The Thin Man is a 1934 mystery comedy film directed by WS Van Dyke. The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy and was later followed by five sequels. It was based on Dashiell Hammett’s 1934 novel The Thin Man.
Director: WS Van Dyke
Production Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O’Sullivan
US Box Office: $2,045,000 ($85,100,000 adjusted for inflation)
Film Format: Black & White
Genre: Comedy, Mystery
Release Date: May 25, 1934
Plot Summary: After her father Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis) disappears and his secretary Julia (Natalie Moorhead) is found dead, Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O’Sullivan) convinces retired detective Nick Charles (William Powell) to investigate the case. Nick, his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) and their dog Asta investigate the murder and disappearance, leading to many hilarious exchanges and goofy situations.
Production: In January of 1934 Dashiell Hammett released his novel, The Thin Man, after it was first serialized in Redbook in 1933, and it quickly became a smash hit. MGM studio head Louis B. Meyer bought the rights to make a film adaptation of the novel from Hammett. Meyer assigned Hunt Stromberg to be the film’s producer, and the project was quickly put into production. Director WS Van Dyke, who was known for completing films very quickly, was picked to direct the film. Van Dyke encouraged the film’s writers primarily concentrate on writing witty dialogue for Nick and Nora, and to be less concerned about closely adapting the book. MGM had only intended The Thin Man to be a B-Movie for the studio and gave the film a low budget.
Van Dyke chose to cast William Powell in the lead role as Nick Charles. MGM executives were initially concerned that Powell was too old for the part, but they were later convinced by the director. Van Dyke chose to cast Myrna Loy as Nora Charles. Louis B Meyer originally objected to Van Dyke’s decision to cast Loy. At the time Loy was mostly known for femme fatale roles and Meyer wanted her to star in MGM’s Strambol Quest (1934), a spy film being produced at the same time as The Thin Man. Meyer allowed Van Dyke to cast Loy in the film, but only if he finished shooting in three weeks so she could film Strambol Quest. Van Dyke agreed, after watching the first completed takes of the film, MGM executives realized that Powell and Loy were perfect for their roles.
Van Dyke filmed The Thin Man in less than three weeks (in either sixteen or eighteen days, depending on the source) beginning in early April of 1934. William Powell and Myrna Loy got along well during the filming. Powell thought that Loy was very professional, did not have a diva temperament, and was a natural performer. Van Dyke realized that Powell and Loy got along well, so he encouraged the two to improvise to make their scenes feel more natural. Van Dyke shot the film very quickly, shooting many scenes in only one take. Asta the dog was played by the highly trained canine actor Skippy, according to Loy, the actors were not allowed to interact with Skippy between takes so as not to distract him. Maureen O’Sullivan (Dorothy) did not enjoy filming The Thin Man because the production was so rushed and her role was relatively minor. The film was released only about a month after filming ended.
Fun Facts and Trivia: The “Thin Man” referenced in the film’s title is meant to be Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis), who is described as a “thin man with white hair” at one point in the film. However, many viewers assumed that Nick is actually the titular “thin man,” and the character became associated with that name, thus the later films in the series all had “Thin Man” as part of their titles and Nick was sometimes referred to as a “thin man” in dialogue. The original trailer for The Thin Man is very unique, it includes footage specifically filmed for the trailer and not in the movie. The trailer opens with Nick Charles talking to Philo Vance, the more serious detective character also created by Dashiell Hammett and that William Powell had previously played in The Kennel Murder Case (1933). The two are both played by William Powell, using split-screen filming. Nick tells Vance a bit about the film’s plot before cutting to actual footage from The Thin Man. Skippy (the dog who played Asta) reprised his role in the first three sequels to The Thin Man (up to 1941) and was also known for playing the dog in Bringing Up Baby (1938).
Reception: When it was originally released The Thin Man received strongly positive reviews from critics. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times gave the film a positive review and called it “an excellent combination of comedy and excitement.” The Times later ranked the film as one of the top ten best of 1934. Film Daily also ranked The Thin Man as one of the top ten best films of the year. Variety enjoyed The Thin Man and thought that William Powell and Myrna Loy were both good in their roles and added humor to the film. The film was a success at the box office.
In modern times, The Thin Man has received a considerable amount of praise and is frequently regarded as one of the best comedy films of the 1930s. Roger Ebert included The Thin Man on his list of Great Movies in 2002. The American Film Institute ranked the film 32nd on their list of the top 100 best comedy film. The Thin Man was also one of the films nominated by the AFI for its 1998 and 2007 lists of the top 100 American films in general, as well as its lists of the best romantic and mystery films.
Oscars: The Thin Man was nominated for four Academy Awards in 1935. The film’s nominations were for: Best Picture (Hunt Stromberg for MGM), Best Director (WS Van Dyke), Best Actor (William Powell), and Best Adaptation (Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, based on Hammett’s novel). That year, fellow comedy film It Happened One Night swept the five major categories, and won all of the Oscars that The Thin Man had been nominated for.
Why You Should See It: The Thin Man is a funny and entertaining comedy mystery film. William Powell and Myrna Loy have a lot witty dialogue in the film and perform well together. They’re very funny and also seem like a natural couple. The mystery in the story is also compelling and unpredictable. It is remarkable how well The Thin Man turned out, given how rushed its production was.