Shadow of the Thin Man

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The Thin Man
Directed by W.S. Van Dyke
Produced by Hunt Stromberg
Written by Dashiell Hammett (novel)
Harry Kurnitz
Starring William Powell
Myrna Loy
Distributed by MGM
Release date(s) 1941 (USA)
Running time 97 min.
Language English
IMDb profile

Shadow of the Thin Man was the fourth of the six Thin Man films. Released in 1941, it was directed by W. S. Van Dyke, and stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles; other cast members include Donna Reed and Barry Nelson. This one revolves around a horse-racing track, and Nick Jr. (Dickie Hall) is old enough (walking and talking) to figure in the comic subplot. Followed by The Thin Man Goes Home in 1944.

The movie includes a historic sequence on the then-new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge when the Charles' car is stopped by a highway patrolman. Just after this scene, there's also a shot of the MacArthur Maze, an interchange on the east end of the bridge. The local racetrack central to the plot is Golden Gate Fields.

Contents

[edit] Plot

Nick and Nora Charles are looking forward to a day of leisure, but when they make a trip to the race track, they learn that a jockey, who was recently accused of throwing a race, has just been found shot to death. With his friend Lieutenant Abrams in charge of the case, Nick has difficulty keeping from getting involved. Then a special state deputy, in charge of investigating gambling scandals, comes to see Nick. He tells Nick that the jockey could have been silenced by a gambling syndicate, and he asks for Nick's help. Soon Nick is fully involved in a complicated and hazardous investigation.[1]

[edit] Background

Shadow was eagerly welcomed, coming two years after the previous outing and hitting theaters just two weeks before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It would be three years before Loy would make another film (The Thin Man Goes Home in 1945) as she left Hollywood for New York, where she volunteered with the Red Cross. As a world-famous movie star at the top of her game, her passionate condemnation of fascism reportedly earned her a spot near the top of Hitler's "hate list" after she spoke out against Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia. She also went through a messy public divorce and remarriage, after which there was speculation that her wholesome image had been irreparably tarnished and she might not work again.[2]

[edit] Cast

[edit] Memorable Quotes

  • (Final showdown with all suspects present - Nora, who can't stand the suspense any longer) : "Nick! Who is it? Is it me??"[4]
  • Nora: He's getting more like his father everyday.

Estrellita: He sure is. This morning he was playing with a corkscrew.

  • Nick: Nicky, something tells me that something important is happening somewhere and I think we should be there.

[cut to Nora with a cocktail shaker]

  • Nora, Molly: Follow that cab!

Cab Driver: Okay! [drives off after cab, leaving Nora and Molly on sidewalk]

  • Claire Porter aka Clara Peters: And I haven't killed a jockey in weeks, really I haven't.[5]

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0034172/plotsummary
  2. ^ http://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/s/shadowofthethinman.q.shtml
  3. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0034172/fullcredits
  4. ^ http://themave.com/Powell/powloy/films/ShadTM.htm
  5. ^ http://imdb.com/title/tt0034172/quotes

[edit] External links


The Thin Man movies

The Thin Man | After the Thin Man | Another Thin Man | Shadow of the Thin Man | The Thin Man Goes Home | Song of the Thin Man
 
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