Shadow of the Thin Man

SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN offers nothing really new but it does offer exactly what fans of the franchise expect. Nick and Nora get dragged into another murder mystery. They continue to bicker in their loving way. Nick and all his old street contacts help Nick do what the police cannot. Lt. Abrams (Sam Levene) last seen in AFTER THE THIN MAN returns. He is to Nick what Inspector Lestrad is to Sherlock Holmes. It's a treat to see a young Donna Reed in a film 5 years prior to her breakthrough performance in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and 2 decades prior to her self named sitcom.

As usual, Nick with Nora's help rounds up all the suspects and walks the viewer through his deductive reasoning and then announces who the killer is. As this was the third sequel it is plain to see the basic formula that is present in all the THIN MAN films. It, by this film, had become about as complex as a color by numbers coloring book. Little imagination but still fun to do. I would rank this my fourth favorite of the six THIN MAN FILMS.

Another good series entry [4/6], more sedate than its predecessors but still a quality funny whodunnit, again set in Red Herring City.

Nick finds himself embroiled in a murder case after a racetrack killing leads to another implicating an "obviously" decent guy, trying to unravel the murderer from a long list of "guilty" suspects. Nick's deductions again spring a surprise, culminating with a detail only discovered near the end of the picture. The funniest scene is the outbreak of fisticuffs in the restaurant - I'm glad I never got a dog, cute as Asta was! Again Nick Jr. was sidelined for the second half, probably so as not to complicate the plot further. Donna Reed's second film.

With a beautiful print and the chorus of "Why, It's Nick Charles!" ringing in my ears I found this one to be almost up to par with the first three and one I certainly hope to watch again.

When the creators of the original 'The Thin Man' film released their hilarious movie back in 1934, they could never have realised what a successful formula they were using! Produced seven years later, using basically the same ingredients as the original, the fourth edition to the six-part series – 'Shadow of the Thin Man' – still feels as fresh and witty as ever, even surpassing its direct predecessor in terms of wit and mystery. Just as in'Another Thin Man,' there is perhaps a little more murder-mystery and a little less comedy in this installment, but this was a necessary decision in order to reach a fine balance, since, as we know from most comedic sequels, some jokes can get old pretty fast. Fortunately, of course, this is not the case for these movies, and 'Shadow of the Thin Man' still packs a deadly punch, perhaps due to the flawless chemistry of its leads and the return, once again, of the original director, W.S. Van Dyke (credited here as Maj. W.S. Van Dyke II), just two years before his suicide.

A few years after the previous film left off, Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are living happily with their growing son, Nick Jr. (young Richard "Dickie" Hall, in his debut). Nick suddenly becomes involved in a murder investigation when the dead body of a corrupt jockey is found in the showers at the racetrack. The murders don't stop there, either, and there is a range of suspicious and nefarious characters who could have orchestrated the deaths. With his ultra-enthusiastic wife at his heels, and the playful Asta the dog by his side, Nick must get to the root of the mystery before a good friend of his, newspaper reporter, Paul (Barry Nelson, also in his debut), is convicted of murder. Rounding out a decent supporting cast are Donna Reed (in only her second film, and five years prior to Frank Capra's 'It's A Wonderful Life'), Sam Levene (reprising his role as the incompetent Lieutenant Abrams), Alan Baxter, Henry O'Neill, Stella Adler, Loring Smith, Joseph Anthony and Lou Lubin.

It is Nick Charles' philosophy that if you lock a bunch of murder suspects in the same room, eventually somebody like slip up and give themselves away. Once again, this law proves the villain's ultimate undoing, and I'll confess that never in a million years would I have suspected the actual murderer! The screenplay was written by Irving Brecher and Harry Kurnitz, both new to the franchise, and the murder-plot is noticeably less twisted and convoluted than previously, allowing for enjoyable viewing that doesn't require the viewer to strain their mind quite so much. Nonetheless, it is always fascinating to see how all the pieces fall neatly into place, and how one seemingly-minor clue can prove the most significant evidence of all.

Though present only during the early part of the film, young Nick Jr. – at about four years of age – allows for some excellent comedic gags. The film opens with Nick Charles and his son walking through the park, with the former offering to recite a fantastic fairy-tale that's never been heard before, only to clumsily make one up based on the horse-racing schedule he's reading. In order to coax Nick back to the house for a meal, Myrna begins using the cocktail shaker, prompting her husband – far, far away – to suddenly decide: "Nicky, something tells me that something important is happening somewhere and I think we should be there." Another particularly entertaining sequence involves Asta the dog, and how he single-handedly initiates a heated brawl between every single patron of a restaurant. Despite this being their fourth "Thin Man" mystery together, the chemistry between the two leads remains incredibly potent, and I can't help looking forward to their next great adventure.

In this fourth movie in the Thin Man series, the familiar formula still works pretty well, making "Shadow of the Thin Man" an enjoyable feature with plenty of wit, an interesting mystery, and most of all Nick and Nora. It's hard to think of any other screen couple that worked together better than William Powell and Myrna Loy. All it takes is a few seconds of seeing them interact before you feel as if you are in the company of old friends.

The story and setting make use of Nick's fondness for the horse races, and this also allows for an entertaining assortment of characters. The mystery has several twists and turns, and the story developments alternate with lighter stretches of Nick and Nora being themselves. Besides the race track, there are some other imaginative settings that help in creating an atmosphere that is both believable and interesting.

Most of the other characters are pretty straightforward, but Sam Levene gets quite a few good moments as the police lieutenant. Barry Nelson also has a decent role as a reporter. A very young Donna Reed gets a fair amount of screen time, but her character is not as interesting as the others. It's also interesting to see Stella Adler in one of her rare screen roles.

This one is a cut below the earlier movies in the series, but it's still good fun. As well as the familiar combination works, there weren't a lot of reasons to make significant changes.

Anything with William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles starts out at a six out of ten absent anything else positive in the film. I didn't think that this was one of the best of the series, with nothing outpacing the original Thin Man. There was too much baby in the last one and too much little kid in this one. Look, I wouldn't appreciate Sherlock Holmes, Perry Mason, OR Nick Charles showing up in a family drama like "I Remember Mama" and I didn't appreciate the intrusion of all of the little kid schtick in this, what is supposed to be a detective film/comedy. Maybe it is just the conformist view of the pre-war production code era, or maybe it is just that Irving Thalberg had been dead since 1936 and five years later Louis B. Mayer's sickly sweet sentimentalism was starting to really take hold at MGM.

At least Woody Van Dyke is still in the director's chair, and Sam Levene makes a great side kick for Nick as police lieutenant Abrams who couldn't detect his way out of a paper bag without the help of Mr. Charles. Nick takes pity on the fellow and tries to give him credit where he can.

This mystery is about two murders - one at a race track and another in the office of the head of a gambling syndicate, seemingly unrelated. Another problem I have in this film - the guy in the "young couple" who Nick and Nora are trying to help is played by Barry Nelson, who easily has the most punchable face in the history of film. Even when he is out cold he looks like he is obnoxiously smirking.

Some of the weirder sights in this one? Nick walking his son on a leash, and his son - all of four - in a soldier's uniform! Also a San Francisco seafood restaurant which is not upscale but not greasy spoon level either has a dirt floor!

I'd recommend it for fans of the Thin Man films. There is enough Nick and Nora to overcome its several flaws.