Song of the Thin Man (1947)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (characters)
Stanley Roberts (story)

Release Date:

September 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Musical | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

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]

Plot:

Nick, Nora, and Nick Jr. investigate murders in New York.

Plot Keywords:

Nick And Nora Charles | Gambling | Murder | Trap | Poughkeepsie New York

Cast

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

Runtime:

86 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 #12345)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

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

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the thug on the boat throws the knife at Asta, the string that guides it to it's target in the door is clearly visible.

Quotes:

Taxi Driver: Follow that car?
Nora Charles: Movie fan.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

You're Not So Easy to Forget

Farewell To The Thin Man

William Powell was 55 and Myrna Loy 42 when Song of the Thin Man came out to box office that was not as good as the previous five entries. MGM thought they were getting too old for the roles and they and the stars called a halt to this most acclaimed of film series. I think they carried their parts off well myself.

I think the problem was that this last one was too violent. Myrna Loy is almost killed by one of the suspects and the final unmasking of the villain was very violent, not at all in keeping with the usual lightheartedness that characterized the Thin Man series. I think the audience rejected it for that reason.

A bandleader, Phillip Reed, is murdered on board a gambling ship and later on the band's vocalist Gloria Grahame is also killed. The usual array of suspects is on hand for Bill Powell to sift through and expose.

Song of the Thin Man has Dean Stockwell as their young son, Nick Charles, Jr. and Powell and Loy get a sidekick in the form of sideman saxophonist Keenan Wynn. If the series had kept going, Wynn might have become a regular.

Though it's not as good as the five previous entries, Song of the Thin Man is good one for this series to go out on.