Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Nick and Nora investigate the murder of a bandleader in New York.

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Steve Fisher (screen play), Nat Perrin (screen play)

Stars:

William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Powell	...	Nick Charles
Myrna Loy	...	Nora Charles
Keenan Wynn	...	Clarence 'Clinker' Krause
Dean Stockwell	...	Nick Charles Jr.
Phillip Reed	...	Tommy Edlon Drake (as Philip Reed)
Patricia Morison	...	Phyllis Talbin
Leon Ames	...	Mitchell Talbin
Gloria Grahame	...	Fran Ledue Page
Jayne Meadows	...	Janet Thayar
Ralph Morgan	...	David I. Thayar
Bess Flowers	...	Jessica Thayar
Don Taylor	...	Buddy Hollis
Warner Anderson	...	Dr. Monolaw
Bruce Cowling	...	Phil Orval Brant
Connie Gilchrist	...	Bertha

Storyline

Nick and Nora Charles are asked by Phil Brant and Janet Thayar, who have just eloped, to help them after band leader Tommy Drake is killed at a society dance which Nick and Nora also attended. The police are looking to arrest Brant for the murder and while he claims he's innocent, Nick isn't too keen on having him in the house and turns him over to the police. As they look into the case, Nick and Nora learn that Drake wasn't very well liked and there are actually several people who benefited from his death. Drake owed money to loan shark Al Amboy, and Janet's father disliked Brant and may have set him up. Drake's girlfriend may have been having a fling with clarinetist Buddy Hollis, and he and Drake had a fist fight on stage during the festivities. Nick arranges for another party on the same boat where Nora notices something quite peculiar about one of the guest's jewelry.

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | marriage | jazz | gambling ship | murder investigation | 

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Taglines:

WILLIAM POWELL and MYRNA LOY and me too. We're all together again in a NEW MGM mystery comedy! [me too refers to their (Nick & Noras') dog in the film]

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Musical | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point Nick Charles finds a razor blade and exclaims, "Somerset Maugham must have been here". That is a reference to Maugham's best-selling novel "The Razor's Edge".

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Goofs

The taxicab in which Nick and Nora arrive at Parkview Terrace is a pre-war model, about ten years older than the one in which they've previously been riding.

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Quotes

Mug #1: Whatchu doin' at a clambake like this? You ain't detectivin', are ya?
Nick Charles: Mrs. Charles thinks that we should cultivate some people who haven't served time.

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Connections

Follows The Thin Man (1934)

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Soundtracks

Oh Where, O Where Ish My Little Dog Gone?
Child's song composed by Septimus Winner in 1864 originally written in German
strains are part of background music

User Reviews

Jive talking

Totally ordinary now, the Thin Man bowed out as slightly off-key as one of the clarinet solos played by the mysterious key character Buddy. Can madness be turned on and off like a tap? However still some fine moments here even for 1947, but especially for 2006.

Murder is committed on a heaving nightclub-boat the Charles are disporting themselves on, and Nick launches himself into the case with gusto for the once and only. The dissembling suspects are assembled for the viewers, but with this lot for the first time I didn't care whether they were all guilty or innocent. None of them were given enough time to become interesting, whether as baddies or semi-baddies. If Nick had pointed out Junior as the murderer I would have been surprised but accepted his deductions as infallible as usual. Keenan Wynn and other all-white musicians laid on the hep talk with a trowel, to Nick and Nora's continual generation gap bewilderment.

Overall a tremendous Golden Age Hollywood comedy drama series, starting with a bang and ending with a slight fizzle. So 6/6 it was but I give this one a good 7/10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Song of the Thin Man

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$1,670,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1