Movies
Make a date with sexy, sassy, swell "Thin Man"

By Moira Macdonald
Seattle Times movie critic

A sexy, smart couple and their faithful dog: William Powell, Myrna Loy and Asta in "The Thin Man," 1934. It was the first in a delightful series of six films about a sleuthing couple.

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Pass me a martini — oh, bring me six of them, line 'em up right here — and let's talk about the "Thin Man" series. For six sparkling movies in the 1930s and '40s, William Powell and Myrna Loy played Nick and Nora Charles, a (supposedly) retired detective and his quick-witted wife. Now, as an early holiday gift, the Grand Illusion is bringing all six films to its screen, throughout the month. Here are 10 reasons why you should be there:

10. Aside from Powell and Loy, you can have fun star-spotting throughout the series, which features supporting performances by the likes of Maureen O'Sullivan ("The Thin Man"), Donna Reed ("Shadow of the Thin Man"), Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges ("Another Thin Man"), and a very young, very gangly Jimmy Stewart ("After the Thin Man") in one of his earliest featured roles.

9. You can have your Lassies and your Benjis — Asta, Nick and Nora's faithful wire-haired terrier, is the most urbane of movie dogs. Originally named Skippy in real life, the pooch changed his name to Asta to match his screen identity. He appeared in the first four "Thin Man" films (along with several other look-alikes) and, obviously a discerning reader of scripts, was also featured in two classic Cary Grant screwballs: "The Awful Truth" (as Mr. Smith) and "Bringing Up Baby" (as George).

	William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles in "The Thin Man." The Charles' playful, bantering relationship is loads of fun in the original 1934 film and the five that followed.

8. Dashiell Hammett's novel "The Thin Man" inspired the series, but MGM director W.S. ("Woody") Van Dyke, who directed the first four films, added the touch that created magic. He urged the screenwriters, the husband-and-wife team of Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, to emphasize the Charles' playful, bantering relationship. The two earned Oscar nominations for their screenplays for the first two "Thin Man" films.

7. Those who love sleek '30s style can revel in the fashions of these films — and nobody wore them better than Loy, who had a careless, saucy elegance. "Have you got a nice evening gown?" demands Nick at the end of "The Thin Man." Nora doesn't miss a beat. "Yes. I've got a lulu. Why?"

6. Ah, the dialogue. "Thin Man" fans can fill in the context around this one, delivered with a naughty drawl by Powell: "He didn't get anywhere near my tabloids." The rest of you will just have to see it for yourself.

5. Nobody ever talks about remaking "The Thin Man." No one would dare. (I shouldn't tempt the fates — there was a disastrous Broadway-musical version about 10 years back, called "Nick & Nora." But really, any director who thinks he or she could equal the magic of these films should be sentenced to watch "Laws of Attraction" over and over again.)

Now playing The "Thin Man" series plays through Nov. 25, Grand Illusion Cinema, 1403 N.E. 50th St., Seattle. Individual tickets are $7.50 ($5.50 seniors; $5 Grand Illusion members); series pass is $30 ($20 members). Schedule: Nov. 5-11: "The Thin Man" (1934) and "After the Thin Man" (1936). Nov. 12-18: "Another Thin Man" (1939) and "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941). Nov. 19-25: "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1945) and "Song of the Thin Man" (1947). All films are shown in 35mm. For information and showtimes: 206-523-3935 or www.grandillusioncinema.org.

4. Except for the original "Thin Man," you cannot watch these movies on DVD — they are only available on video. They turn up on television occasionally but very rarely are they screened in cinemas. I saw "The Thin Man" for the first time at the Neptune (if memory serves) about 20 years ago and fell hopelessly in love with it; since then, I've probably watched it a few dozen more times. Go, and you just might get hooked, too.

3. Loy was 29 when she was cast as Nora Charles, and she'd already survived an enormous career upheaval: moving from silent films, where she often played an exotic vamp, to talkies. In the "Thin Man" movies, she's the Ginger to Powell's smooth Fred — an unruffled, pert-nosed charmer, smart as fresh paint, who gave as good as she got. "Men Must Marry Myrna" clubs sprang up around the U.S. after "The Thin Man"; it's easy to see why.

2. William Powell's career supposedly was washed-up by the mid-'30s, though he'd done well in another franchise as private eye Philo Vance. Teamed with Loy, he's debonair perfection, eyeing her naughtily, as if he's anticipating a delightful surprise. "You got types?" Nora asks him playfully. "Only you, darling," he replies. "Lanky brunettes with wicked jaws."

1. Separately, Loy and Powell are splendid; together, they create one of the great examples of that elusive thing known as screen chemistry. Watch these films and see what so many contemporary romantic comedies are lacking: a real connection between their stars; a sense that anything could happen. One of the happiest married couples ever to grace the screen, Nick and Nora create a giddy joy that floats out over the audience, enlisting us in their conspiratorial spirit of fun, making us want to be like them — or, at least, to share a martini.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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