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:

spanking | private detective | marriage | jazz | sixth part | 

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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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Canção dos Acusados

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was a disappointment at the box office, resulting in a loss to MGM of $128,000 ($1.47M in 2017) according to studio records.

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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

Nick Charles Jr.: I knew Roy shouldn't have trusted that Arsenic Annie. She's a man dressed in woman's clothes.
Nick Charles: Annie's a man?
Nick Charles Jr.: Sure. It's a dead giveaway a dame would never pass a mirror like that without looking to see if her slip was showing.
Nora Charles: Dame?
Nick Charles Jr.: Well, that's what Daddy always says.
Nick Charles: I never say dame. I always say doll - eh, dish. Well, anyway, it was a very shrewd deduction.

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Connections

Follows Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

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Soundtracks

You're Not So Easy to Forget
(1947)
By Herb Magidson and Ben Oakland
Played during the opening credits, as background music and at the end
Played by a band on the S.S. Fortune and sung by Gloria Grahame (uncredited) dubbed by Carol Arden (uncredited)
Played on clarinet by Don Taylor (uncredited) often
Reprised by Gloria Grahame (uncredited) at the ship reopening and on a record

User Reviews

All that jazz

The sixth and final Thin Man film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as everyone's favorite husband and wife detective team, Nick and Nora Charles. Unfortunately the series does not go out on a high note as this is the weakest Thin Man film by far. The story has Nick investigating a bandleader's murder in order to clear a friend's name. A darker atmosphere, some uninteresting supporting characters, and jazz music that did nothing for me (including the ironically forgettable song "You're Not So Easy to Forget") makes this one a bit of a slog to get through. The biggest problem is that Nick and Nora just seem kind of dull. Also the way they're portrayed as two people out of step with what's cool just makes them look old. Yeah they're maturing and have a kid and all that but I don't like to think of the Charleses like the rest of us. They should always be witty, fun, and adventurous. The rest of the cast includes Gloria Grahame, Keenan Wynn, Patricia Morison, Leon Ames, Jayne Meadows, and Ralph Morgan. Dean Stockwell plays Nick, Jr. and does a good job. It's the one I've rewatched the least because it just doesn't feel like a Thin Man film to me. Still, it's something every Powell and Loy fan will want to see at least once.