The Thin Man ( film ) - wikipedia The Thin Man ( film ) Not to be confused with the British film production company Thin Man Films. The Thin Man Theatrical release poster Directed by W.S. Van Dyke Produced by Hunt Stromberg Screenplay by Albert Hackett Frances Goodrich Based on The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett Starring William Powell Myrna Loy Maureen O'Sullivan Nat Pendleton Minna Gombell Music by William Axt Cinematography James Wong Howe Edited by Robert Kern Production company Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Distributed by Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer Release date May 25, 1934 ( 1934 - 05 - 25 ) ( US ) Running time 93 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $226,408 Box office $1,423,000 ( worldwide est. ) The Thin Man is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy - mystery film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles ; Nick is a hard - drinking, retired private detective, and Nora is a wealthy heiress. Their wire - haired fox terrier Asta is played by canine actor Skippy. The film 's screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, a married couple. In 1934, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The titular `` Thin Man '' is not Nick Charles, but the man Charles is initially hired to find -- Clyde Wynant ( part way through the film, Charles describes Wynant as a `` thin man with white hair '' ). The `` Thin Man '' moniker was thought by many viewers to refer to Nick Charles and, after a time, it was used in the titles of sequels as if referring to Charles. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Screenplay 3.2 Casting 3.3 Filming 4 Reception 5 Box office 6 Trailer 7 Adaptations 8 In popular culture 9 References 10 External links Plot William Powell, Myrna Loy and Skippy ( Asta ) in The Thin Man Nick Charles ( William Powell ), a retired detective, and his wife Nora ( Myrna Loy ) are attempting to settle down. They are based in San Francisco but decide to spend the Christmas holidays in New York. There Nick is pressed back into service by Dorothy Wynant ( Maureen O'Sullivan ), a young woman whose father was an old client of Nick. The man, Clyde Wynant ( the title 's `` thin man '' ), was supposed to be on a secret business trip and promised to be home before his daughter 's wedding, but has mysteriously vanished. She convinces Nick to take the case, much to the amusement of his socialite wife. It starts out as a missing person case, but when Julia Wolf, Wynant 's former secretary and love interest, is found dead, evidence points to Wynant as the prime suspect. Dorothy refuses to believe that her father is guilty. The detective uncovers clues and eventually solves the mystery of the disappearance. The murderer is revealed in a classic dinner party scene that features all of the suspects. A skeletonized body, found during the investigation, had been assumed to be that of a `` fat man '' because it was wearing oversized clothing. The clothes are revealed to be planted, and the identity of the body is determined by an old war wound in one leg. It turns out that the body belongs to a `` thin man '' : the missing Wynant. The real killer is uncovered at the dinner party before he almost takes the life of someone who knows too much. Cast William Powell as Nick Charles Myrna Loy as Nora Charles Skippy as Asta, their dog Maureen O'Sullivan as Dorothy Wynant Nat Pendleton as Lt. John Guild Minna Gombell as Mimi Wynant Jorgenson Porter Hall as Herbert MacCaulay Henry Wadsworth as Tommy William Henry as Gilbert Wynant Harold Huber as Arthur Nunheim Cesar Romero as Chris Jorgenson Natalie Moorhead as Julia Wolf Edward Brophy as Joe Morelli Edward Ellis as Clyde Wynant, the `` thin man '' Cyril Thornton as Tanner Cast notes : Nat Pendleton reprised the role of Lt. Guild in 1939 's Another Thin Man. Production Screenplay The film was based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, released in January 1934. Hammett 's novel drew on his experiences as a union - busting Pinkerton detective in Butte, Montana. Hammett based Nick and Nora 's banter upon his rocky on - again, off - again relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. MGM paid Hammett $21,000 for the screen rights to the novel. The screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, who had been married for three years. Director W.S. Van Dyke encouraged them to use Hammett 's writing as a basis only, and to concentrate on providing witty exchanges for Nick and Nora. Casting Van Dyke convinced MGM executives to let Powell and Loy portray the lead characters despite concerns that Powell was too old and strait - laced to play Nick Charles and that Loy had become typecast in exotic femme fatale roles. Skippy played Asta, the dog of Nick and Nora. Skippy was subsequently cast in two screwball comedy classics, The Awful Truth ( 1937 ) and Bringing Up Baby ( 1938 ). Filming Myrna Loy, William Powell and Skippy `` ( Nick and Nora were the ) first on - screen Hollywood couple for whom matrimony did not signal the end of sex, romance and adventure. '' -- Film historian Andrew Sarris ( 1998 ) The film was shot with a budget of $226,408. For Powell 's first scene in the film, Van Dyke told him to take the cocktail shaker, go to the bar and just walk through the scene while the crew checked lights and sound. Powell did it, throwing in some lines and business of his own. Suddenly he heard Van Dyke say, `` That 's it ! Print it ! '' The director had decided to shoot the scene without Powell knowing it so that he 'd be as relaxed and natural as possible. Van Dyke often did not bother with cover shots if he felt the scene was right on the first take, reasoning that actors `` lose their fire '' if they have to do something over and over. It was a lot of pressure on the actors, who often had to learn new lines and business immediately before shooting, without the luxury of retakes, but Loy credited much of the appeal of the film to Van Dyke 's pacing and spontaneity. He paid the most attention to Powell and Loy 's easy banter between takes and their obvious enjoyment of each other 's company and worked it into the movie. The director often encouraged and incorporated improvisation and off - the - cuff details into the picture. In order to keep her entrance fresh and spontaneous, W.S. Van Dyke did not tell Loy about it until right before they shot it. Powell loved working so much with Loy because of her naturalness, her professionalism, and her lack of any kind of `` diva '' temperament. On her, Powell said : `` When we did a scene together, we forgot about technique, camera angles, and microphones. We were n't acting. We were just two people in perfect harmony. Myrna, unlike some actresses who think only of themselves, has the happy faculty of being able to listen while the other fellow says his lines. She has the give and take of acting that brings out the best. '' According to Loy, the actors were not allowed to interact between takes with the dog, Skippy ; trainers felt it would break his concentration. Skippy once bit Loy during filming. Although she had great compliments for Powell 's charm and wit, Maureen O'Sullivan ( who played the daughter of Wynant ) later said she did not enjoy making the picture because her part was so small and the production was so rushed. The scene of Nick shooting the ornaments off the tree was added after Powell playfully picked up an air gun and started shooting ornaments the art department was putting up. Loy wrote that the biggest problem during shooting was the climactic dinner party scene in which Nick reveals the killer. Powell complained that he had too many lines to learn and could barely decipher the complicated plot he was unraveling. It was the one scene when several retakes were necessary, which brought up an entirely new problem. The script called for oysters to be served to the dinner guests and, in take after take, the same plate of oysters was brought out under the hot lights. `` They began to putrefy, '' Loy recalled. `` By the time we finished that scene, nobody ever wanted to see another oyster. '' Reception The film was released in May 25, 1934 to extremely positive reviews and was a box office hit, with special praise for the chemistry between Loy and Powell. Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times called it `` an excellent combination of comedy and excitement '', and the film appeared on the Times year - end list of the ten best of the year. `` The Thin Man was an entertaining novel, and now it 's an entertaining picture '', reported Variety. `` For its leads the studio could n't have done better than to pick Powell and Miss Loy, both of whom shade their semi-comic roles beautifully. '' `` The screen seldom presents a more thoroughly interesting piece of entertainment than this adaptation of Dashiell Hammett 's popular novel '', raved Film Daily. `` The rapid fire dialogue is about the best heard since talkies, and it is delivered by Powell and Miss Loy to perfection. '' John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote that Loy and Powell played their parts `` beautifully '', adding, `` All the people of the book are there, and I think the final scenes of the solution of the mystery are handled on a higher note than they were in print. '' Louella Parsons called it `` the greatest entertainment, the most fun and the best mystery - drama of the year. '' The Chicago Tribune said it was `` exciting '', `` amusing '' and `` fat with ultra, ultra sophisticated situations and dialog. '' It also called Powell and Loy `` delightful ''. Harrison Carroll of The Los Angeles Herald - Express wrote that it was `` one of the cleverest adaptations of a popular novel that Hollywood has ever turned out. '' The film was such a success that it spawned five sequels : After the Thin Man ( 1936 ) Another Thin Man ( 1939 ) Shadow of the Thin Man ( 1941 ) The Thin Man Goes Home ( 1945 ) Song of the Thin Man ( 1947 ) In 2002, critic Roger Ebert added the film to his list of Great Movies. Ebert praised William Powell 's performance in particular, stating that Powell `` is to dialogue as Fred Astaire is to dance. His delivery is so droll and insinuating, so knowing and innocent at the same time, that it hardly matters what he 's saying. '' In 1997, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry having been deemed `` culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. '' In 2000 American Film Institute designated the film as one of the great comedies in the previous hundred years of cinema. The film is 32nd on the American Film Institute 's 2000 list AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Laughs and was nominated for the following lists : 1998 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies 2002 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Passions 2003 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains : Nick & Nora Charles -- Heroes 2005 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes : Nora Charles : `` They say you were shot in the tabloids. '' Nick Charles : `` They never got near my tabloids. '' 2007 : AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies ( 10th Anniversary Edition ) 2008 : AFI 's 10 Top 10 : Mystery Film Box office The film grossed a total ( domestic and foreign ) of $1,423,000 : $818,000 from the US and Canada and $605,000 elsewhere. It made a profit of $729,000. Trailer The trailer contained specially filmed footage in which Nick Charles ( William Powell ) is seen on the cover of the Dashiell Hammett novel The Thin Man. Nick Charles then steps out of the cover to talk to fellow detective Philo Vance ( also played by Powell ) about his latest case. Charles mentions he has n't seen Vance since The Kennel Murder Case, a film in which Powell played Vance. The Kennel Murder Case was released in October 1933, just seven months prior to the release of The Thin Man. Charles goes on to explain to Vance that his latest case revolves around a `` tall, thin man '' ( referring to Clyde Wynant ), just before clips of the film are shown. Adaptations The Thin Man was dramatized as a radio play on an hour - long broadcast of Lux Radio Theater on June 8, 1936. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, William Henry, and Thomas Jackson reprised their film roles, and W.S. Van Dyke was host. In popular culture The TV series The Thin Man ran from 1957 through 1959, starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk. In the 1976 comedy spoof movie Murder by Death, the characters of Nick and Nora Charles became Dick and Dora Charleston, played by David Niven and Maggie Smith. The 1979 -- 84 ABC television weekly romantic detective series Hart to Hart also mimicked the central conceit. It starred Robert Wagner, Stefanie Powers, and Lionel Stander. In the 11th episode of the second season of the series, `` Slow Boat to Murder '', there is a scene where the Harts watch the film on TV. In the 2005 animated film Hoodwinked !, the character Nicky Flippers, a frog detective voiced by David Ogden Stiers, was based on Nick Charles. The lead characters in the 2008 film Nick & Norah 's Infinite Playlist are named as a homage to the characters in this film. Echoing the name `` Nick Charles '', the 2013 Australian crime comedy series Mr & Mrs Murder features married couple `` Nicola '' and `` Charlie '' Buchanan, who run an industrial cleaning business specializing in crime scenes ; using this experience, they become amateur sleuths. References Jump up ^ Brophy would return to the series in 1944 as Brogan in The Thin Man Goes Home. Jump up ^ Full cast & crew at Internet Movie Database Jump up ^ Another Thin Man at the American Film Institute Catalog Jump up ^ `` Obituary : Lillian Hellman, Playwright, Author, and Rebel, Dies at 77 ''. The New York Times. July 1, 1984. Retrieved July 1, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Bryant, Roger ( 2006 ). William Powell : The Life and Films. Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company. pp. 4, 10. ISBN 9780786454938. Jump up ^ `` The Thin Man ''. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved June 24, 2015. Jump up ^ Sarris, Andrew ( 1998 ) `` You Ai n't Heard Nothin ' Yet '' : The American Talking Film History and Memory, 1927 - 1949 ) ). New York : Oxford University Press. p. 419 ISBN 0 - 19 - 513426 - 5 ^ Jump up to : Kotsilibas - Davis, James ; Loy, Myrna ( 1987 ). Myrna Loy : Being and Becoming. New York : Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780394555935. Jump up ^ `` The Thin Man ''. Variety. New York. July 3, 1934. p. 26. Jump up ^ `` Feature and Short Review ''. Film Daily. New York : Wid 's Films and Film Folk, Inc. May 23, 1934. p. 7. Jump up ^ Mosher, John C. ( July 7, 1934 ). `` The Current Screen ''. The New Yorker. p. 64. Jump up ^ `` ' The Thin Man ' Mystery Film with Drinks ''. Chicago Daily Tribune. May 31, 1934. p. 15. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. `` Great Movies ''. rogerebert.com. Retrieved July 1, 2017. Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger. 22 Dec. 2002. The Thin Man. Accessed 29 June 2010 Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Laughs '' ( PDF ). American Film Institute. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Passions Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Heroes & Villains Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes Nominees '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies Nominees ( 10th Anniversary Edition ) '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 06. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 10 Top 10 Nominees '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original on 2011 - 07 - 16. Retrieved 2016 - 08 - 19. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ Philip Kiszely ( 2006 ). Hollywood Through Private Eyes : The Screen Adaptation of the `` hard - boiled '' Private Detective Novel in the Studio Era. Peter Lang. pp. 78 --. ISBN 978 - 3 - 03910 - 547 - 2. Jump up ^ `` The Thin Man ''. Lux Radio Theatre. Internet Archive. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` The Lux Radio Theatre ''. RadioGOLDINdex. Retrieved 2015 - 12 - 01. Jump up ^ `` The Thin Man '', Classic TV Archives. Accessed : August 28, 2017 Jump up ^ Murder by Death at the American Film Institute Catalog Jump up ^ Looney, Deborah `` Murder by Death ( 1976 ) '' TCM.com External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : The Thin Man ( film ) Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Thin Man ( film ). The Thin Man at the American Film Institute Catalog The Thin Man on IMDb The Thin Man at AllMovie The Thin Man at the TCM Movie Database The Thin Man on Lux Radio Theater : June 8, 1936 Works by Dashiell Hammett Novels Red Harvest The Dain Curse The Maltese Falcon The Glass Key The Thin Man Characters The Continental Op Sam Spade Ned Beaumont Nick and Nora Charles Screenplays After the Thin Man Shadow of the Thin Man The Glass Key Watch on the Rhine Comics Secret Agent X-9 Film adaptations Roadhouse Nights ( 1930 ) City Streets ( 1931 ) The Maltese Falcon ( 1931 ) The Thin Man ( 1934 ) Woman in the Dark ( 1934 ) The Glass Key ( 1935 ) Satan Met a Lady ( 1936 ) After the Thin Man ( 1936 ) Secret Agent X-9 ( 1937 ) Another Thin Man ( 1939 ) The Maltese Falcon ( 1941 ) Shadow of the Thin Man ( 1941 ) The Glass Key ( 1942 ) The Thin Man Goes Home ( 1945 ) Secret Agent X-9 ( 1945 ) Song of the Thin Man ( 1947 ) No Good Deed ( 2002 ) The Thin Man series Novel Radio series Television series Musical Films The Thin Man ( 1934 ) After the Thin Man ( 1936 ) Another Thin Man ( 1939 ) Shadow of the Thin Man ( 1941 ) The Thin Man Goes Home ( 1945 ) Song of the Thin Man ( 1947 ) See also Dashiell Hammett William Powell Myrna Loy Skippy ( dog ) Films directed by W.S. Van Dyke The Hawk 's Trail ( 1919 ) Daredevil Jack ( 1920 ) Double Adventure ( 1921 ) Forget Me Not ( 1922 ) The Avenging Arrow ( 1921 ) White Eagle ( 1922 ) Half - A-Dollar - Bill ( 1924 ) Loving Lies ( 1924 ) Gold Heels ( 1924 ) The Trail Rider ( 1925 ) Hearts and Spurs ( 1925 ) The Gentle Cyclone ( 1926 ) War Paint ( 1926 ) Winners of the Wilderness ( 1927 ) California ( 1927 ) Spoilers of the West ( 1927 ) Under the Black Eagle ( 1928 ) Wyoming ( 1928 ) White Shadows in the South Seas ( 1928 ) The Pagan ( 1929 ) Trader Horn ( 1931 ) The Cuban Love Song ( 1931 ) Tarzan the Ape Man ( 1932 ) Night Court ( 1932 ) Penthouse ( 1933 ) Eskimo ( 1933 ) Manhattan Melodrama ( 1934 ) The Thin Man ( 1934 ) Hide - Out ( 1934 ) Forsaking All Others ( 1934 ) I Live My Life ( 1935 ) Rose Marie ( 1936 ) San Francisco ( 1936 ) His Brother 's Wife ( 1936 ) The Devil Is a Sissy ( 1936 ) Love on the Run ( 1936 ) After the Thin Man ( 1936 ) They Gave Him a Gun ( 1937 ) Personal Property ( 1937 ) Marie Antoinette ( 1938 ) Sweethearts ( 1938 ) Stand Up and Fight ( 1939 ) It 's a Wonderful World ( 1939 ) Andy Hardy Gets Spring Fever ( 1939 ) Another Thin Man ( 1939 ) I Take This Woman ( 1940 ) I Love You Again ( 1940 ) Bitter Sweet ( 1940 ) Rage in Heaven ( 1941 ) The Feminine Touch ( 1941 ) Shadow of the Thin Man ( 1941 ) Dr. Kildare 's Victory ( 1942 ) I Married an Angel ( 1942 ) Cairo ( 1942 ) Journey for Margaret ( 1942 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Thin_Man_(film)&oldid=854521964 '' Categories : 1934 films English - language films 1930s comedy films 1930s mystery films American films American black - and - white films American comedy thriller films American criminal comedy films Comedy mystery films Detective films Films based on American novels Films based on crime novels Films directed by W.S. Van Dyke Films made before the MPAA Production Code Films set in New York City Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer films The Thin Man films United States National Film Registry films Films adapted into radio programs Films adapted into television programs Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Film articles using image size parameter All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Català Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano ქართული Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Русский Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Українська 11 more Edit links This page was last edited on 12 August 2018, at 00 : 02 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: who played the thin man in the movies
Answer: Edward Ellis