I've decided to blog about classic movies from the 1930s because I have a passion for the black and white films from that era. So much so that I wrote a novel, Murder By Plane, based on the 1930s classics.
My first blog entry will be about The Thin Man, staring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
There is only one good reason why, as far as I know, there has never been a remake of The Thin Man. Because no one really believed they could pull it off successfully. It is a one-of-a-kind original classic that can't be replicated.
The movie follows the book pretty closely. It combines a good murder plot with snappy comical dialog and amazing quirky characters. A writer can't go wrong with a novel like that. William Powell plays the roll of detective Nick Charles and Myrna Loy is his beautiful, and wealthy, wife Nora. Nick is not only a brilliant crime solver, but also incredibly funny. Nora usually plays the "straight man" to Nick's clown. The comic timing is unbeatable. The couple also have a wire-haired fox terrier named Asta, who helps by occasionally finding clues. If you have never watched The Thin Man, or read the book, give it a try. I suspect you will become a fan by the time the murder is solved.
My first blog entry will be about The Thin Man, staring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
There is only one good reason why, as far as I know, there has never been a remake of The Thin Man. Because no one really believed they could pull it off successfully. It is a one-of-a-kind original classic that can't be replicated.
The movie follows the book pretty closely. It combines a good murder plot with snappy comical dialog and amazing quirky characters. A writer can't go wrong with a novel like that. William Powell plays the roll of detective Nick Charles and Myrna Loy is his beautiful, and wealthy, wife Nora. Nick is not only a brilliant crime solver, but also incredibly funny. Nora usually plays the "straight man" to Nick's clown. The comic timing is unbeatable. The couple also have a wire-haired fox terrier named Asta, who helps by occasionally finding clues. If you have never watched The Thin Man, or read the book, give it a try. I suspect you will become a fan by the time the murder is solved.
Here is some Thin Man trivia that I heisted from the IMDB for your enjoyment.
- Skippy, who played Asta the dog, bit Myrna Loy during filming.
- While the "Thin Man" in the movie refers to character Clyde Wynant, in the opening credits of the film the cover of the novel "The Thin Man" is shown. On the dust jacket of the book we see a thin man who's not just a model for the photo but who is also author Dashiell Hammett.
- Given three weeks to shoot the film, W.S. van Dyke managed it all in 12 days for the paltry budget of $231,000 (April 9-mid May). The film surprised everyone by becoming a major box office hit, raking in $1.4 million.
- Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, originally was against the idea of Myrna Loy being cast in this picture but director W.S. Van Dyke wanted to use the stars of the movie Manhattan Melodrama (1934), William Powell and Myrna Loy. Mayer said that Powell was OK for the part since he had already played detectives in other films. Loy eventually got the part and made a new image for herself.
- Reportedly, Dashiell Hammett based Nick and Nora's banter upon his rocky on-again, off-again relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman .
- In The Thin Man (1934) while serving guests at a Christmas Party, and in My Man Godfrey (1936) when he comes home "intoxicated" William Powell sings the same line to a song, "For tomorrow may bring sorrow, so tonight let us be gay"
- The title does not refer to Nick Charles (William Powell), but to the murder victim (Edward Ellis). Audiences and critics alike kept referring to Nick Charles as "the Thin Man", so subsequent films kept the name.
- According to writer Rich Drees in "Films in Review," actor Powell had trouble with the climactic dinner table scene which had a lot of complicated dialogue. The oysters on the table eventually went bad under he hot studio lights during the repeated retakes and created an unpleasant redolent odor.
- The Thin Man (1934) author Dashiell Hammett drew on his experiences as a union-busting Pinkerton detective in Butte, Montana, in creating his detective characters. Meanwhile, "The Thin Man" star Myrna Loy was born near and raised in Helena, Montana.
- Lux Radio Theatre version starring Myrna Loy, William Powell, Porter Hall aired June 8, 1936.