The Thin Man (film)
The Thin Man is the title of the first of six comic detective
films starring
William Powell and
Myrna Loy as
Nick and Nora Charles, a hard-drinking and flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they easily solve crimes. Their
dog, the
Wire-Haired Fox Terrier,
Asta, played by Skippy, was also a popular character.
Completed in
1934 and nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Picture, the film was directed by
W.S. Van Dyke from a script by
Albert Hackett and
Frances Goodrich; the screenplay was based on the novel by
Dashiell Hammett, supposedly based on his relationship with playwright
Lillian Hellman. Also appearing in the film were
Maureen O'Sullivan,
Nat Pendleton,
Minna Gombell,
Cesar Romero,
Porter Hall,
Henry Wadsworth,
William Henry,
Harold Huber and
Natalie Moorhead.
The "Thin Man" of the title was actually the lead suspect, but the name was thought by virtually everyone to refer to Nick Charles, and it was used in the titles of the sequels, although no one ever called him that.
This movie was followed by five more in the series:
After the Thin Man (1936)
Another Thin Man (1939)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
The 1934 film has been selected for preservation in the United States'
National Film Registry. There were also a
radio series starring (at first)
Les Damon and
Claudia Morgan and a half-hour weekly TV series produced by MGM and shown on
NBC for three seasons from 1957-1960. The TV series starred
Peter Lawford (who became a hot item then, because his wife's brother
John F. Kennedy was the successful candidate in the presidential election of 1960) and
Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora Charles.
Jack Albertson had a recurring role as well. In 1975,
Craig Stevens and
Jo Ann Pflug starred in the film
Nick and Nora on TV. A 1991
musical,
Nick and Nora, starring
Barry Bostwick and
Joanna Gleason in the title roles, closed after only 9 performances.
*
List of United States comedy films
