The Thin Man

W.S. Van Dyke, 1934

'The Thin Man' is an enjoyable, tripping romp that deftly combines all the typical elements of two beloved genres: sophisticated, witty murder mystery and screwball romantic comedy. Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are wonderful on the screen and their banter does not skip a beat: it's clever, revealing, and sexy. The chemistry between enchanting Loy and cool-as-a-cucumber William Powell (one critic noted: "Powell is to dialogue as Fred Astaire is to dance") can't be beat. Their lives are centered on classy alcoholic drinks, satin house-dresses, friends dropping in to deliver a few amusing lines, and their beloved dog, Asta. Yet unlike the finally divisive competitiveness that sometimes characterizes modern film examples of the detective romantic pair, Nick and Nora share an essential respect and love for each other that easily gives and takes.
       Nick and Nora have just returned to the East after a few years out West: Nick reveals that Nora has inherited several business interests from her father and that they've been attending to them. Nick, in years past, was well-known as a detective, but he makes it clear throughout the first half of the film that he aims to live a quiet 'civilian' life and permanently retire from the sleuthing business. However, several events force Nick and Nora to once again put their clue-spotting skills to use. Clyde Wynant, an absent-minded inventor, mysteriously closes up his shop and 'goes away' for a few months, and almost immediately his secretary/girlfriend, Julia Wolf, is found murdered. A short time later a man connected with Julia, who promises to help with the crime's solving, is shot by a dark figure in a doorway. Wynant automatically becomes the suspect in both murders and a large man-hunt ensues, but nothing turns up. Nick, who feels that the suspect is never the obvious one, sets out to find his prize in the web of secondary characters of the film (all excellently cast and providing even more comic relief). When Nick discovers Wynant's long-decomposed body in the basement of his shop, he decides to clinch the case in the fashion that only the Charles couple can pull off: a grand dinner party where Nick reveals the culprit, Wynant's taciturn lawyer MacCauley.
      The sets are classy yet restrained in 'The Thin Man,' as are the costumes of a crowd that is understood to be financially comfortable. The rooms are set up in a rather 'stage' fashion, light and open with a few well-placed simple furnishings, allowing the central characters (and their high-ball glasses) to easily take center stage. Director W.S. Van Dyke is famous for getting MGM's last-minute permission to shoot the film, based on Dashiel Hammett's novel. Van Dyke completed shooting in only 12 days, and his nickname became "One-Take Woody." It was originally slated to be a quick B-list movie, but it turned out to be one of the greatest film successes of 1934, was nominated for four Academy Awards, and spawned five sequels.

Kelly Boutross