Shadow of the Thin Man
Shadow of the Thin Man is the fourth of the six The Thin Man films. It was released in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this film their son Nick Jr. (Dickie Hall) is old enough to figure in the comic subplot. Other cast members include Donna Reed and Barry Nelson. This was one of three films in which Stella Adler appeared.
| Shadow of the Thin Man | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | W. S. Van Dyke |
| Produced by | Hunt Stromberg |
| Written by | Dashiell Hammett (characters) |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Harry Kurnitz |
| Starring | |
| Music by | David Snell |
| Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
| Edited by | Robert J. Kern |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $821,000 |
| Box office | $2,301,000 |
Plot
Nick and Nora Charles are looking forward to a relaxing day at a racetrack, but when a jockey accused of throwing a race is found shot to death, Police Lieutenant Abrams requests Nick's help. The trail leads to a gambling syndicate that operates out of a wrestling arena, a murdered reporter, and a pretty secretary whose boyfriend has been framed. Along the way, Nick and Nora must contend with a wild wrestling match, a dizzying day at a merry-go-round (accompanied by Nick, Jr.), and a table-clearing restaurant brawl.
Cast
- William Powell as Nick Charles
- Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
- Barry Nelson as Paul Clarke
- Louise Beavers as Stella
- Donna Reed as Molly
- Sam Levene as Lieutenant Abrams
- Alan Baxter as "Whitey" Barrow
- Henry O'Neill as Major Jason I. Sculley
- Stella Adler as Claire Porter (aka Clara Peters)
- Loring Smith as "Link" Stephens
- Joseph Anthony as Fred Macy
- Will Wright as Maguire - Nervous Ticket Seller (uncredited)
- Sid Melton as "Fingers" (uncredited)[1]
- Adeline De Walt Reynolds as Barrow's landlady (uncredited)
- Tor Johnson as Jack the Ripper - wrestler (uncredited)[2]
- Frankie Burke as Jockey at the races (uncredited)
- Joe Oakie as Spider Webb (uncredited)
- Lou Lubin as Rainbow Benny
- Richard (Dickie) Hall as Nick Jr.[3]
Production notes
After difficulties with the previous films, author Dashiell Hammett was uninvolved in the production of Shadow or the subsequent two films.[4] Shadow of the Thin Man 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.
The film was fourth of six based on the characters of Nick and Nora:
- The Thin Man (1934)
- After the Thin Man (1936)
- Another Thin Man (1939)
- Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
- The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)
- Song of the Thin Man (1947)
Box office
According to MGM records the film earned $1,453,000 in the US and Canada and $848,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $769,000.[5]
References
- Lamparski, Richard (1985). Whatever became of ... ?. 9. Crown. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-517-55541-5.
- The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures: Film Beginnings. R. R. Bowker. 1941. p. 2137.
- Staff writer (1944). Who's Who at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Culver City, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. p. 71 – via Internet Archive.
- Mooney, William H. (3 November 2014). Dashiell Hammett and the Movies. Rutgers University Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-0-8135-6254-4.
- "The Eddie Mannix Ledger." Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study (Los Angeles).
External links
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