The Thin Man (1934)

My Review

“The Thin Man” film series begins with William Powell and Myrna Loy as witty sleuths Nick and Nora Charles. They always manage to find themselves investigating a murder, even though Nick retired from a successful private investigator career before marrying wealthy Nora. Director W. S. Van Dyke (“Tarzan the Ape Man” 1932) and the production team at MGM strove to instill this movie with good production values, outstanding performances, and exemplary scripts to provide high quality entertainment for Depression Era audiences. The screenplay was penned by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, adapted from the 1933 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett.

The supporting cast includes Maureen O’Sullivan (mother of Mia Farrow), Cesar Romero, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Henry Wadsworth, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Edward Ellis as The Thin Man, and Skippy as Asta, Nick and Nora’s dog. The watchable “The Thin Man” was popular at the box office for Cosmopolitan Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was filmed at MGM Studios in Culver City, California.

“The Thin Man” received four Academy Award nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay Adaptation, and Best Actor (Powell). There were five sequels: “After the Thin Man” (1936), “Another Thin Man” (1939), “Shadow of the Thin Man” (1941), “The Thin Man Goes Home” (1944), and “Song of the Thin Man” (1947).