After the Thin Man (1936)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Frances Goodrich (screenplay) and
Albert Hackett (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

Continuing the fun in their NEW hit!

Plot:

Selma asks Nick to find her missing husband. He had been seeing a bit on the side, and blackmailing a local criminal. David Graham claims he paid the missing husband to get rid of a former girlfriend. Will Nick locate him?

Plot Keywords:

Murder | New Year's Eve | Infidelity | Face Slap | Forgery

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

US Showtimes:

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Cast

William Powell	...	Nick Charles
Myrna Loy	...	Nora
James Stewart	...	David
Elissa Landi	...	Selma
Joseph Calleia	...	'Dancer'
Jessie Ralph	...	Aunt Katherine
Alan Marshal	...	Robert (as Alan Marshall)
Teddy Hart	...	Floyd Casper
Sam Levene	...	Abrams
Penny Singleton	...	Polly (as Dorothy McNulty)
William Law	...	Lum Kee
George Zucco	...	Dr. Kammer
Paul Fix	...	Phil
Asta	...	Asta
Mrs. Asta	...	Mrs. Asta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Adair	...	Escort of Sexy Blonde (uncredited)
Eadie Adams	...	Singer at Welcome Home Party (uncredited)
Eddie Allen	...	Man (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	The Kid (uncredited)
Charles Arnt	...	Drunk Greeting Nick and Nora at Party (uncredited)
Will Aubrey	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Vince Barnett	...	Wrestling Manager (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Blond Young Man Who Approaches Car (uncredited)
James Blaine	...	San Francisco Policeman (uncredited)
Jimmy Blair	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Jimmy Brewster	...	Thug with Joe at Nick's Table (uncredited)
Donald Briggs	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Harlan Briggs	...	Burton Forrest (uncredited)
William Burress	...	Cousin Lucius (uncredited)
Joe Caits	...	Joe (uncredited)
Phyllis Coghlan	...	The Charles' Maid Who First Recognizes Them (uncredited)
Irene Coleman	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Heinie Conklin	...	Trainman Seeing Nick Kiss Nora (uncredited)
Baldwin Cooke	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Edith Craig	...	Girl with Fireman at Party (uncredited)
Richard Cramer	...	Iceman at Party (uncredited)
Jack Daley	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Bill (uncredited)
Cecil Elliott	...	Servant (uncredited)
Chester Gan	...	Chinese Waiter (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Rose (uncredited)
Maude Turner Gordon	...	Cousin Helen (uncredited)
William Gould	...	Detective (uncredited)
William Howard Gould	...	Detective (uncredited)
Jesse Graves	...	Red Cap (uncredited)
Ben Hall	...	Butcher Boy (uncredited)
Sherry Hall	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Lew Harvey	...	Thug with Joe at Nick's Table (uncredited)
Sam Hayes	...	First News Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Arthur Housman	...	Man Rehearsing Welcome Speech (uncredited)
Ethel Jackson	...	Girl with Fireman (uncredited)
John Kelly	...	Harold (uncredited)
Edith Kingdon	...	Aunt Hattie (uncredited)
Clarence Kolb	...	General (uncredited)
Jean Laverty	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Bert Lindley	...	Station Agent (uncredited)
Richard Loo	...	Lichee Club Headwaiter (uncredited)
Jimmie Lucas	...	Man (uncredited)
Sue Moore	...	Sexy Blonde (uncredited)
Kewpie Morgan	...	Boyfriend of Girl Standing on Hands (uncredited)
Bob Murphy	...	Detective Arresting Nora and David (uncredited)
Jack Norton	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Otto	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Harvey Parry	...	Man Standing on Hands (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Flop House Proprietor (uncredited)
Joe Phillips	...	Willie the Weeper (uncredited)
Thomas Pogue	...	Uncle Willie (uncredited)
Richard Powell	...	Surprised Policeman Who Shot at Mirror (uncredited)
Jack Raymond	...	Photographer (uncredited)
George Reed	...	Dudley (uncredited)
Tom Ricketts	...	Henry (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Jeanie Roberts	...	Girl Working with Jerry (uncredited)
Claire Rochelle	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Constantine Romanoff	...	Wrestler (unconfirmed) (uncredited)
Dick Rush	...	San Francisco Detective (uncredited)
Fred Santley	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bert Scott	...	Man at Piano (uncredited)
Marion Sheldon	...	Specialty Dancer (uncredited)
Alice H. Smith	...	Cousin Emily (uncredited)
Jane Talent	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
George Taylor	...	Eddie (uncredited)
Zeffie Tilbury	...	Aunt Lucy (uncredited)
Edith Trivers	...	Hat Check Girl (uncredited)
Charles Trowbridge	...	Police Forensic Examiner (uncredited)
Harry Tyler	...	Fingers (uncredited)
Guy Usher	...	Chief of Detectives (uncredited)
Monte Vandergrift	...	Detective Asked to Check On It (uncredited)
Dorothy Vaughan	...	Charlotte (uncredited)
Lucille Ward	...	Prison Matron (uncredited)
Bobby Watson	...	Leader of Late Crowd (uncredited)
Norman Willis	...	Fireman at Party (uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Peter (uncredited)
William Worthington	...	'Respectable' Man in Car (uncredited)

Directed by
W.S. Van Dyke

Writing credits
Frances Goodrich		(screenplay) and
Albert Hackett		(screenplay)
Dashiell Hammett		(story)

Produced by
Hunt Stromberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Herbert Stothart
Edward Ward

Cinematography by
Oliver T. Marsh		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Robert Kern		(as Robert J. Kern)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Robert J. Schiffer	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Charles Dorian	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Harry McAfee	....	associate art director
Edwin B. Willis	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Camera and Electrical Department
Eddie Croninworth	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dolly Tree	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Wayne Allen	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Paul Marquardt	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leonid Raab	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Seymour Felix	....	dance stager
Wallace Worsley Jr.	....	script clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1936) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1937) (France) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1937) (Austria) (theatrical)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

112 min | Canada:113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:U (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #2889)

Filming Locations:

Coit Tower, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dancer sees that Nora is going to use the pay phone (in the Lichee Club), he approaches the hat check girl to load her up with coins so that she can keep Nora from using the pay phone. When Dancer first approaches, the hat check girl is sitting in a chair, facing toward Dancer. Dancer continues to approach and she is now standing by the counter, facing away from him.

Quotes:

Nora Charles: Nickie, have you any pictures of yourself taken as a baby?
Nick Charles: [Trying to sleep] No.
Nora Charles: Aww, that's a shame. I want to see what you looked like.
Nick Charles: I'll have some taken in the morning.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Young Frankenstein (1974)

Soundtrack:

Auld Lang Syne

Excellent

Although this film was released in 1936, it is as entertaining and fresh today as ever, and is certainly much better than any of the over-long and over-produced movies that Hollywood produces today. This is the second in the excellent "Thin Man" series and the viewer can see that the series is really in full stride. The delightful cast of street types who are old friends and cronies of Nick's are a joy to watch. The interplay between William Powell and Myrna Loy has never been matched and is to be treasured. What a great surprise for me to see Penny Singelton, who later played "Blondie" in that long running series. Ms. Singelton sings and dances up a storm as a cabaret performer and she is an integral character in the plot of this engrossing "whodunnit". Another nice surprise for me was seeing Jimmy Stewart in one of his earlier roles. He definitely had leading man type looks. As per usual, Powell, as Nick Charles, unmasks the murderer in the climatic scene where all suspects, the police, and assorted others are present. In most movies, I tend to find pets rather annoying as they distract from the plot of the film. But, for me, Asta is the one exception to this thesis. He is so entertaining and no Thin Man movie would be complete without his antics. In summary, all I can say is that this is a SUPERB film. Catch it on Turner Classic Movies or find a video at your' favorite store or online retailer.