The Thin Man Collection is a repackaging of the six Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles that were, and still are, sold individually on Blu-ray. They are 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), and Song of the Thin Man (1947).
Buy The Complete Thin Man Collection Blu-rayBased on Dashiell Hammett’s The Thin Man, Nick Charles (William Powell) is a former detective who “retired” four years back when he married Nora (Myrna Loy). They live that formerly ideal life that movies put out about being wealthy and spending a lot of their time drinking. They playfully banter with one another and are clearly in love. They don’t seem to have a care in the world aside from their beloved Asta, a wire fox terrier. This, of course, leaves them time to get drawn into and solve mysteries.
At a nightclub, Dorothy Wynant runs into Nick with whom she is acquainted because he did some work for her father Clyde. She seek Nick’s help because her father (the actual “Thin Man” of the title so it’s bizarre that the franchise is named after him) is missing. He had gone out of town and was supposed to come back for her wedding.
Complicating matters, as the audience witnessed, Clyde confronts his girlfriend Julia, who used to date gangsters, because she stole and cashed in thousands of dollars in bonds that were intended as a wedding present for Dorothy. Julia ends up dead and the police think Clyde did it. Nick doesn’t believe it and works the case, encountering various suspects, some whom also end up dead, until he gathers everyone for the big reveal, demonstrating he is more clever than the cops and the crooks.
Led by director W. S. Van Dyke, who directed the first four films, The Thin Man is a delight. The script by Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich strikes a great balance of comedy and mystery, and the chemistry between Powell and Loy, who make marriage look like a joy, is charming.
Based on an original storyline by Hammett and a screenplay by Hackett & Goodrich, After the Thin Man (1936), a title that is technically accurate, finds Nick and Nora dealing with family drama as Nora’s cousin Selma (Elissa Landi) not only finds herself in the middle of a love triangle between her husband Robert (Alan Marshal) and her former fiance David (James Stewart), who offers to pay Robert to leave and grant Selma a divorce, but finds herself the suspect when Robert is murdered one foggy night outside a nightclub and she’s found holding the gun. Nick begins to work the case encountering suspects and clues, including one of the latter on a rock through his bedroom window.
When Mat Brewster reviewed the film, he wrote “I’d argue the mystery is more interesting in this one, though the barbs, while still quite funny, don’t quite have the sharpness of the first film. But it is well worth watching for the chemistry Powell and Loy share.”
Based on Hammett’s Continental Op short story “The Farewell Murder,”Another Thin Man (1939), a title that is not accurate, finds another Charles added to the family with one-year-old Nicky Jr. This case involves another familial connection as Colonel Burr MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith), a former business partner of Nora’s father who oversees her finances. He has been receiving death threats from Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard), whose dreams predict the Colonel’s death. Phil thinks he is owed money for past services rendered on behalf of the Colonel, some of which led to jail time for Phil. When the Colonel ends up dead, Nick doesn’t buy Phil as the culprit.
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) and The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) were previously reviewed on the site. In Shadow, “Nick and Nora are on their way to a race track where a jockey, who has been accused of throwing a race, has been murdered. Police Lieutenant Abrams, who previously appeared in After the Thin Man, requests Nick’s help. Nick declines but when asked by Major Jason I. Sculley (Henry O’Neill), who is serving on a commission looking at the role of organized crime on gambling, he acquiesces.” In Goes Home, “The Charleses, minus Nick Jr., but with Asta, leave the big cities behind for a bucolic vacation in Nick’s hometown, Sycamore Springs, for his birthday. They stay with his parents, who disapprove of alcohol. In addition, his father disapproved that Nick didn’t follow in his footsteps and become a doctor. The townsfolk are excited Nick is back and presume he’s working a case, which he isn’t. At least, not until a young man is shot on his parents’ doorstep before an introduction can be given. Nora has a perverse pleasure in this because it will allow Dr. Charles to see his son made the right choice becoming a detective.”
Song of the Thin Man (1947) is the sixth and final entry in the series. New screenwriters Steve Fisher and Nat Perrin move things along rather quickly introducing the characters, the conflicts, and the murder of band leader Tommy Drake (Philip Reed) aboard Phil Brant’s (Bruce Cowling) gambling ship. Tommy told Phil he was leaving for a better job through Mitchell Talbin (Leon Ames). That news compels gangster Al Amboy (William Bishop) to demand the $12,000 Tommy owes him. When Tommy tries to steal the money out of Phil’s safe, the audience sees someone from the shadows shoot and kill him.
The next morning, Phil and his fiancee Janet (Jayne Meadows) show up at the Charles’s apartment after having eloped due to Janet’s father disapproving of Phil. Someone takes a shot at Phil, which pushes Nick into getting involved. Nick and Asta search the ship for clues then Nick and Nora starting hitting clubs looking for clarinetist Buddy Hollis (Don Taylor), a suspect, because singer Fran Page (Gloria Grahame with Carol Arden dubbing her singing voice) dumped him for Tommy. It was fun seeing Nora get more involved in solving the case, getting information out of Buddy and noticing a key clue before Nick does.
The video for the films have all been given 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfers displayed at the original aspect ratios of 1.37:1. All the films comes from brand new 4K remasters sourced from the best surviving elements. All deliver clean images, free from dirt and damage. Blacks are inky and the pictures exhibit a good spectrum of grays. The image has a sharp focus, although some single shots of ladies have a softer focus as was a style of the era. The audio for the films have all been given DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear. The scores play with good clarity, especially on Song, which has a lot of music due to its story.
Each film is accompanied by its trailers. The other Special Features are:
The Thin Man:
- Lux Radio Theatre broadcast (59 min) – Directed by W. S. Van Dyke, stars William Powell and Myrna Loy can be heard on this radio program, which aired June 8, 1936.
- “Scene of the Crime” (26 min) – The second-season premiere of The Thin Man TV series, which starred Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk.
After The Thin Man:
- How to Be a Detective (9 min) – A Robert Benchley short on how to catch a criminal. Crime doesn’t pay, says the Hays Code.
- The Early Bird and the Worm (9 min) – A Happy Harmonies cartoon with a number animals trying to catch a worm.
- Lux Radio Theater Broadcast (60 min) – William Powell and Myrna Loy performed After the Thin Man on June 17, 1940.
- Leo is On the Air (14 min) – A radio promotes After the Thin Man.
Another Thin Man Extras include:
- Love on Tap (11 min) – A musical short featuring the Merriel Abbott Dancers.
- The Bookworm (8 min) – A cartoon about bookworm that battles three witches.
Shadow of the Thin Man Extras include:
- The Tell-Tale Heart (1941) (20 min) – Based on Poe’s short story, this short film is the directorial debut of Jules Dassin.
- The Goose Goes South (1941) (6 min) – This Hanna Barbera short finds a young goose making his way to Florida for the winter.
The Thin Man Goes Home Extras include:
- Why Daddy? (9 min) – A Robert Benchley Miniature where Joe Doakes (Benchley) competes on a new quiz show called Why Daddy? where he competes against a child, but not as well as he expected.
- Screwball Squirrel (7 min) – This Tex Avery cartoon features the debut of violent lunatic Screwy Squirrel.
Song of the Thin Man Extras include:
- Slap Happy Lion (7 min) – A Tex Avery Cartoon about a lion tormented by a mouse.
- Passing Parade Short: A Really Important Person (11 min) –A short starring Dean Stockwell, who played Nick Jr, who is working on an essay about someone important and considered the people in his neighborhood.
The Thin Man Collection is a wonderful sextet of well-written mysteries, anchored like all mysteries are by the detectives at the center of the story, who greatly benefited from being brought to the screen by the talented William Powell and Myrna Loy. The Blu-rays present pleasing high-definition presentations and are augmented by extras tied to the films and the years they were released. The series and this set are highly recommended.
