Another Thin Man (1939)

An explosives manufacturer suspects a young man is out to kill him. He calls in new parents Nick and Nora to sort things out.

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke (as W.S. Van Dyke II)

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screen play), Albert Hackett (screen play)

Stars:

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Virginia Grey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Powell	...	Nick Charles
Myrna Loy	...	Nora Charles
Virginia Grey	...	Lois MacFay
Otto Kruger	...	Van Slack
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Colonel MacFay
Ruth Hussey	...	Dorothy Waters
Nat Pendleton	...	Lieutenant Guild
Patric Knowles	...	Dudley Horn
Tom Neal	...	Freddie
Phyllis Gordon	...	Mrs. Bellam
Sheldon Leonard	...	Phil Church
Don Costello	...	'Diamond Back' Vogel
Harry Bellaver	...	'Creeps' Binder
William A. Poulsen	...	Nickie Jr.
Muriel Hutchison	...	Smitty

Storyline

In this adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's "The Farewell Murder", Nick and Nora (and their dog Asta) visit the estate of Col. MacFay, who is being threatened by a mysterious man wanting revenge for a past injustice. When MacFay is murdered, that man is the obvious suspect - maybe too obvious.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | screwball comedy | murder | held at gunpoint | shot to death | 

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Taglines:

Their Merriest Hit! Mr. and Mrs. Thin Man Have a B-A-B-Y!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

17 November 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Return of the Thin Man

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shemp Howard makes an uncredited appearance at Nicky Jr's birthday party.

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Goofs

In the West Indies Club when Dum-Dum joins Nick at the table, the four drinks keep changing position on the table.

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Quotes

State Trooper: Listen, we're not dishin' the dirt on your husband for the fun of it. We're trying to show you what you're up against. It ain't in the books that a man that's had that many numbers would settle down to one.
Nora Charles: Was he really like that?
State Trooper: Was he? Oh baby.
Nora Charles: I always thought he was bragging.

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Connections

Followed by The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)

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Soundtracks

Rock-a-Bye Baby
(1886) (uncredited)
Written by Effie I. Canning
Played at Nick Jr.'s birthday party
Reprised as part of the score at the end

User Reviews

Screwball Mystery

Another Thin Man is at times quite funny but is less a comedy than a screwball mystery, which is to say it is a nice little atmospheric whodunit with laughs, populated by an assortment of urban types and set largely on a Long Island estate.

The film is well-paced and has just a hint of the supernatural, which gives it at times an eerie flavor. Photographically it is darker in tone than its jollier predecessors despite the oftentimes comical goings-on.

The occasionally somber mood of the picture perhaps anticipates the coming of the world war, as there is an undercurrent of urgency and dread in the way its story is told that seems to come from outside the movie itself.

William Powell and Myrna Loy prove themselves once again to be the Fred and Ginger of detective movies.