The Thin Man (1934)
- kbroer
- Jun 23, 2023
- 2 min read
William Powell, Myrna Loy
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Available to stream on Amazon Prime
In this first installment of the Thin Man series, Nick and Nora Charles investigate the disappearance of an inventor and the murder of his secretary, while drinking martinis, celebrating Christmas, and having an all around good time.
Why we love it: Filmed in just 2 weeks in 1934, The Thin Man became the first installment in what would become the most popular series of the 1930’s, and make William Powell and Myrna Loy one of the great romantic teams in movie history. Audiences loved their casual camaraderie as Nick and Nora. The atmosphere and other characters are interesting, but it's easy to get a little lost in the story about who knows whom and why people are killed. The supporting characters are pretty dated and you can easily picture them in a silent film with their outlandish makeup and overstated expressions. Powell and Loy are so funny and at ease with each other - watch this movie for them and their relationship. This is one of the two great movies (the other being It Happened One Night) of 1934 that started the “modern” era of movies.
Powell and Loy were also successfully paired in other movies, most fun of which are Double Wedding, 1937, and I Love You Again,1940.
Fun facts:
Maureen O’Sullivan, who plays Dorothy, is the mother of Mia Farrow.
W.S. "Woody" Van Dyke was known as "One Take Woody" and is credited with giving The Thin Man its spontaneous and natural pacing. Apparently, Myrna Loy's first scene where she falls in the bar dropping Christmas presents everywhere was done in one take and she didn't know until right before they started shooting what she was going to do. William Powell's first scene (showing the bartenders how to properly shake cocktails) was also done in one take. In order to make the scene relaxed and spontaneous, Van Dyke told Powell to run through the scene and practice while they checked the lighting and sound. Powell did the scene, adding in some lines of his own, and that's what made it into the movie.
Asta, the Charles' dog, was played by a dog named Skippy, who later appeared in The Awful Truth (1937) and Bringing Up Baby (1938).
For reviews of the movie from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
"A dry Martini, you always shake to waltz time."
- Nick Charles
Featured Cocktail:
Martini
The first post-Prohibition drink served by FDR in the White House was a martini.
A martini by definition is made with gin.
2 oz (60 ml) London dry gin
5-10 ml (1-2 tsps) dry vermouth
Shake or stir ingredients with ice. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives, or lemon twist. You may adjust the amount of vermouth to your taste.
Winston Churchill was said to pour the gin while glancing at a vermouth bottle across the room.
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