The Thin Man 1934
7.9 / 10
The Thin Man
A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.
A husband and wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.
Videos & Photos
All 2 Videos & 30 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Nick Charles
... Nora Charles
... Dorothy Wynant
... Inspector John Guild
... Mimi Wynant
... Herbert MacCaulay
User reviews
See All 1 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by John Chard
Waiter, will you serve the nuts? ...I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts? The Thin Man is directed by W. S. Van Dyke and co-written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. It is based on the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name. Starring are William Powell and Myrna Loy, with support coming from Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall and Skippy as Astra the dog. William Axt scores the music and James Wong Howe is the cinematographer. Plot finds Powell and Loy as married couple, Nick and Nora Charles, he is a retired detective, she a good time heiress. Planning to finally settle down, their life is upturned when Nick is called back into detective work due to a friend's disappearance and the possibility he was also involved in a murder. Murder, malarkey and mirth are about to become the order of the day. It was the big surprise hit of 1934. Afforded only a tiny budget because studio head honcho Louis B. Mayer thought it was dud material, and he ordered for it to be completed in under three weeks time! Film made stars out of Powell and Loy and coined an impressive $2 million at the box office. Also birthing a franchise (5 film sequels and a radio and television series would follow), it's a film that has irresistible charm leaping out from every frame. It's easy to see even now why a mid 1930's audience could take so warmly to such an appealing motion picture. From the off the film was in good hands, Dyke (One-Take Woody as he was sometimes known) was an unfussy director with a keen eye for pacing and casting, both of which are things that shine through in this production. There's also considerable talent in the writing, both in the source material and with the script writers. Hammett based his witty bantering couple on himself and his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman, this was ideal material for Hackett and Goodrich, themselves a happily married couple fondly thought of in the cut and thrust world of Hollywood. As a couple they would go on to write It's a Wonderful Life for Frank Capra and win the Pulitzer Prize for their play The Diary of Anne Frank. It stands out as a film of note because it successfully marries a murder mystery story with a screwball comedy spin, this was something new and exciting. While the believable relationship between Powell and Loy was also a breath of fresh air - a married couple deeply in love, devoted, funny, boozey and bouncing off of each other with witty repartee. It can never be overstated just how good Powell and Loy are here, true enough they are given an absolutely zinging script to work from, but the level of comedy, both in visual ticks and delivery of lines, is extraordinarily high. Small budget and a small shoot, but everything else about The Thin Man is big. Big laughs, big mystery and big love, all bundled up into a joyous bit of classic cinema. 9/10
Producers:
Release Date:
May 25, 1934 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 31`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Thin Man
Waiter, will you serve the nuts? ...I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts? The Thin Man is directed by W. S. Van Dyke and co-written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. It is based on the Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name. Starring are William Powell and Myrna Loy, with support coming from Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall and Skippy as Astra the dog. William Axt scores the music and James Wong Howe is the cinematographer. Plot finds Powell and Loy as married couple, Nick and Nora Charles, he is a retired detective, she a good time heiress. Planning to finally settle down, their life is upturned when Nick is called back into detective work due to a friend's disappearance and the possibility he was also involved in a murder. Murder, malarkey and mirth are about to become the order of the day. It was the big surprise hit of 1934. Afforded only a tiny budget because studio head honcho Louis B. Mayer thought it was dud material, and he ordered for it to be completed in under three weeks time! Film made stars out of Powell and Loy and coined an impressive $2 million at the box office. Also birthing a franchise (5 film sequels and a radio and television series would follow), it's a film that has irresistible charm leaping out from every frame. It's easy to see even now why a mid 1930's audience could take so warmly to such an appealing motion picture. From the off the film was in good hands, Dyke (One-Take Woody as he was sometimes known) was an unfussy director with a keen eye for pacing and casting, both of which are things that shine through in this production. There's also considerable talent in the writing, both in the source material and with the script writers. Hammett based his witty bantering couple on himself and his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman, this was ideal material for Hackett and Goodrich, themselves a happily married couple fondly thought of in the cut and thrust world of Hollywood. As a couple they would go on to write It's a Wonderful Life for Frank Capra and win the Pulitzer Prize for their play The Diary of Anne Frank. It stands out as a film of note because it successfully marries a murder mystery story with a screwball comedy spin, this was something new and exciting. While the believable relationship between Powell and Loy was also a breath of fresh air - a married couple deeply in love, devoted, funny, boozey and bouncing off of each other with witty repartee. It can never be overstated just how good Powell and Loy are here, true enough they are given an absolutely zinging script to work from, but the level of comedy, both in visual ticks and delivery of lines, is extraordinarily high. Small budget and a small shoot, but everything else about The Thin Man is big. Big laughs, big mystery and big love, all bundled up into a joyous bit of classic cinema. 9/10
Cast & Crew of
The Thin Man
Directors & Credit Writers
... Assistant Director
... Director
Cast
... Nick Charles
... Nora Charles
... Dorothy Wynant
... Inspector John Guild
... Mimi Wynant
... Herbert MacCaulay
... Tommy
... Gilbert Wynant
... Arthur Nunheim
... Chris Jorgenson
... Julia Wolf
... Joe Morelli
... Clyde Wynant
... Tanner
... Wynant's Butler (uncredited)
WA
Will Aubrey... Minor Role (uncredited)
PB
Polly Bailey... Janitress (uncredited)
... Detective (uncredited)
... Night Club Patron (uncredited)
... Stenographer (uncredited)
Produced By
... Producer
Videos & Photos of
The Thin Man
Videos ( 2)
Photos ( 30 )
Related Movies To
The Thin Man
Ballerina (2025)
0 /10
Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Eve Macarro begins her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.
Run Time: 2hr 5` . MMPA: R . Release: 04 Jun 2025
Director: Matej Kricner , Len Wiseman , Chad Stahelski
Producer: John R. Saunders , Kevan Van Thompson , Erica Lee
Stars: Ana de Armas , Ian McShane , Anjelica Huston , Norman Reedus , Keanu Reeves , Lance Reddick
Final Destination Bloodlines (2025)
0 /10
Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all.
Run Time: 1hr 50` . MMPA: R . Release: 14 May 2025
Director: Aimee Scott , Emely Martin , Carl Mason
Producer: Brodi-Jo Scalise , Rich Delia , Devon Downie
Stars: Tony Todd , Melissa Barrera , Anna Lore , Renata Vaca , Teo Briones , Quintessa Swindell
Lilo & Stitch (2025)
0 /10
The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.
Run Time: 1hr 48` . MMPA: PG . Release: 17 May 2025
Director: Aldric La'Auli Porter , Stephanie Tull , Dean Fleischer Camp
Producer: Terri Douglas , Louie Provost , Leigh Shanta
Stars: Chris Sanders , Maia Kealoha , Zach Galifianakis , Billy Magnussen , Sydney Agudong , Courtney B. Vance
First Shift (2024)
0 /10
NYPD veteran Mike and rookie Angela tackle a high-stakes day on New York's toughest streets, diving headfirst into a vortex of danger and action. Their adrenaline-fueled pursuits and unexpected threats unfold as they navigate perilous encounters. Amidst the chaos, intense challenges forge unbreakable bonds.
Run Time: 1hr 29` . MMPA: . Release: 30 Aug 2024
Director: Phillip Rush , Uwe Boll , Béla Baptiste
Producer: Michael Schürger , Rolland Smith , Anthony Argento
Stars: Kristen Renton , Gino Anthony Pesi , James McMenamin , Garry Pastore , Willie C. Carpenter , Michael Emery
KPop Demon Hunters (2025)
0 /10
When K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren't selling out stadiums, they're using their secret powers to protect their fans from supernatural threats.
Run Time: 1hr 36` . MMPA: PG . Release: 20 Jun 2025
Director: Sean Tadlock , Chris Appelhans , Elizabeth Schantz
Producer: Su Kim , Quan Brice , Aldo Zaid
Stars: Rolando Davila-Beltran , Arden Cho , May Hong , Ji-young Yoo , Ahn Hyo-seop , Yunjin Kim
Heads of State (2025)
0 /10
The UK Prime Minister and US President have a public rivalry that risks their countries' alliance. But when they become targets of a powerful enemy, they're forced to rely on each other as they go on a wild, multinational run. Allied with Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent, they must find a way to thwart a conspiracy that threatens the free world.
Run Time: 1hr 53` . MMPA: PG-13 . Release: 24 Jun 2025
Director: Matthew Sharp , Ilya Naishuller , Ben Howard
Producer: Josh Appelbaum , John Rickard , Peter Safran
Stars: Idris Elba , John Cena , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Paddy Considine , Stephen Root , Carla Gugino
Distant (2024)
0 /10
After crash-landing on an alien planet, an asteroid miner must contend with the challenges of his new surroundings, while making his way across the harsh terrain to the only other survivor – a woman who is trapped in her escape pod.
Run Time: 1hr 27` . MMPA: . Release: 12 Jul 2024
Director: Cliff Lanning , Josh Gordon , Will Speck
Producer: Cliff Lanning , Anna Halberg , Matthew Hirsch
Stars: Anthony Ramos , Naomi Scott , Kristofer Hivju , Zachary Quinto , Izzy Jones , Leon Nurse-Joseph
Utopia (2024)
0 /10
A soldier searching for his missing wife breaks into a high-tech facility, believing she's been caught in a human trafficking ring. But beyond its walls, he finds a surreal, futuristic fantasy park where reality and illusion blur. As he navigates this seductive and dangerous world, a shocking truth pulls him deeper into a deadly game where nothing is as it seems.
Run Time: 1hr 33` . MMPA: R . Release: 09 Dec 2024
Director: James Bamford
Producer: Kyle Otto , Scott Karol , Danail Hadzhiyski
Stars: Moe Dunford , Charlotte Vega , Michael D. Xavier , Daniel Bernhardt , Jason Flemyng , Wanda Banda
A Minecraft Movie (2025)
0 /10
Four misfits find themselves struggling with ordinary problems when they are suddenly pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination. To get back home, they'll have to master this world while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter, Steve.
Run Time: 1hr 41` . MMPA: PG . Release: 31 Mar 2025
Director: Rosie Vavasour , Ben Bamford , Monique Knight
Producer: David Boden , Muhammed Mustafa Özdemir , Austin Alig
Stars: Jack Black , Jason Momoa , Matt Berry , Pauline Chalamet , Jennifer Coolidge , Danielle Brooks
Baby Blue (2023)
5 /10
A group of teens stumble across the story of now dead serial killer Baby Blue and decide he'd be the perfect subject of a true crime vodcast. But when they start digging, they quickly discover that his murder spree never stopped. Now they are being targeted from beyond the grave.
Run Time: 1hr 30` . MMPA: . Release: 16 Apr 2023
Director: Adam Mason
Producer: Johannes Roberts , Bradley Pilz
Stars: Dylan Sprayberry , Lia McHugh , Anthony Turpel , Aramis Knight , Alexia Ioannides , Oliver Cooper
STRAW (2025)
0 /10
What will be her last straw? A devastatingly bad day pushes a hardworking single mother to the breaking point — and into a shocking act of desperation.
Run Time: 1hr 45` . MMPA: R . Release: 05 Jun 2025
Director: Marcus Wiley , Felix Jordan , Matt Hendren
Producer: Andy Norman , Nadia Brown , Angi Bones
Stars: Taraji P. Henson , Sherri Shepherd , Teyana Taylor , Sinbad , Rockmond Dunbar , Ashley Versher
Baywatch (2017)
5.5 /10
Devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon butts heads with a brash new recruit. Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.
Run Time: 1hr 56` . MMPA: R . Release: 25 May 2017
Director: Seth Gordon , Carmen Soriano
Producer: Douglas Schwartz , Dany Garcia , Mary Rohlich
Stars: Dwayne Johnson , Zac Efron , Priyanka Chopra Jonas , Alexandra Daddario , Jon Bass , Hannibal Buress