The Thin Man [Blu-ray]

Overview

Filmed on what MGM considered a B-picture budget and schedule (14 days, which at Universal or Columbia would have been considered extravagant) The Thin Man proved to be "sleeper," spawning a popular film, radio and television series. Contrary to popular belief, the title does not refer to star William Powell, but to Edward Ellis, playing the mean-spirited inventor who sets the plot in motion. The recently divorced Ellis discovers that his new girl friend (Natalie Moorhead) has stolen $50,000 and is carrying on with other men. Not long afterward, he disappears. Anxious to locate her father, Ellis' daughter Maureen O'Sullivan goes to private detective Nick Charles (William Powell) for help. Having just married the lovely and wealthy Nora (Myrna Loy), Nick has no desire to return to sleuthing, but the thrill-seeking Nora eagerly talks him into taking O'Sullivan's case. Shortly thereafter, Ellis' lady friend is murdered; so far as police detective Nat Pendleton is concerned, the still-missing Ellis is the guilty party. Nick is unsatisfied with this deduction, and with the help of his wire terrier Asta he manages to uncover several vital clues--including a decomposed corpse. At a fancy dinner party, between cocktails and the first course, Nick solves the mystery and exposes a hidden murderer. The story itself, lifted almost verbatim by scenarists Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich from the Dashiell Hammett novel on which The Thin Man is based, hardly matters. The film's strong suit is the witty repartee between Nick and Nora Charles, who managed to behave like saucily illicit lovers throughout the film even though they're married. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy would be adroitly exploited by MGM in several subsequent films, including five additional Thin Man mysteries produced between 1936 and 1948.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/30/2019
UPC:	0883929684489
Original Release:	1934
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	1:31:00
Sales rank:	1,232

Special Features

1936 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast starring Powell and Loy (Audio Only); 1957 Episode of The Thin Man television series, "Scene of the Crime"; Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

William Powell	Nick Charles
Myrna Loy	Nora Charles
Maureen O'Sullivan	Dorothy Wynant
Nat Pendleton	Lt. John Guild
Minna Gombell	Mimi Wynant
Porter Hall	MacCauley,Taxi Driver
Henry Wadsworth	Tommy
William Henry	Gilbert Wynant
Harold Huber	Nunheim
Cesar Romero	Chris Jorgenson
Natalie Moorhead	Julia Wolf
Edward Brophy	Joe Morelli,Joe Morelli
Thomas Jackson	Reporter,Actor
Creighton Hale	Reporter
Phil Tead	Reporter
Nick Copeland	Reporter
Dink Templeton	Reporter
Ruth Channing	Mrs. Jorgenson
Edward Ellis	Clyde Wynant
Gertrude Short	Marion
Clay Clement	Quinn
Cyril Thornton	Tanner
Robert E. Homans	Bill the Detective
Raymond Brown	Dr. Walton
Douglas Fowley	Taxi Driver
Polly Bailey	Janitress
Dixie Laughton	Janitress
Arthur Belasco	Detective
Edward Hearn	Detective
Garry Owen	Detective
Fred Malatesta	Headwaiter
Rolfe Sedan	Waiter
Leo White	Waiter,Tefler
Walter Long	Stutsy Burke
Kenneth Gibson	Apartment Clerk
Tui Lorraine	Stenographer
Bert Roach	Foster
Ben Taggart	Police Captain
Charles Williams	Fight Manager
John Larkin	Porter
Harry Tenbrook	Guest
Pat Flaherty	Cop/Fighter
William Axt	Composer

Technical Credits

Frances Goodrich

Albert Hackett

W.S. Van Dyke II	Director
Frances Goodrich	Screenwriter
Albert Hackett	Screenwriter
Hunt Stromberg	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A rollicking adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s bestselling detective novel, this delightful hybrid of screwball comedy and murder mystery was a critical and commercial smash; it ultimately spawned five sequels, a radio show, and a TV series. Nearly 70 years after its theatrical release, The Thin Man hasn’t lost an iota of its charm. William Powell and Myrna Loy are in peak form as Nick and Nora Charles, wealthy sophisticates whose Christmas-season visit to New York is disrupted by the disappearance of an old friend accused of murder. Nick, a former detective who gave up gumshoeing when he married heiress Nora, becomes embroiled in the search for the killer and very nearly loses his own life in the bargain. Maureen O’Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Edward Ellis, and a young Cesar Romero are cast perfectly to type and lend admirable support, but it’s just icing on the cake: Powell and Loy effortlessly dominate the film with their breezy portrayals of these perpetually sloshed sleuths. The Frances Goodrich-Albert Hackett script brims with clever dialogue, some of it rather risqué, and director W. S. Van Dyke (San Francisco) reportedly shot the whole movie in less than three weeks, his breakneck pace resulting in loose, improvisational performances. An Academy Award nominee for Best Picture, The Thin Man is a classic '30s movie that belongs in every serious collector’s home library. The DVD includes trailers for all six Thin Man movies.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

The Thin Man works because of the chemistry between stars William Powell and Myrna Loy, and because screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich had the good sense to transfer Dashiell Hammett's source novel to the screen without substantial alterations to the story. Planned by MGM as a lower-profile release, the film nonetheless featured first-rate talent in front of and behind the camera, including director W.S. Van Dyke, cinematographer James Wong Howe, art director Cedric Gibbons, and sound engineer Douglas Shearer. Shearer's role was of substantial importance in naturalistically capturing the casual banter of the stars and creating the film's atmosphere of sophistication and wit. The supporting cast features consistently good performances, with Maureen O'Sullivan the standout. Unlike many MGM films of the 1930s, the production design is understated, as the stars and the screenplay take center stage. Surprisingly popular at the box office, The Thin Man was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam