Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

Nick and Nora are at their wise-cracking best as they investigate murder and racketeering at a local race-track.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (characters), Harry Kurnitz (story),

Stars:

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Powell	...	Nick Charles
Myrna Loy	...	Nora Charles
Barry Nelson	...	Paul Clarke
Donna Reed	...	Molly Ford
Sam Levene	...	Lieutenant Abrams
Alan Baxter	...	'Whitey' Barrow
Henry O'Neill	...	Major Jason I. Sculley
Richard Hall	...	Nick Charles, Jr. (as Dickie Hall)
Stella Adler	...	Claire Porter / Clara Peters
Loring Smith	...	'Link' Stephens
Joseph Anthony	...	Fred Macy
Lou Lubin	...	'Rainbow' Benny Loomis
Louise Beavers	...	Stella
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aldrich Bowker	...	Watchman (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Nick and Nora's hopes for a pleasant afternoon at the local race track are dashed when a jockey is found shot dead in the locker room. Nick's friend Lt. Abrams wants him to help out but Nick is enjoying the good life too much to get involved. However, he is subsequently approached by Major Scully to look into corruption and the role of organized crime in gambling. Others are killed but in the end, Nick gathers all of the suspects into a room and identifies the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

jockey | nick and nora charles | murder | traffic violation | police | 

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Taglines:

Hey everybody, my folks are back on the trail of the dog-gondest mystery you ever saw! They're Wackier Than Ever!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama | Mystery | Crime

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Sombra do Homem Sombra

Filming Locations:

Golden Gate Fields, Berkeley, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The eleventh of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

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Goofs

When Nick returns to the locker room at the race track, and Asta is scared off by the black kitten, Nick passes an office. You can see a man in the reflection of the window. He is wearing a white shirt and appears to be giving hand commands to Asta. His movements mimic Nick's at first, but when Nick turns to head for the shower room, the man in the white shirt stays in the same position.

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Quotes

Lieutenant Abrams: You know that jockey Golez, the one who was caught throwing the fourth race yesterday? He was shot.
Nora Charles: My, they're strict at this track!

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood: Style Center of the World (1940)

User Reviews

Perhaps My Favorite Thin Man Story

I thought this was the best in the Thin Man series but, it should be pointed out, I was disappointed in the series as a whole. Of the six pictures, I only found two as "keepers."

This "episode" has less of the normal alcohol-worshiping, some great characters and some very funny lines. Some of those lines are very clever. Of course, there are a couple of really stupid people with dumb dialog, too, such as the cop in charge of the case. However, I really enjoyed the wild assortment of characters in this film and I always appreciate a film in which horse racing is involved.

The story can be confusing, but that's nothing new in these classic films in which the suspects are all rounded up Charlie Chan-style in one room and our hero divulges the crook despite hearing a bunch of excuses and accusations from all the suspects. Confusing or not, this is a fun story and interesting. It also was one of the few times I correctly guessed the killer!

Corny, but a very likable Thin Man story. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, and Asta the dog all provide good entertainment.