Let’s have a blast with Nick and Nora!
Sunday, October 18, 2020 at 12:17AM 
The power of movie stars shouldn't be underestimated. A glamourous screen presence, a straight shot of charisma, can make even the least impressive piece of cinematic fluff into a must-see event. At the very least, the difference between unwatchable mediocrity and a jolly good time can often be someone who electrifies the screen with a look, someone who enchants the camera and conquers our attention with no effort. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better example of the wonders of stardom than The Thin Man series…
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Newly available on HBO Max, 1934's The Thin Man is an adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's popular novel of the same name. It tells the misadventures of Nick and Nora Charles, the most glamourous pair of wisecracking alcoholics you'll ever find. They love each other as passionately as they love booze and, along with their adorable Fox Terrier named Asta, the married couple has a penchant for solving crimes. Nick may be a retired detective, but, like all the great screen investigators, he can't partake in any sort of travel without getting himself embroiled in some sort of murder mystery. As for Nora, she loves to watch.
Elegantly directed by W. S. Van Dyke, with silvery cinematography by James Wong Howe and delectable costumes courtesy of Dolly Tree, The Thin Man is irresistible. Watching it is like indulging in pure escapism, following along a convoluted criminal plot that's only there to facilitate the firing of witty one-liners. It's all very light, even slight, but one has to admire the exquisite perfection of its humor, pacing, and genuine entertainment value. If movies were desserts, The Thin Man would be a delicious confection, soaked in plenty of alcohol and laced with a zing of tartness, sweet but never cloying.
While all its elements work overtime to achieve this perfection, the key ingredients are the stars at the center of the comedy. Playing Nick and Nora Charles we find two of Old Hollywood's most delightful actors, the ever-charming William Powell and irresistible Myrna Loy. Each of them was a force of nature when alone. When paired together, they're even better, like a supernova of pure chemistry. They manage to paint one of cinema's great romances through acidic retorts and languorous hangovers, looking like they're devoted to one another while never allowing that love to get in the way of humor.
It's impossible to imagine The Thin Man being as successful as it is without these two stars. They hold it all together and elevate the marvelous comedy into the upper echelons of cinematic greatness. Pardon the hyperbole but, in these dark times, there's something particularly loveable about The Thin Man's brand of escapist entertainment. Whenever I'm feeling down, this is a good picture to return to. For 90 blissful minutes, the chaotic world we live in fades away from consciousness. In the Silver Screen, where Nick and Nora live forever enshrined in crystalline celluloid, things are always perfect. Well, perfect for the Charles couple, not for the dead bodies that tend to pop out at every corner.
As stated before, you can find The Thin Man , which was nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, on HBO Max. As for its five sequels, they're available to rent from several other services and platforms. If the original movie doesn't convince you of the star charisma and acting talents of Powell and Loy, those continuations of the Charles' adventures certainly will. Even when the scripts falter and the direction loses some of its precision, the lead actors are always perfect. Are you similarly enchanted by William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles?
Reader Comments (7)
Also really rewatchable, probably seen it over 20 times and still love everything about it.
They are my favourite screen couple of all time. They compliment each other perfectly. There's never an insincere or artificial moment between them. Their verbal dance is a pleasure to watch.
Apart from The Thin Man films, Manhattan Melodrama adds Clark Gable to the mix and three work well together. Of course, Libeled Lady is a screwball classic.
But my favourite non-Thin Man film is I Love You Again (1940). Powell really shines in this one. But for some reason the movie isn't as well known as it should be.
Powell and Loy are magic. Still I think it would be fun to have seen other screen iconic couples Tracy and Hepburn, Hanks and Ryan, Hudson and Day, and/or Mastroianni and Loren remake The Thin Man.
They're wonderful! Together or separately. MGM knew how to form a partnership. MacDonald-Eddy, Tracy-Hepburn, Garson-Pidgeon, Rooney-Garland, Gable-Crawford, Johnson-Allyson, Williams-Johnson, and so on ... And of course the other studios too. With the end of this era this is over. Can you imagine if we could have more films with Streisand-Redford, Nicholson-Streep ...?
The sort of unplanned chemistry that you just can't manufacture. The film is a delight and it is mostly due to them, the story while well laid out is nothing extraordinary but with their contributions and Van Dyke's snappy direction it becomes much more than the sum of its parts.
It was a game changer for both of them. Powell was successful before it but stuck mostly in dramas that didn't utilize his light touch well and Montana born Myrna had been typed as an exotic villainess. What I will never understand is how Powell ended up nominated and Myrna didn't. They are two halves of a whole and neither would have been complete without the other. How did the Academy miss that, maybe she was the sixth place finisher.
At least MGM realized what they had in them and paired them frequently. Aside from this film my favorite of their films is Libeled Lady. Beside them it has both Spencer Tracy and especially Jean Harlow working at full steam to create an utter delight.
Bring me 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 martinis so I can catch up. Love the chemistry between these two. They just seem so mutually charmed by one another, and they manage to keep it going through all those sequels which never reach the heights of the original, but they end up having their own appeal because the Nick and Nora are still at the center.
GTA James -- Thank you for all those wonderful recommendations.
James -- I would have loved an Italian version of Nick and Nora played by Marcello and Sophia. They had such great chemistry.
Gwen -- I guess the closest examples we have nowadays (well, in the last decade) are Stone and Gosling or Lawrence and Cooper. Screen partnerships like that seem to be a thing of the past, which is a shame.
joel6 -- One of these days, I must write something about Jean Harlow. She had a disarming and enchanting screen presence, even when playing amoral women or comic foibles.
Val -- I enthusiastically agree with everything you said.
Thank you all for the feedback. It's marvelous to know I'm not the only Thin Man/Powell&Loy fan around these parts.