Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

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

Director:

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

Writers:

Irving Brecher (screen play), Harry Kurnitz (screen play)

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	...	Police Lt. Abrams
Alan Baxter	...	'Whitey' Barrow
Henry O'Neill	...	Maj. Jason I. Sculley
Richard Hall	...	Nick Charles Jr. (as Dickie Hall)
Stella Adler	...	Claire Porter
Loring Smith	...	'Link' Stephens
Joseph Anthony	...	Fred Macy
Lou Lubin	...	'Rainbow' Benny Lumis
Louise Beavers	...	Stella
Asta	...	Asta

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:

sequel | fourth part | screwball comedy | nick and nora charles | murder | 

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Taglines:

FUNNIER THAN EVER in their first new laugh-thriller in 2 years!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in just two weeks by director W.S. Van Dyke, living up to his nickname of "One-Take Woody".

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Goofs

When pulled over by the cop on the Bay Bridge, it shows two-way traffic on the top deck of the bridge. This is wrong now, but was correct at the time the movie was made.

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Quotes

Lieutenant Abrams: [Reading the "laundry list" found in Whitey Barrow's pocket] Three bloomers, twenty-five kimonos, ten slips, five panties, fifteen chemises.
Nora Charles: Sounds like wash day at Vassar.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

In the shadow of the film of The Thin Man

Another good series entry [4/6], more sedate than its predecessors but still a quality funny whodunnit, again set in Red Herring City.

Nick finds himself embroiled in a murder case after a racetrack killing leads to another implicating an "obviously" decent guy, trying to unravel the murderer from a long list of "guilty" suspects. Nick's deductions again spring a surprise, culminating with a detail only discovered near the end of the picture. The funniest scene is the outbreak of fisticuffs in the restaurant - I'm glad I never got a dog, cute as Asta was! Again Nick Jr. was sidelined for the second half, probably so as not to complicate the plot further. Donna Reed's second film.

With a beautiful print and the chorus of "Why, It's Nick Charles!" ringing in my ears I found this one to be almost up to par with the first three and one I certainly hope to watch again.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

November 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shadow of the Thin Man

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$821,000 (estimated)

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