The Thin Man

1934
TV-PG
1h 31m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

33K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer3:16

2 Videos

99 Photos

Cozy Mystery Screwball Comedy Whodunnit Comedy Crime Mystery Romance

Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

33K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 3 wins & 4 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 3:16

The Thin Man

Clip 3:31

Uggie, Toto, & Award-Winning Movie Dogs

Clip 3:31

Uggie, Toto, & Award-Winning Movie Dogs

Photos258

250

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
William Powell spoke of how much he loved working with Myrna Loy because of her naturalness, her professionalism, and her lack of any kind of "diva" temperament. "When we did a scene together, we forgot about technique, camera angles, and microphones. We weren't acting. We were just two people in perfect harmony," he said. "Myrna, unlike some actresses who think only of themselves, has the happy faculty of being able to listen while the other fellow says his lines. She has the give and take of acting that brings out the best."

Goofs
When Nick and the coroner look at the body through the Fluoroscope, the bullet, and a piece of shrapnel, appear as bright white. The Fluoroscope uses X-rays except it is viewed on a screen instead of film. Dense objects, such as bones, appear dark, as it appears in the movie. The bullet and shrapnel should then be even darker as it blocks even more of the X-rays. However, this would not have shown up well in the movies, so they were made bright white so the viewers could see them easily.

Quotes
Nora Charles: Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?

Crazy credits
Opening credits are shown with the original novel by Dashiell Hammett in the background.

Alternate versions
There is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA srl, "L'AMANTE SCONOSCIUTA (1934) THE THIN MAN (L'uomo ombra, 1934)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.

Connections
Featured in Hollywood: The Fabulous Era (1962)

Soundtracks
Jingle Bells
(1857) (uncredited)
Music by James Pierpont
Background music at Nick and Nora's party

User reviews184

Review

Featured review

8/10

William Powell and Myrna Loy are a fun couple

Nick Charles (William Powell) is a former detective who returns to NYC with his new wife Nora (Myrna Loy) and their dog Asta after 4 years in California. He's happily retired after Nora's father left them a fortune. His friend inventor Clyde Wynant has mysteriously disappeared after he confronts his secretary Julia Wolf about $50k in missing bonds. Clyde's ex-wife Mimi (Minna Gombell) is looking for more money but finds a dead Julia Wolf instead. Clyde becomes the prime suspect. Clyde's daughter Dorothy (Maureen O'Sullivan) refuses to believe it. Nora convinces Nick to take the case after gangster Joe Morelli barges in on them.

William Powell and Myrna Loy are terrific together. Their dialog is quick and snappy. It's loads of fun. If anything, this movie needs more of them. That's my only complaint. The movie takes too long to get to them as it concentrates on Wynant and the murder. The murder mystery works well but not necessarily anything original. This is simply a fun couple and the movie is best with both of them on the screen.