Nick and Nora Charles are Hammett's most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, The Thin Man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners.
It's been over 20 years since I read this book but it was definitely an enjoyable read. Nick and Nora are the epitome of romantic comedic detectives. The pair has the kind of relationship we all hope to find.
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Nick Charles, a retired detective, and his wife Nora are attempting to settle down when he is pressed back into service when a friend disappears after a murder. The friend, Clyde Wynant(the eponymous "thin man"), has mysteriously vanished. When his former secretary and love interest, Julia Wolf, is found dead, evidence points to Wynant as the prime suspect, but his daughter Dorothy refuses to believe that her father is guilty. She convinces Nick to take the case, much to the amusement of his socialite wife. The detective begins to uncover clues and eventually solves the mystery of the disappearance through a series of investigative steps.
Release date: May 25, 1934 (USA)
Running time: 93 minutes
Cast:
William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
Skippy as Asta, their dog
Maureen O'Sullivan as Dorothy Wynant
Nat Pendleton as Lt. John Guild
Minna Gombell as Mimi Wynant Jorgenson
Porter Hall as Herbert MacCaulay
Henry Wadsworth as Tommy
William Henry as Gilbert Wynant
Harold Huber as Arthur Nunheim
Cesar Romero as Chris Jorgenson
Natalie Moorhead as Julia Wolf
Edward Ellis as Clyde Wynant
Edward Brophy as Joe Morelli
Sequels:
After the Thin Man (1936)
Another Thin Man (1939)
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
Song of the Thin Man (1947)
Notes:
The Thin Man was dramatized as a radio play on the June 8, 1936 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater, with William Powell and Myrna Loy reprising their film roles.
One of My Favorite Scenes:
What can I say about The Thin Man? First off, it's a Christmas movie to me, not a year goes by that I don't watch it during the month of December. William Powell and Myrna Loy are the perfect acting couple and in my opinion no one could ever play Nick and Nora Charles better. Asta the dog is a, well I hate to repeat myself but, perfect addition to the Charles clan. The wit, the supporting cast, the dialogue, and of course the mystery. This is a film, and the subsequent sequels, that has everything.
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Radio Shows:
Here is the classic 60-minute Lux Radio Theater adaptation of the 1930s movie hit, recreated with the original film stars and director! This Audio Archive feature presentation delivers William Powell and Myrna Loy, who reprise thei roles as Nick and Nora Charles, the sophisticated lovers at the heart of Dashiell Hammett's immortal romantic-mystery masterpiece, The Thin Man.
The Adventures of the Thin Man radio series, initially starring Les Damon, was broadcast on all four major radio networks during the years 1941 to 1950. Claudia Morgan had the female lead role of Nora Charles throughout the program's entire nine-year run. The radio series was modeled after the film series which was based on the 1934 Dashiell Hammett novel. The first series, sponsored by Woodbury Soap, aired on NBC Wednesdays at 8pm from July 2, 1941 to December 23, 1942. Les Damon portrayed detective Nick Charles, and he continued in the role into 1943. Sponsored by General Foods (Post Toasties, Maxwell House Coffee, Sanka), the next series began on CBS January 8, 1943, airing on Fridays at 8:30pm and some Sunday timeslots and continuing until December 26, 1947. Les Tremayne and David Gothard were heard as Nick Charles in 1944-45, with Tremayne still in the role in 1945-46. Les Damon returned as Nick in 1946-47, with Tremayne back in 1948-49. The last actor to do the part was Joseph Curtin in 1950.
Also wrote as Peter Collinson, Daghull Hammett, Samuel Dashiell, Mary Jane Hammett
Samuel Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon), Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man), and the Continental Op (Red Harvest and The Dain Curse). In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett "is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time" and was called, in his obituary in the New York Times, "the dean of the... 'hard-boiled' school of detective fiction."
Film
The Thin Man Collection
Lux Radio Theater
The Adventures of The Thin Man: Amazon
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