Director: Edward Buzzell
Writers: Steve Fisher (screen play), Nat Perrin (screen play), 4 more credits »
Stars: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Nick and Nora Charles are asked by Phil Brant and Janet Thayar, who have just eloped, to help them after band leader Tommy Drake is killed at a society dance which Nick and Nora also attended. The police are looking to arrest Brant for the murder and while he claims he's innocent, Nick isn't too keen on having him in the house and turns him over to the police. As they look into the case, Nick and Nora learn that Drake wasn't very well liked and there are actually several people who benefited from his death. Drake owed money to loan shark Al Amboy, and Janet's father disliked Brant and may have set him up. Drake's girlfriend may have been having a fling with clarinetist Buddy Hollis, and he and Drake had a fist fight on stage during the festivities. Nick arranges for another party on the same boat where Nora notices something quite peculiar about one of the guest's jewelry.Movie Reviews
For the past year, I
have looked towards each new instalment of the 'Thin Man' adventures
with great enthusiasm. The original film, released in 1934, took me
completely by surprise, a hard-boiled detective story that turned out of
be a remarkably witty mystery/comedy, with William Powell and Myrna Loy
as a husband-and-wife detective team who never fail to solve even the
most baffling of murders. Though 'The Thin Man (1934),' followed closely
by 'After The Thin Man (1936),' are undoubtedly the best of the lot,
what struck me most is how incredibly consistent the series has proved
to be, never anything less than entertaining despite consisting of an
epic six films released over a thirteen-year period. 'Song of the Thin
Man (1947)' is the sixth and final film, and, though regrettably the
least of the series, the comedy still packs a punch when it is required,
and the chemistry between Powell and Loy shows no sign of slowing down,
despite the pair noticeably beginning to show their respective ages
(Powell was 55 years of age, and Loy was 42).
'Song of the Thin Man' sees Nick and Nora Charles semi-retired from detective work, caring for their growing son Nick Charles, Jr. (played by a young Dean Stockwell). There is a clever and amusing scene near the beginning of the scene when Nora orders her husband to spank young Nicky, as punishment for trying to escape piano lessons in favour of baseball. As a reluctant Nick, Sr. tries to assemble his courage, he imagines memories of young Nicky being born and growing up, reinforcing his unwillingness to punish the boy. However, after recollecting the moment when he crashed a bicycle to Nicky's great amusement, Nick unleashes a wallop of beatings that would undoubtedly have left the boy with an aching behind had he not mischievously hidden a baseball glove in his trousers. Asta the dog remains a prominent character in the film, though noticeably played by a different canine actor {the original Asta, a.k.a. Skippy, seemingly retired after 'The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)'}.
This time around, Nick and Nora decide to investigate the mysterious murder of Tommy Drake (Phillip Reed), an unpopular jazz band-leader. In order to fully understand the motives and identity of the killer, the pair must descend into the ultra-hip world of jazz musicians, led by an enthusiastic guide in Clarence "Clinker" Krause (Keenan Wynn), who makes a perfect comedic sidekick. Though the ending of the film, particularly the revalation, is disappointingly weak, 'Song of the Thin Man' mostly stays true to the tried-and-tested formula of the previous films, producing a solid and entertaining murder mystery with no great shortage of amusing wise-cracks. Now that I've completed Nick and Nora's adventures, I can now rank the films as such: 1) The Thin Man; 2) After the Thin Man; 3) Shadow of the Thin Man; 4) The Thin Man Goes Home; 5) Another Thin Man; 6) Song of the Thin Man… So help yourself to another martini, and then enjoy the entire series again!
'Song of the Thin Man' sees Nick and Nora Charles semi-retired from detective work, caring for their growing son Nick Charles, Jr. (played by a young Dean Stockwell). There is a clever and amusing scene near the beginning of the scene when Nora orders her husband to spank young Nicky, as punishment for trying to escape piano lessons in favour of baseball. As a reluctant Nick, Sr. tries to assemble his courage, he imagines memories of young Nicky being born and growing up, reinforcing his unwillingness to punish the boy. However, after recollecting the moment when he crashed a bicycle to Nicky's great amusement, Nick unleashes a wallop of beatings that would undoubtedly have left the boy with an aching behind had he not mischievously hidden a baseball glove in his trousers. Asta the dog remains a prominent character in the film, though noticeably played by a different canine actor {the original Asta, a.k.a. Skippy, seemingly retired after 'The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)'}.
This time around, Nick and Nora decide to investigate the mysterious murder of Tommy Drake (Phillip Reed), an unpopular jazz band-leader. In order to fully understand the motives and identity of the killer, the pair must descend into the ultra-hip world of jazz musicians, led by an enthusiastic guide in Clarence "Clinker" Krause (Keenan Wynn), who makes a perfect comedic sidekick. Though the ending of the film, particularly the revalation, is disappointingly weak, 'Song of the Thin Man' mostly stays true to the tried-and-tested formula of the previous films, producing a solid and entertaining murder mystery with no great shortage of amusing wise-cracks. Now that I've completed Nick and Nora's adventures, I can now rank the films as such: 1) The Thin Man; 2) After the Thin Man; 3) Shadow of the Thin Man; 4) The Thin Man Goes Home; 5) Another Thin Man; 6) Song of the Thin Man… So help yourself to another martini, and then enjoy the entire series again!
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