Taglines: A laugh tops every thrilling moment!
The Thin Man movie storyline. After a four year absence, one time detective Nick Charles returns to New York with his new wife Nora and their dog, Asta. Nick re-connects with many of his old cronies, several of whom are eccentric characters, to say the least. He’s also approached by Dorothy Wynant whose inventor father Clyde Wynant is suspected of murdering her father’s mistress (his former secretary).
Her father had left on a planned trip some months before and she has had no contact with him. Nick isn’t all that keen on resuming his former profession but egged-on by wife Nora, who thinks this all very exciting, he agrees to help out. He solves the case, announcing the identity of the killer at a dinner party for all of the suspects.
The first in a series of six charming and sophisticated who-dun-it “Thin Man” films (between 1934 and 1947), teaming William Powell and Myrna Loy as a witty, mystery-solving, sleuthing couple – with delightfully-affectionate, rapid-fire banter and chemistry between the pair, and a wire-haired terrier named Asta. Based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1932 novel. Retired and soused detective Nick Charles (William Powell), now married to wealthy heiress Nora (Myrna Loy), is commissioned by Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O’Sullivan) to investigate the mysterious disappearance of her inventor father (Edward Ellis) – the “thin man” of the film’s title. Followed by the sequel, After the Thin Man (1936).
The Thin Man is a 1934 American Pre-Code comedy-mystery film directed by W. S. Van Dyke and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles; Nick is a hard-drinking, retired private detective, and Nora is a wealthy heiress. Their wire-haired fox terrier Asta is played by canine actor Skippy.
The film’s screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, a married couple. In 1934, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The titular “Thin Man” is not Nick Charles, but the man Charles is initially hired to find – Clyde Wynant (part way through the film, Charles describes Wynant as a “thin man with white hair”). The “Thin Man” moniker was thought by many viewers to refer to Nick Charles and, after a time, it was used in the titles of sequels as if referring to Charles.
The Thin Man (1934)
Directed by: W. S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Edward Ellis
Screenplay by: Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich
Production Design by:
Cinematography by: James Wong Howe
Film Editing by: Robert Kern
Art Direction by: Cedric Gibbons
Music by: William Axt
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: May 25, 1934
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