Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

W.S. Van Dyke

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (characters)
Harry Kurnitz (story)
(more)

Release Date:

November 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama | Mystery | Crime

Tagline:

Hey everybody, my folks are back on the trail of the dog-gondest mystery you ever saw! They're Wackier Than Ever!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Jockey | Nick And Nora Charles | Murder | Debt | Detective

Cast

William Powell	...	Nick
Myrna Loy	...	Nora
Barry Nelson	...	Paul Clarke - reporter
Donna Reed	...	Molly - Stephens' receptionist
Sam Levene	...	Lieutenant Abrams
Alan Baxter	...	'Whitey' Barrow
Henry O'Neill	...	Major Jason I. Sculley
Richard Hall	...	Nick, Jr. (as Dickie Hall)
Stella Adler	...	Claire Porter / Clara Peters
Loring Smith	...	'Link' Stephens - Gambling syndicate boss
Joseph Anthony	...	Fred Macy - Stephens' deputy
Lou Lubin	...	'Rainbow' Benny
Louise Beavers	...	Stella
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aldrich Bowker	...	Watchman (scenes deleted)
Arthur Aylesworth	...	Second Coroner (uncredited)
Arthur Belasco	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sheldon Bennett	...	Mario (uncredited)
John Berkes	...	Paleface (uncredited)
Sam Bernard	...	Counterman (uncredited)
Ted Billings	...	Wrestling Match Spectator (uncredited)
Oliver Blake	...	Fenster - Stephens' attorney (uncredited)
Frankie Burke	...	Jockey Buddy Burns (uncredited)
Harry Burns	...	Janitor at Benny's apt. bldg. (uncredited)
Charles Calvert	...	Wrestling Referee (uncredited)
Ken Christy	...	Detective Bringing in Macy (uncredited)
Inez Cooper	...	Woman in Cab (uncredited)
Noel Cravat	...	Baku - Claire Porter's chauffeur (uncredited)
Cliff Danielson	...	Reporter (uncredited)
William 'Wee Willie' Davis	...	Mug (uncredited)
Edgar Dearing	...	Motorcycle cop tickets Nick on bridge (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Joe Devlin	...	Mug Starting Fight at Wrestling Match (uncredited)
Adeline De Walt Reynolds	...	Barrow's Landlady (uncredited)
John Dilson	...	First Coroner (uncredited)
Abe Dinovitch	...	Mug at Birthday Party (uncredited)
David Dornack	...	Lefty Rogan's Kid (uncredited)
Bill Fisher	...	Watchman (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	1st cop greets Nick at racetrack (uncredited)
Ava Gardner	...	Passerby (uncredited)
Cardiff Giant	...	Bouncing Chuck Tschekov (uncredited)
Jody Gilbert	...	Lana, Spider Webb's Girl (uncredited)
Matt Gilman	...	Waiter with Steak (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Waiter with Steak (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Man at Wrestling Match Next to Italian (uncredited)
Hardboiled Haggerty	...	Mug (uncredited)
Edward Hearn	...	Policeman in Molly's Office (uncredited)
Arch Hendricks	...	Photographer (uncredited)
Bob Ireland	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Jerry Jerome	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tor Johnson	...	Jack the Ripper (uncredited)
Robert Kellard	...	Policeman (uncredited)
John Kelly	...	Meatballs - Hot-dog vendor (uncredited)
Lyle Latell	...	Waiter serving Benny (uncredited)
Hal Le Sueur	...	Reporter (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Pipey, at the Birthday Party (uncredited)
Tommy Mack	...	Soft Drink Vendor (uncredited)
Jerry Mandy	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Pat McKee	...	Handler (uncredited)
Sid Melton	...	Fingers (at the birthday party) (uncredited)
Patty Moore	...	Lefty Rogan's Wife (uncredited)
Roger Moore	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Detective in Scully's Office (uncredited)
George Noisom	...	Extra, as a Jockey in Jockey Room (uncredited)
Joe Oakie	...	Spider Webb (uncredited)
Joey Ray	...	Stephens' clerk (uncredited)
Buddy Roosevelt	...	Reporter in Abrams' Office (uncredited)
Jack Roper	...	Mug (uncredited)
Harry Semels	...	Italian at Wrestling Match Calling Nora's Hat 'Screwy' (uncredited)
Eddie Sim	...	Mug (uncredited)
J. Lewis Smith	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Brick Sullivan	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ray Teal	...	Cab Driver (uncredited)
Dan Tobey	...	Ring Announcer (uncredited)
Sailor Vincent	...	Mug at the Birthday Party (uncredited)
Tito Vuolo	...	Louie (waiter pushing sea bass) (uncredited)
Fred Walburn	...	First Kid on Merry-Go-Round (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Mug Shoving Waiter / Racetrack security guard (uncredited)
Will Wright	...	Maguire - nervous ticket seller (uncredited)
Duke York	...	Valentino (uncredited)
Joe Yule	...	Henry, Racetrack Watchman (uncredited)

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

Writing credits
Dashiell Hammett		(characters)
Harry Kurnitz		(story)
Irving Brecher		(screenplay) and
Harry Kurnitz		(screenplay)

Produced by
Hunt Stromberg	....	producer

Original Music by
David Snell		(musical score by)

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(director of photography) (as William Daniels)

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

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by
Robert Kalloch		(gowns) (as Kalloch)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom Andre	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Paul Groesse	....	associate art director

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
William Edmondson	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (as Loew's Inc.)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1941) (USA) (theatrical) (as Loew's Inc.)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (194?) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

97 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:PG (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7707)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Debut of Sid Melton.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Bringing back Sam Levine as Lt. Abrams of the San Francisco PD from AFTER THE THIN MAN is a welcome addition to the cast. However, a San Francisco homicide detective wouldn't have had jurisdiction at the racetrack. The only possible area horse racetrack would have been Berkeley's Golden Gate Fields (opened 1941), which is well outside the San Francisco city limits and is reached by driving across the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge (where Nick got his speeding ticket and police escort to the track).

Quotes:

Estrellita: Ma'am, did he hear that or did he smell it?
Nora Charles: That's Mr. Charles, isn't it?
Estrellita: Yes'm.
Nora Charles: This is a cocktail, isn't it?
Estrellita: Yes'm.
Nora Charles: They'll get together.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Remembers: Myrna Loy - So Nice to Come Home to (1991) (TV)

Intrigue At The Race Track - -

and beyond, as Nick & Nora Charles (William Powell, Myrna Loy) are caught up in the death of a jockey quite by accident. The bodies begin to fall after that, as murder to cover up tracks, the crime syndicate, crossed lovers and crooked officials enter the picture before the showdown in the Charles' apartment sorts out the guilty from the innocent. I found this movie to be one of the more entertaining of the "Thin Man" series, with a pair of memorably funny scenes: when Nora discovers the joys of wrestling (and gets caught up in that excitement) and the restaurant fight scene. All in all, it is an entertaining movie, but then I could expect no less from the fine professional acting of both Powell and Loy.