The Thin Man (1934)

1934's The Thin Man was based on the Dashiell Hammett novel by the same name. But don't expect this to be a tough, dark detective story. This detective, Nick Charles (William Powell), retired after marrying Nora (Myrna Loy), an heiress. Rather than casing back alleys, Nick and Nora socialize, trade quips, and drink. And boy, do they drink! This detective is more marinaded than hard boiled. At least they're happy drunks.



The plot revolves around a old, quirky, wealthy (and thin) inventor who divorced his money- and man-hungry wife, has a relationship with his secretary, and plans to leave town in order to work in seclusion. His lawyer, MacCauley (Porter Hall), has power of attorney, and is to manage his affairs and send money via the secretary.

The movie starts and ends quite differently than the book. In the novel, Hammett reveals the plot to the reader - and to Nick Charles - one bite at a time. We never meet the inventor. The movie, on the other hand, opens with the inventor, showing us the full back story. Frankly, this is a good choice, as the golden rule for film is show, don't tell.

The crime, in the book and movie, is the murder of the secretary, discovered by the inventor's ex-wife. The daughter, Dorothy Wyant (Maureen O'Sullivan) seeks the help of Nick, who knows the family and the lawyer.

Unfortunately, the film focuses on the witty, drinking couple, the dog, Asta (Skippy), doing tricks for the camera, and the drunken friends hamming it up. It would be fun to be on a cruise ship with the Charles couple, but they're too softboiled to anchor a film noir.

Unlike the book, the film ends with all of the suspects invited to a dinner party, where Nick fishes for the culprit, and each character gets to mug for the camera in the corny, 1930s style. And, surprise, surprise, the least likely character did it.

The very best scene in the film, where Nick finds a body under the floorboards of the inventor's workshop, is also unique to the screenplay, In the novel, Nick is told about the body by the police. Again, the movie gets this right: show don't tell, and make your central character active.

With such a great title, and given that it's based on a Dashiell Hammett novel, one might expect a tough film noir. That's certainly not the case. However, The Thin Man was entertaining enough to inspire five sequels.

I give The Thin Man five of ten stars. If you want noir, skip it. If you like lighthearted, '30s style comedy, give it a try. Personally, I didn't care for the book much either. This is the last of Dashiell Hammett's novels, and, unfortunately, his weakest.