Song of the Thin Man (1947)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Edward Buzzell

Writers:

Dashiell Hammett (characters)
Stanley Roberts (story)
(more)

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:

Gambling | Murder | Nick And Nora Charles | Child | Spanking

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
Henry Nemo	...	The Neem
William Bishop	...	Al Amboy
Marie Windsor	...	Helen Amboy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
George Anderson	...	Dunne (uncredited)
Morris Ankrum	...	The Police Inspector (uncredited)
Asta Jr.	...	Asta, the Charles' Dog (uncredited)
Gregg Barton	...	Male Nurse (uncredited)
Leonard Bremen	...	Mug #1 (uncredited)
Al Bridge	...	Nagle, Waterfront Policeman (uncredited)
James Burke	...	Police Officer Michael Callahan (uncredited)
Harry Burns	...	Italian Boatman (uncredited)
George Chan	...	Young Chinese Man (uncredited)
James Conaty	...	Nightclub Table Extra (uncredited)
Sayre Dearing	...	Stickman (uncredited)
Tom Dugan	...	Davis, Policeman on Yacht (uncredited)
Herbert Evans	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Casino Extra (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Police Officer Reardon (uncredited)
Jerry Fragnol	...	Nick Charles Jr. - age 5 (uncredited)
Bill Harbach	...	Whitley (uncredited)
Clarke Hardwicke	...	Bert (uncredited)
Earle Hodgins	...	Baggage Man (uncredited)
Esther Howard	...	Sadie, the Counterwoman (uncredited)
Donald Kerr	...	News Photographer (uncredited)
Lyle Latell	...	Mug #2 (uncredited)
Mitchell Lewis	...	Jailkeeper (uncredited)
Marya Marco	...	Oriental Girl (uncredited)
Matt McHugh	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Harold Miller	...	Benefit Guest (uncredited)
Howard Negley	...	Police Officer Kramer (uncredited)
Henry Norton	...	Casino / Nightclub Extra (uncredited)
Jimmy O'Gatty	...	Amboy's Hood (uncredited)
William Roberts	...	Pete (uncredited)
Jeffrey Sayre	...	Croupier (uncredited)
John Sheehan	...	Stage Manager (uncredited)
Eddie Lou Simms	...	Amboy's Hood (uncredited)
George Sorel	...	Albert, Headwaiter (uncredited)
Larry Steers	...	Tenant (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Nightclub Table Extra (uncredited)
Robert E. Strickland	...	Musician (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Police Sergeant as Waiter (uncredited)
Clinton Sundberg	...	Mr. Purdy, Hotel Vesta Desk Clerk (uncredited)
Henry Sylvester	...	John, the Thayar Butler (uncredited)
Tom Trout	...	Lewie the Shiv (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Buzzell

Writing credits
Dashiell Hammett		(characters)
Stanley Roberts		(story)
Steve Fisher		(screenplay) and
Nat Perrin		(screenplay)
James O'Hanlon		(additional dialogue) and
Harry Crane		(additional dialogue)

Produced by
Nat Perrin	....	producer

Original Music by
David Snell		(musical score)

Cinematography by
Charles Rosher		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gene Ruggiero

Art Direction by
Randall Duell
Cedric Gibbons

Set Decoration by
Edwin B. Willis

Makeup Department
Jack Dawn	....	makeup designer
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair styles designer

Production Management
Robert E. Barnes	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerome Bergman	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Alfred E. Spencer	....	associate set decorator

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Shirley Barker	....	associate costume supervisor
Irene	....	costume supervisor

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Loew's (as Loew's Incorporated)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1948) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

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 sixth of six "Thin Man" movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Asta lifts his paw to his eye in the baggage car scene, the wire controlling his paw is visible.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

You're Not So Easy to Forget

Swan Song of the Thin Man

Yeah, it's not as good as the other five Thin Man films. So what? It's worth a 7 just to see Powell & Loy banter one more time. Remember, even Marilyn Monroe couldn't save "Love Happy", the Marx Brothers' last effort.

BTW: The jazz was dated even for the time. The cutting edge in 1947 was bebop, and even bebop was fairly mature by then. The after-hours jam sessions would be mixed race efforts with an edge toward the black musicians, not a bunch of white guys playing small-group variations of 1940's big band crap. The white musicians went to the sessions to learn bebop from their black compatriots and to get away from the junk they had to play on the bandstand. Even the instrumentation was dated. The clarinet had already died as a principal instrument for younger musicians. All in all, it's about as authentic as the Rock and Roll in an Annette Funicello movie.