Song of the Thin Man
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Movie Reviews of Song of the Thin Man
Movie Review: "Mrs. Charles Always Wears Her Mouth Open with This Outfit."
Summary: 4 Stars
Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are attending a gambling charity event aboard the S.S. Fortune. The entertainment is being provided by a jazz band. The band's leader, Tommy Drake (Phillip Reed) has huge gambling debts and too many female admirers. So it is hardly surprising when he is shot before the cruise is over.
As always, Nick absolutely refuses to get involved. That is until he is shot at. With the case suddenly very personal, he and Nora infiltrate the hip world of 40's Jazz, guided by Clinker (Keenan Wynn). Can Nick find the killer one last time?
The mysteries in this series have gotten weaker over time, and this one is no exception. There was no way to figure out the killer before Nick. Having said that, there are enough revelations and twists along the way to keep you entertained.
But the real reason to watch these films is the banter between Nick and Nora. It's in top form here. I laughed and grinned plenty as the story progressed. It's absolutely entertaining. William Powell and Myrna Loy still have remarkable chemistry.
Of course, part of the laughs come from the fish out of water element with the jazz scene. Keenan Wynn was absolutely hilarious in the role as the guide. And it was fun for me to see him in a part outside of his Disney villain days. Also fun was a very young Dean Stockwell as Nick Jr.
This movie is not the best from the franchise. But it is a fun closer. If you enjoyed the earlier films, don't hesitate to watch this one.
Movie Review: "That's an old saying I just made up."
Summary: 4 Stars
Song of the Thin Man is the last film of the highly popular detective series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Here, the couple is dragged into another murder case when a man is killed at a popular nighclub. It seems that he was involved with several women and owed a few debts. He could have been killed by anyone, and the evidence points to several people. Inevitably, just when the duo gets close to solving the case, something happens to throw them off course.
It is obvious that the leading stars have aged quite a bit since the first film in the series, but this is appropriate with the story. There are references to their longtime involvement in solving crimes, and their dog Asta has found a loving companion in the Charles son, Nick Jr. (Dean Stockwell). This is a movie about a family, which appeals to sentimental types, but it includes jazz and action for other audiences. There is certainly something for everyone here. No wonder this series ran for so long.
Movie Review: Nick and Nora's last case...
Summary: 3 Stars
Most "Thin Man" fans agree that the series should have concluded with the previous title (1945's "The Thin Man Goes Home"), but I think the appeal of having an even set of six movies was far too tempting for the MGM producers to ignore. To be fair, there are a few sour notes, but the final adventure of Nick and Nora Charles in SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947) is on the whole quite a fitting finale to this most delicious mystery series.
A night aboard the floating casino S.S. Fortune becomes more eventful for semi-retired detective Nick Charles (William Powell) and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) when the bandleader is shot, and one of the main suspects subsequently goes AWOL. Nick and Nora join forces with one of the wisecracking musicians (Keenan Wynn) in a race against time to find the killer...
SONG OF THE THIN MAN fails in many ways because the storyline is far too serious, almost noir-ish in tone; and most of Nick & Nora's witty asides and playful comedy scenes (which marked the earlier films) are nowhere to be found. It's a dark new world for the Charles' and one can't help feeling that it's also the end of an era.
One thing that stands in SONG...'s favour however is an extremely fine cast... Dean Stockwell (as Nicky Jr.), Jayne Meadows, Leon Ames, Gloria Grahame, Keenan Wynn, Patricia Morison and legendary bit-player Bess Flowers in one of her rare speaking parts. It's probably the strongest cast ever assembled for a "Thin Man"; and another reason why it's so frustrating that it doesn't function as fluidly as the earlier films.
In her autobiography "Being and Becoming", Myrna Loy expressed her misgivings about returning as Nora for the sixth time:
"[Song of the Thin Man] was a lackluster film from start to finish. I hated it. The characters had lost their sparkle for [William Powell] and me, and the people who knew what it was all about were no longer involved. Woody Van Dyke [director of the first three movies] was dead. Dashiell Hammett and [producer] Hunt Stromberg had gone elsewhere. The Hacketts were writing other things. Surprisingly though [it] was well received, particularly in England, where according to the Hollywood Reporter, "Most of the cricks gave a cordial welcome to old-timers Bill Powell and Myrna Loy...". I know that only because Bill sent me the article with "old-timers" circled in pencil and this note scrawled at the top of the page: "Dear old girl! I know you wouldn't want to miss this! Love, Willy (old boy)".
For the fans, SONG OF THE THIN MAN will be a disappointment on many levels, but let's just sit back and enjoy the mystery at hand.
Movie Review: So long, Asta
Summary: 3 Stars
Elsewhere in this space I have praised to the sky Dashiell Hammet's contribution to American literature through innovative improvements in the detective genre. That remains true. I have also praised the original film of the Thin Man here as well. But in the present review we are down to the sixth and last sequel in this series and it shows. Gone is the bright repartee between Nick (played by William Powell) and Nora (played by Myrna Loy) that made the original work. As the series progressed these characteristic charms took a beating until at the end the two are basically working separate beats.
The plot here involves a murdered small time jazz bandleader who has admirers (mainly female) but also some deadly enemies. Nick and Nora are drawn into this one by an acquaintance who has recently married a local gambling boss who, as the bandleader's employer, turns out to be a prime suspect. The fight for `truth and justice' takes off from there ending in the inevitable gathering of all the possible suspects in one locale in order for Nick to sort things out. The one redeeming feature here is the snappy `hip' dialogue of the various white jazz musicians who form the background for the story, especially the lively Keenan Wynn. Otherwise, this film-take it or leave.
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