Another Thin Man | William Powell, Myrna Loy | A Sparkling Long Island Weekend

Another Thin Man | William Powell, Myrna Loy | "How Long Have You Been Leading This Double Life?" "Only Since We Got Married."

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Another Thin Man

	Another Thin Man William Powell, Myrna Loy Mgm/Turner Movie Classics, 1991 average customer review:based on 13 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Sparkling Long Island Weekend

The Thin Man series spanned years and each production was charming and witty fun for the moviegoing public. Dashiell Hammet's Nick and Nora were perfectly portrayed by William Powell and Myrna Loy, and this third entry, like the others, is a breezy and fun comedy mystery done with style, class and top drawer production values from MGM at it's zenith.

In this one, little Nicky Jr. is a year old and proud parents Nick and Nora are having a ball. Nick is trying to get out of going to Long Island because Colonel McFay (C. Aubrey Smith) only wants him to go over financial reports and other mundane matters that might interfere with Nick's drinking. But there is also a threat on the Colonel's life and Nora wants a quiet weekend in the country, so off they go. It turns out anything but quiet, of course, and Nick has to solve another murder.

A sharp and clever script with snappy dialog keep this one moving along nicely. Pretty Virginia Grey is the Colonel's daughter Lois and Ruth Hussey plays little Nicky's nurse, Dorothy. Lois wants to marry Dudley Horn (Patrick Knowles), much to the chagrin of the Colonel and his secratery, Freddie (Tom Neal), who is in love with the lovely Lois as well. It seems some of the Colonel's business dealings have been just a little on the shady side since the death of Nora's father, his business partner. Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard) may have been on the wrong end of one of these shady deals and with all this going on you can guess what happens next.

The interplay between Nick and Nora about their quiet little weekend is a lot of fun. A body in the road and a pool house fire get things moving quickly in this light and breezy entry in the series. Nat Pendelton is along as Lt. Guild this time and Marjorie Main has a nice turn as a very funny landlady. Muriel Hutchison also has a nice role as Church's girlfriend, Smitty, in a mystery a little more complicated than you might think.

This time the gathering of suspects, including Don Costello as Diamond Back Vogel, takes place at a birthday party for Nicky Jr. thrown by Nick's old pals. Shemp Howard has a funny role as Whacky, as does Harry Bellaver as Creeps. Otto Kruger is on hand as A.D.A. Van Slack when Nick surprises everyone with the killer's identity.

One of the highlights in a film with many fine moments is a scene at The West Indies Club. Nora learns a little more about Nick's past there than he would like! This is a fun film to watch, and there is a magic here which can never be duplicated. This is five star entertainment you don't want to miss.

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"How Long Have You Been Leading This Double Life?" "Only Since We Got Married."

Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are back in New York with their almost one year old son. They haven't even had a chance to unpack when they are invited, summoned really, to the Long Island estate of Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith). MacFay was the partner of Nora's late father and still manages her estate.

When they arrive, they discover that MacFay is convinced he is about to be murdered. He's been receiving threats from Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard), an ex employee who blames MacFay for the decade he spent in jail. With all kinds of weird things happening around the estate, Nick is inclined to take the threat seriously. Unfortunately, the colonel is indeed killed, and Phil vanishes. Did he do it? What's really going on?

This is the third in the series, but I think it is the strongest to date. The plot was good and kept me going until the logical end. While all the suspects were together at the end, it wasn't a pre-arranged cliche like in the first two films. Nick and Nora are still great characters, and their banter is as strong as ever. And the entire cast does a good job. Plus they didn't all look the same to me, so I could tell them apart and follow the story better. While the baby does have much to do, he is cute in his scenes. And Astra, the dog, has several funny bits.

I really can see why these films are still watched and referenced today. They are fun with good stories. I recommend all three that I've seen so far.

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Outstanding!!!

Fun to watch! The toddler is perfect! It was refreshing seeing the Terrior Asta doing actual flips instead of computer generated action. An old black and white movie perfect for family enjoyment.

VanDyke takes a different approach to this film!

I've always liked ANOTHER THIN MAN. I never quite understood what made it different than the other THIN MAN FILMS until I read some of the other reviews listed here and at other sites. I guess it, as some have described, is darker film or perhaps grittier would be a better word. Anyway, the next three THIN MAN sequels all followed a very basic formula. All that changes were the names and faces but the people were all the same. Those three films were, in my opinion, targeted at the current fans. No doubt the fan base was large and guaranteed a good return at the box office. However, the love bickering that went on between Nick and Nora was no longer fresh. The plots all followed the same formula and even Asta the dog was no longer as amusing as he first was. In general all the other sequels followed the time old Hollywood tradition of redressing the same old story to lure fans back to the theater and wring some more money out of them.

ANOTHER THIN MAN did seem to leave some of the overt comedy behind and focused on plot a little bit more. I didn't notice as big a change in the formulas as others have but it is clear that VanDyke was trying to approach the film from a different angle. As this was only the second sequel to the original THIN MAN the view, if he/she watches all six films in the order they were made, may not notice some of characteristic plot devices. More than anything else I think this is the last THIN MAN film that showed Nick and Nora's playful bickering and loving digs at each other and it still seemed believable to the viewers. By the fourth film it no longer seemed genuine or practical. Instead of falling into the dull married routine in later films Nick and Nora still playfully feel each other out and take pleasure in pushing each others buttons. To me this didn't seem that realistic for an old married couple but it was still fresh in ANOTHER THIN MAN.

This film should appeal to all THIN MAN fans as well as the more casual viewer. If this is the first film you've seen of the THIN MAN movies I suggest watching THE THIN MAN and AFTER THE THIN MAN before watching any of the other THIN MAN films.

Where is the DVD?

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Another Murder Mystery

The film begins in Manhattan. The trunks for the Charles' family arrive with special care. There is an important long distance call from Long Island. Colonel McFay has a problem. The Charles will enjoy a weekend in the country. On the road Nick sees something in the road; but it disappeared! Is this just a threat? There are comic skits in this drama, and subtle humor. A dead dog is a threat. Who is doing this? Is the threatening man leaving the country? There is a shot in the night. They call the Sheriff. Why is there a murder wherever Nick Charles goes?

There are various events while Nick Charles investigates with the police. Nick visits a night club. Two men follow him. Nora is there with a message. There is a fight, the lights go out. Nick learns something. [These scenes are played for laughs.] At the end everyone is gathered in a room and Nick Charles solves the murder by figuring out how the murder was staged. There is a shocking surprise when Nick reveals the murderer. [Do you find it believable?]

One problem with sequels is they are seldom as good as the originals. The background tells something about life as Hollywood views it.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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