The Complete Thin Man Collection (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)

Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett's most enduring sleuths, Nick and Nora Charles,were fictionalized versions of Hammett and his partner, Lillian Hellman. MGM secured the screen rights to the The Thin Man, a 1934 novel that jumped to the top of bestseller lists. William Powell and Myrna Loy were drafted to play Nick and Nora, with director W. S. ("One Shot Woody") Van Dyke asked to shoot the movie within a few weeks. The rest, as the saying goes, is history: a six film series that has delighted audiences for decades. Loy, who had usually been miscast (including a role as the daughter of Fu Manchu), benefited from the role and became one of the best actresses of Hollywood's golden age. Witty, urbane, and inordinately fond of alcohol, the Charleses romped life and murders. Much of the fun came from the sharp cynical banter between the couple, along with an incongrous matching of social positions and settings. Powell's character was a poor but effective detective suddenly thrust into 'society' by marrying heiress Nora. She and other members of the upper crust must deal with Nick's former associates: gangsters, scoundrels, pickpockets, and humorous ne'er-do-wells who Nick often had sent up the river. Some of the funniest moments in the series occurred when Nora tries to investigate members of the underworld or visits dance halls and pool parlours. The series usually benefited from a strong supporting cast and marked the debut of many film and television actors from Maureen O'Sullivan to Sheldon Leonard. Invariably the films close with all the suspects in a room and Nick revealing the killer. The first film, the best, deals with the mystery of a missing inventor but at the centre are the antics of the often inebriated Charleses. The 1936 sequel, After the Thin Man, was nearly as good and cast young James Stewart as a murder suspect. The later films, reflecting MGM's emphasis upon family films, stressed the domestic life of the Charles, with a lot of scene-stealing by their pooch, Asta. Another Thin Man (1939) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) lack the edge of the first two films but the Charles at their weakest are better than most murder mysteries.. The Thin Man Goes Home (1944), which had Nick and Nora visiting Nick's parents is the 'turkey' in the series, a folksy trip similar to an Andy Hardy movie. The final episode, Song of the Thin Man (1947), was a borderline noir film that unfolded in smoky jazz clubs and underworld dives. This box set offers two true classics, two solid whodunits, one ho-hum case, and one gobbler. The films have been remastered and each disc has a cartoon or MGM short to round out the show. The set also benefits from a bonus DVD that has two fine documentaries: "Myrna Loy - So Nice to Come Home To" and "William Powell: A True Gentleman." Well worth your money.

Rarely has so little spawned so many good sequels. In this case, "little" is Dashiell Hammett's classic detective novel "The Thin Man," a gritty detective story about a pair of married society sleuths, the legendary Nick and Nora Charles. It's prettier, brighter and wittier than Hammett's novel, but even the least of these mysteries is fun.

"The Thin Man" was the sparkling film that started it all. While shaking a martini to the waltz, Nick Charles investigates the disappearance of an old client, and the murder of his secretary-lover, who was stealing from him. It seems like an easy case, but Nick isn't convinced. Ex-wives, anguished daughters, long-suffering cops and creepy stool pigeons all show up for a dinnertime revelation...

"After the Thin Man" returns Nick and Nora to San Francisco. They find that Nora's cousin Selma (Elissa Landi) has been abandoned by her husband (Jimmy Stewart) for a sexy nightclub entertainer, and that he's also blackmailing her ex-boyfriend. Soon he turns up dead, and it's up to Nick and Nora to clear Selma's name....

"Another Thin Man" is an adaptation of another Hammett short story, and introduces us to Baby Charles. The new parents arrive in Long Island to visit an old friend of the family, who claims that a former business partner is trying to kill him. Of course, he dies. Disappearing bodies, international suspects, and lots of martinis are par for the course...

"Shadow of the Thin Man" takes the Charles family to the racetrack, where a jockey is unexpectedly killed. Nick doesn't want to be torn away from his vices, but he reluctantly gets involved when the bodies start to pile up. Gambling syndicates, lethal sports and milk-drinking are all tied up in this.

Family expectations strike in "The Thin Man Goes Home" -- the Charleses goes to visit Nick's family, and especially his father. His father wanted Nick to be a doctor, and was snotty about it when Nick became a detective. So to redeem her husband's career choice, Nora spreads the rumour that Nick is there to solve a case -- and lo and behold, somebody gets killed.

"Song of the Thin Man" is the final entry, and strains at times to be cool and fresh. But it's still fairly amusing in the most part. A nasty jazz bandleader is murdered, and there's no shortage of suspects -- jilted girlfriend, gamblers, bruised egos and more. So the Charleses delve into the world of jazz musicians, determined to find the killer.

It's more or less a given that none of the sequels would be as good as the witty, taut "Thin Man." But then again, a bad "Thin Man" movie is still better than most movies, today or of yesteryear. They had witty, literate dialogue, lots of booze, and a hilarious mixture of the romantic comedy and the hard-boiled detective story.

And of course, Myrna Loy and William Powell. These two actors had glorious, playful chemistry together, and charmingly talk to thugs, cops, freaks, and high society doyennes in the same breath. The charm was somewhat diminished by Nick Jr., like when Nora orders Nick to spank the kid. But on the flipside, there's acrobatic terrier Asta, who never fails to charm.

Watching the "Thin Man" series is like taking a trip back in time, to the high society of the 1930s, and staying with the wittiest pair of sophisticates imaginable. Outstanding.

I bought this set for my Mother who is 82. My wife and I enjoyed the movies ourselves, a very funny take on society high and low that is as accessible today as when
they were filmed. So when my mother mentioned she is not watching much TV as the current trend is too raw and frankly distressing for her tastes, I thought of this
series. Try them you are guaranteed a laugh or two. ;-) Cheers!