After the Thin Man (1936)
- kbroer
- Dec 27, 2024
- 3 min read
William Powell, Myrna Loy
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Available to stream on Prime Video
After this, our last film of December, "Movies and Martinis" will be saying goodbye for a while. We have written weekly about our favorite films and cocktails for over a year and a half --that's 92 different classic movies and cocktails! We might reappear with some monthly posts in the future, but for now we are taking a break. The website will remain active so if you're looking for a recommendation for a classic movie or a cocktail recipe, you can still read all of our older posts. We have thoroughly enjoyed this project and we thank you so much for reading!
We last saw Nick and Nora Charles on the train to California in 1934's The Thin Man. In this sequel the train arrives in San Francisco, home to Nora's snobby family, who don't approve of her marriage to Nick. Just in time for New Year's Eve the Charleses are pulled into the mystery of a cousin's missing husband with all the usual hijincks - cocktails, night clubs, and beautiful 1930's fashions.
Why we love it: Nick and Nora, of course! They're always fun, especially in this one and in the original from 1934. William Powell and Myrna Loy are a great couple no matter what the story is. They made six "Thin Man" stories together, along with other movies, the best of which are the comedies I Love You Again (1940) and Double Wedding (1937).
Fun Facts:
This film was nominated for one Academy Award -- Best Screenplay, written by husband and wife screenwriting team Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, who also wrote the script for the original film The Thin Man (1934).
James Stewart appears as a supporting character in one of his early roles before he became a leading man.
Jimmy Stewart in "After the Thin Man" Myrna Loy learned that she was earning only half of what William Powell was paid for the movie. She decided that since they were publicized as a team, she should be paid an equal amount. She lobbied studio head L.B. Mayer to get paid the same amount as William Powell and eventually won.
William Powell and Myrna Loy were such a popular onscreen couple, people often forgot that they weren't married in real life. When they arrived at the hotel in San Francisco where they were to stay while filming some scenes for this movie, the hotel management had automatically booked them into a suite together and welcomed them as "Mr. and Mrs. Powell." Jean Harlow, William Powell's secret fiancée at the time, was also traveling with them. According to Myrna Loy's autobiography Being and Becoming, Jean had the idea for her and Myrna to share the suite and put William Powell in the last tiny bedroom left in the hotel. Loy went on to say, "That mix-up brought me one of my most cherished friendships. You would have thought Jean and I were in boarding school we had so much fun. We'd stay up half the the night talking and sipping gin, sometimes laughing, sometimes discussing more serious things." (Being and Becoming, p. 143.)
Watch the original trailer below:
For reviews from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
Featured Cocktail:
Espresso Martini
There are two key ingredients in this version of the espresso martini: rum and very hot coffee. The rum cuts the sweetness of the coffee liqueur and the hot espresso yields the drink’s frothy head.
1 oz (30 ml) vodka
1 oz (30 ml) coffee liqueur
½ oz (15 ml) golden rum
1 oz (30 ml) very hot strong espresso
Mix the first three ingredients in the bottom of a shaker, add the hot espresso, and shake with lots of ice. Strain into a martini glass. This drink is often garnished by floating a few coffee beans on top.
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