Nora investigated in The Thin Man (1934), which was based on Dashiell Hammett's novel. The Thin Man collection remains one of the best of its genre, attributable to the breezy pace of the films and the chemistry between Powell and Loy. Look for James Stewart playing a suspect in After the Thin Man (1936).

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The Thin Man was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1997.

Academy Awards 1934 --- Ceremony Number 7 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best ActorWilliam PowellNominated
Best DirectorW.S. Van DykeNominated
Best WritingFrances Goodrich, Albert HackettNominated
Best PictureMetro-Goldwyn-MayerNominated
See More Oscar Winners

The Thin Man BlogHub Articles:

Casting The Thin Man Remake

By Judy on Oct 16, 2023 From Cary Grant Won't Eat You

Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie are discussing a remake of The Thin Man, which has its longtime fans abuzz. While many ingredients are essential to an effective remake, the most important step is to take inspiration from the original pairing–cast the unexpected. After all, William Powell and Myrna... Read full article

GlamAmor-ous Holidays - Merry Christmas from Nick and Nora Charles in THE THIN MAN (1934)

on Dec 15, 2020 From GlamAmor

In celebrating the holiday season through the lens of Old Hollywood, you can't do much better for style than William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934). It was based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, an author whose crime fiction would become much o... Read full article

On Blu-ray: William Powell and Myrna Loy Bring Thrills to Marriage in The Thin Man (1934)

By KC on Oct 10, 2019 From Classic Movies

The first film in the Thin Man series has long been my cinematic comfort food. William Powell and Myrna Loy are the kind of stars that feel like home, because their wit and high spirits lift you, despite or maybe because of the sour past you can see behind the characters they play. Life has imbued t... Read full article

The Song of The Thin Man (1947)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 3, 2019 From 4 Star Films

The Song of The Thin Man is really and truly the swan song of the series and while I did enjoy most of the additions, there is a sense that it was time to end the franchise. The year is 1947. The war is over. Things have changed. It really has little to do with William Powell and Myrna Loy being old... Read full article

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 2, 2019 From 4 Star Films

Sometimes it’s necessary to go back to the basics. We’ve been introduced to the social elite of New York and San Francisco, invited along to giant family estates, and frequented the race track and wrestling rings. It only makes sense that at some point we would finally be introduced to t... Read full article

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The Thin Man Quotes:

Nick Charles: The murderer is right in this room. Sitting at this table. You may serve the fish.
Nick Charles: How'd you like Grant's tomb?
Nora Charles: It's lovely. I'm having a copy made for you.
Marion: I don't like crooks. And if I did like 'em, I wouldn't like crooks that are stool pigeons. And if I did like crooks that are stool pigeons, I still wouldn't like you.
Reporter: Well, can't you tell us anything about the case?
Nick Charles: Yes, it's putting me way behind in my drinking.
Nick Charles: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora Charles: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
Nick Charles: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
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The Thin Man Facts
Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, originally was against the idea of Myrna Loy being cast in this picture but director W.S. Van Dyke wanted to use the stars of the movie Manhattan Melodrama, William Powell and Myrna Loy. Mayer said that Powell was OK for the part since he had already played detectives in other films. Loy eventually got the part and made new image for herself.
Maureen O'Sullivan appears intoxicated in her entrance to the dinner party at the end of the movie. She falls against the door frame prior to entering the room and her speech is slurred and stilted. In subsequent scenes at the dinner itself she is fine.
Lux Radio Theatre version starring Myrna Loy, William Powell, Porter Hall aired June 8, 1936.
American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films 1931-40 erroneously identifies Huey White as playing the role of 'Face' Tefler, but it's actually Jack Irwin.
In The Thin Man while serving guests at a Christmas Party, and in My Man Godfrey when he comes home "intoxicated" William Powell sings the same line to a song, "For tomorrow may bring sorrow, so tonight let us be gay"
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