IMDb user comments for
Another Thin Man (1939) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Index

35 comments in total

---

12 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
The last 'good' outing for the Charles', 4 October 2005

Author: Scaramouche2004 from Coventry, England

After the monumental success of The Thin Man (1934) and After The Thin(1936), William Powell and Myrna Loy reprise their roles as the movies most beloved and celebrated husband and wife super sleuths.

In their third mystery, Another Thin Man, Nick and Nora Charles with the newly arrived Nick Jnr, find themselves drawn into a web of intrigue and murder while visiting an old family friend in Long Island.

The friend is the aged and stuffy Col. MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith) who is being threatened, blackmailed and terrorised by ex-employee Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard).

When MacFay is murdered in the night, Church becomes the prime suspect, but the affable, scotch swigging Nick Charles believes otherwise. He intends to prove this by once again coming out of retirement and investigating the case as only he knows how.

All the great Thin Man ingredients are here, the suspense, the mystery, the romance, and above all the comedy as Powell and Loy, one of cinemas most frequently paired and enjoyable double acts once again spar off each other to perfection. Its plain to see why their films were so popular. Never before or since has Hollywood seen such a perfectly matched comedy partnership.

Suspects in this murder include Otto Kruger, Nat Pendleton, Tom Neal, Virginia Gray, Patric Knowles, Abner Biberman and Don Costello, and in a typical Thin Man ending, Nick gathers them together to pick out his man.

This movie maintains the wit and humour of the first two offerings, and Powell and Loy's screen chemistry is never better. All in all, a great addition to the series and one in keeping with two previous movies, but alas all good things must end.

It was plain to see, that with the obvious war clouds looming, Nick and Nora's sophisticated banter and well-to-do lifestyle would soon be out of touch and out of date with the difficult times that lay ahead. In point of fact I believe that when we watch this film, we are witnessing the last true great Thin Man film to be made.

The series struggled on through three more disappointing efforts, before ultimately being laid to rest, and I think the reason for their failure was purely down to changing times and attitudes. In the next two films Nick and Nora live in a modest flat, and references to their vast fortune, have been sensitively toned down if not obliterated as a nod to a sombre, struggling and rationed war-time audience.

However the public could not accept The Charles family in a mediocre fashion so the films suffered as a result from the gesture.

By the time the final film, Song of the Thin Man was made in 1947, and with the war still fresh in the publics mind it was too late to bring back the humour and attitudes of the prosperous and carefree days of the late 1930's and the Charles' had irreparably lost touch with their audience.

Luckily we still have the first three movies to show us what a true screwball comedy mystery should be, and why William Powell and Myrna Loy will always be remembered as two of the greatest.

---

9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Portraying a peaceful weekend with the Charles', 29 May 2006

Author: Gary170459 from Derby, UK

I hadn't seen this one before, probably the thought of the Charles' with a baby tagging along worried me. But although he formed a double act with Asta for the first half by the time the plot went into overdrive he was virtually ditched. And I've not come across this Hammett story, but with the comedy turned up to maximum there is so much going on in here I'm amazed it all got squeezed into 98 minutes. The complete box-set print is absolutely pristine and gleamingly atmospheric as was only achievable with nitrate stock.

The plot you can liken to a game of keeping a ball in the air, the members of the cast who let it drop to the ground get murdered. It's impossible to explain the complexities of it all - in short Nick's trying to prevent a murder, then trying to catch the murderer - from a dizzying array of suspects. This is Red Herring City, right up to the very end when Nick unmasked the surprise murderer and even the housekeeper's motives are explained in a dismissive sentence - but not corroborated. If you want to work out whodunnit for yourself my advice is keep a very open mind! If you don't like whodunnits at all watch this solely for the astonishing dance routine by Rene & Estela - Fred & Ginger were awkward in comparison!

I'm going to have to watch this again, soon and sober to tie up some of the threads I lost along the way. I noticed Nick hardly drank at all in here - was that Hays Office pressure? All in all not quite as good as the first two but still one Hell of a ride!

---

7 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Long Island Intrigue Makes For An Entertaining Film!, 25 May 2003

Author: Winslow Bunny from International Falls, Minnesota

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are back for their third film in this series, and sporting a new addition to the family (Nick Jr.) Family business with one of Nora's father's associates leads them to a Long Island estate, where the bodies and suspects appear even before they arrive at their destination. Before long, the body count rises and the suspects take on an international flavor (in the form of a very young Sheldon Leonard, who later gained fame as the producer of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "I Spy"). Between cocktails, flirting and playful banter between the co-stars, the movie reaches a suspenseful end as Nick put the clues together and reconstructs the crime, probing the minds of those present until the murder cracks. Between your own cracking up (with laughter), you'll be guessing who done it to who in this well-constructed mystery-romantic comedy.

---

5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Whether it's solving a murder or sipping a Bacardi, Nick and Nora Charles are excellent company, 7 January 2007

Author: Terrell-4 from San Antonio, Texas

When a movie begins with C. Aubrey Smith, that craggy paragon of old-fashioned values, beaten, shot and stabbed to death and then finishes with Shemp Howard, one of the Stooges, dandling a baby, you might believe you're in some odd alternate universe. In a way, you are, but the universe is the world of Nick and Nora Charles and the movie is Another Thin Man. It's the third film William Powell and Myrna Loy made about the debonaire amateur sleuth and his wealthy wife. If it doesn't quite reach the heights of witty sophistication of the first two, it'll do.

Nick and Nora, together with their new baby and Asta, are at the Long Island estate of the aging and imperious Burr MacFay (Smith), the partner of Nora's father before her father died. He's a financial wizard who still manages much of Nora's wealth...and he believes he's a man under a death threat. Within hours of their arrival, late at night, a fire starts in the ornate bath house, a fuse apparently blows taking out all the lights, the huge dog of the house is found killed...and MacFay is discovered shot, beaten and stabbed. Yet everyone seems to have an alibi. And what a bunch there is: MacFay's adopted daughter, Lois MacFay; Dudley Horn, the man she plans to marry who seems to love her money as much as he says he loves her; Freddie Coleman, MacFay's young, baby-faced secretary who is smitten with Lois; Mrs. Bellam, the curiously uncurious housekeeper; and Dorothy Waters, the nanny Nora engaged to help look after Nickie, Jr., who suddenly disappears. Those are the ones in the mansion. Lurking outside is a former employee of MacFay, Phil Church, who went to prison and now has schemes to cash in; his girl friend, his loyal goon and a slow-speaking piece of muscle who wears thick glasses. Nick and Nora head back to New York as soon as they can, but the mystery and the threats follow them. It takes a visit to the apartment of a woman no one seems to have met and some clever thinking before Nick brings everyone together in the Charles' hotel apartment where the ruthless murderer is exposed. Even that is complicated by Nickie, Jr.'s boithday party thrown by some of Nick's disreputable acquaintances and their kids.

In the meantime, we get to enjoy the imperturbable, affectionate and wittily ironic relationship between Nick and Nora, and delight in the expert playing of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick and Nora, especially Nick, enjoys his martinis and scotch, but this time around it's a little less obvious and a little more fun. "A Bacardi," says Nick to the waiter in a Latin nightclub. He glances over at Nora and adds, "Two Bacardis." Says Nora with a straight face to the waiter, "I'll have the same." The waiter brings four Bacardis. The mystery is complicated and, in my view, a little too much time is spend on it at the expense of time with the two of them. Still, the movie's extended nightclub scene shows just how witty, light and affectionate Powell and Loy could be when they had enough time to work their characters together. They made 14 movies together over 20 years, including the six in the Thin Man series. Individually or together, Powell and Loy were class acts.

And yes, Shemp Howard really is there. So's a chest-thumping Marjorie Main.

---

5 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Screwball Mystery, 12 August 2001

Author: telegonus from brighton, ma

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 picture itself.

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

---

6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
A Deadly Trip To Long Island, 2 November 2006

Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

The third of the Thin Man films finds Nick and Nora out on Long Island answering a distress call from an old friend of Nora's father, C. Aubrey Smith. Sheldon Leonard went to prison and he's got the idea that Smith should have been there with him. He's making all kinds of threats against Smith and eventually Smith winds up dead. Three other deaths occur, two of the human and a dog (not Asta) before William Powell solves the mystery.

Another Thin Man boasts the usual tightly written script with a good group of plausible suspects, the ending I have to confess was a real surprise to me.

MGM always gave Powell and Loy a great group of supporting players to work with. Some of the ones I enjoyed here not previously mentioned were Virginia Grey as Smith's daughter, Harry Bellaver as one of Nick's old criminal cronies and Marjorie Main as a landlady who thinks she's seen it all.

Abner Biberman has an unusual role given the times. He's a hatchetfaced stone cold killer named 'Dum-Dum' who works for Sheldon Leonard and has a devotion to him that leans pretty heavily on the gay side. I'm not sure it could be explained any other way.

Myrna is her bright and cheery self aiding Powell more with moral support than assisting Powell with the case. It's what the audiences expected from The Thin Man films and in this they were not disappointed.

---

4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
An Urbane 30's Comedy, 12 September 2003

Author: marxi from Louisville, Kentucky

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

*********************Mild Spoilers Ahead*******************************

Another Thin Man is an urbane, witty murder mystery comedy...and it works on all levels.

Nick Charles is a well known sleuth. Nick and his wife, Nora, have a new baby and a dog named Asta. They are called out to a Long Island country estate by an old family friend of Nora's who fears a former business associate is going to murder him.

A disappearing body along the roadside is an ominous beginning to their weekend in the country. The plot begins to thicken when their host is murdered and the suspects are many. This is a good who done it with plenty of humor along the way.

William Powell and Myrna Loy are terrific as the sleuthing couple who seldom allow a chance at sarcasm to pass them by. This movie will keep you guessing until the very end who killed the colonel and why. Numerous twists and turns keep things interesting and the direction by W.S. VanDyke is crisp.

Old movie buffs will recognize Marjorie Main from Ma and Pa Kettle and Shemp Howard from The Three Stooges in bit parts.

It's worth your time. 89/100.

---

6 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
The best intro to the Thin Man series, 14 November 2003
Author: paterm from McKinney, Texas

I've heard others state that "Another Thin Man" is good but not *as* good as the first two Thin Man films. Some of this may be because this film is in many ways different from the first two and as a result may fail to meet the expectations of some who view the films in order.

Some individual elements of "The Thin Man" may be stronger. However, as a stand-alone entity "Another Thin Man" it is the most entertaining film in the series and arguably has the most depth. This film succeeds with its dialog and its visuals, with its humor and its intrigue, and Powell and Loy are at their bantering best.

Watching the previous films is in no way a prerequisite for understanding and enjoying "Another Thin Man." If you've never seen a Thin Man feature, watch this one first.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Great screwball comedy/whodunit, 4 June 2008

Author: SeventyFiveYearOldGuy from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

William Powell and Myrna Loy were one of the best movie couples and best remembered and loved as Nick and Nora Charles in the Thin Man series of movies. This one, Another Thin Man is easily one of the best of the series. The great Sheldon Leonard who excelled in portraying sleazy and seedy underworld characters not only in movies but also on old time radio (who can forget his racetrack tout character on the Jack Benny show?) is a quite threatening main suspect here. The entire cast is truly noteworthy, many having their "red herring" scenes.

The comedy is primarily in the domestic banter between the two stars. However, Asta steals many scenes and despite his small breed size challenges the likes of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie for most notable dog star. This time around, Asta successfully competes with the baby, Nick Jr. for laughs.

The primary comic scene here is the nightclub sequence enhanced by the dance number mentioned by other reviewers here.

Overall, this is definitely a movie for screwball comedy fans, mystery fans, and dog lovers.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful Latin Dancing, 11 February 2008

Author: vada_rudolph from Bradenton, Forida

I've enjoyed all the Thin Man movies over and over, although the first is my favorite. But my favorite part of this movie is the gorgeous Latin dance show a the India Club. I am mesmerized by the elegant and smooth dance performance which I understand from an earlier comment was done by Carmen D'Antonio and Miguel Fernandez Mila. It is a marvel to watch and I always look forward to this part of the movie. What a shame that, in those days, such gorgeous artistry could be "uncredited."

I also enjoy the Nora's dance with the gigolo. The whole India Club business is quite funny and entirely in the spirit of the Thin Man series.

---

---

Page 1 of 4:

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Plot synopsis	Ratings
External reviews	Parents Guide	Plot keywords
Main details	Your user comments	Your vote history