Song of the Thin Man (1947)
When MGM came out with The Thin Man, it had no idea it would become such a huge hit, spawning five sequels and a 14-picture partnership between its stars William Powell and Myrna Loy. It didn’t know Nick and Nora Charles would be immortalized, spoofed, and merchandized. If it did, it might have made better quality movies. Personally, I don’t really see what the big deal was about the series. An ordinary man who doesn’t seem particularly intelligent or observant gets called in to solve a murder, and he winds up by gathering all the suspects in one room and pointing the finger concluding a monologue at the end of the film. Isn’t that like every other whodunnit? Add in a rather silly gag that the lead is a functioning alcoholic and has a wife who tries to help but winds up in the background, and does that really warrant five sequels?
In this last one, Leon Ames (who was ironically in the previous Thin Man flick playing a different role), Keenan Wynn, Don Taylor, Gloria Grahame, Jayne Meadows, Phillip Reed, and Patricia Morison are all involved in a murder case. As the Charles duo has aged, their surrounding crowd has gotten younger. They’re surrounded by jazz kids who speak in slang and have no idea what the jargon means. I wasn’t thrilled with the choice of humor (making fun of the old folks) and I imagine the two leads weren’t happy either.
Dean Stockwell plays Nick Jr., all grown up and able to lie to his mother and get spanked by his father. And instead of Louise Beavers being their maid, she’s replaced by Connie Gilchrist. So while you’ll see lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast, this last installment is a bit of a disappointment. All Nick and Nora Charles do is complain about being tired and not understanding the young culture. It’s as if the studio wanted to tell the audience, “See, the Charleses are too old and decrepit to keep solving cases. Let them rest!”
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About twenty minutes before the end when someone starts aiming a gun, the camera gets a kaleidoscope effect, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "john S" for posting!
More Myrna Loy movies here!
In this last one, Leon Ames (who was ironically in the previous Thin Man flick playing a different role), Keenan Wynn, Don Taylor, Gloria Grahame, Jayne Meadows, Phillip Reed, and Patricia Morison are all involved in a murder case. As the Charles duo has aged, their surrounding crowd has gotten younger. They’re surrounded by jazz kids who speak in slang and have no idea what the jargon means. I wasn’t thrilled with the choice of humor (making fun of the old folks) and I imagine the two leads weren’t happy either.
Dean Stockwell plays Nick Jr., all grown up and able to lie to his mother and get spanked by his father. And instead of Louise Beavers being their maid, she’s replaced by Connie Gilchrist. So while you’ll see lots of familiar faces in the supporting cast, this last installment is a bit of a disappointment. All Nick and Nora Charles do is complain about being tired and not understanding the young culture. It’s as if the studio wanted to tell the audience, “See, the Charleses are too old and decrepit to keep solving cases. Let them rest!”
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. About twenty minutes before the end when someone starts aiming a gun, the camera gets a kaleidoscope effect, and that will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "john S" for posting!
More Myrna Loy movies here!