A Martini-Laden Presentation
at Friday Night Movies:

The Thin Man

Friday, ??? ?th
Pot luck supper @ 7pm
Movie @ 8pm

RSVP!

Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?
--Myrna Loy as Nora Charles

The Thin Man
USA: 1934 -- Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Written by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett
Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
Starring William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan & Skippy as Asta

The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.
--William Powell as Nick Charles

Almost as welcome as a shaker full of martinis, The Complete Thin Man Collection represents an eagerly awaited DVD milestone for fans of the fizzy MGM movie series. The best film in the series came first: The Thin Man (1934), W.S. Van Dyke's marvelous adaptation of a Dashiell Hammet novel. The movie gods were in a generous mood when they paired William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, the upper-class sophisticates whose sleuthing escapades somehow joined the classic form of the whodunit with the giddyup of screwball comedy. Among the series' many attributes, one of its most radical notions was the idea that a married couple might find each other delightful and view life as a goofy adventure together.

Hope to see you there. I'll save you an aisle seat, a cigarette and a martini (or three).

Awards

Nominated for Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role (William Powell), Best Director (W.S. Van Dyke), & Best Writing - Adaptation (Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett)

Entered into the National Film Registry in 1997

More awards

Memorable Quotes

Nick Charles: I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune.
Nora Charles: I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids.
Nick Charles: It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.

Nick Charles: Oh, it's all right, Joe. It's all right. It's my dog. And, uh, my wife.
Nora Charles: Well you might have mentioned me first on the billing.

Marion: I don't like crooks. And if I did like 'em, I wouldn't like crooks that are stool pigeons. And if I did like crooks that are stool pigeons, I still wouldn't like you

More quotes

Trivia

The title does not refer to Nick Charles (William Powell), but to the murder victim. Audiences and critics alike kept referring to Nick Charles as "the Thin Man", so subsequent films kept the name.

Given three weeks to shoot the film, W.S. van Dyke managed it all in 12 days for the paltry budget of $231,000 (April 9-mid May). The film surprised everyone by becoming a major box office hit, ranking in $1.4 million.

Skippy, who played Asta the dog, bit Myrna Loy during filming.

More trivia

Goofs

Continuity: At Nick and Nora's apartment, Nora folds her arms in front of her. In the next shot, she's holding her hands behind her back.

Continuity: Nick walks into a bedroom with an ice bucket full of ice. Minutes later, he walks out of the bedroom but the ice has melted.

More goofs