Song of the Thin Man)

Starring:William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, Henry Wadsworth, William Henry, Harold Huber, Cesar Romero, Natalie Moorhead, Edward Brophy, Edward Ellis, Cyril Thornton, Robert Homans, Clay Clement, Edward Hearn, Raymond Brown, Fred Malatesta, Asta (II)
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Almost as welcome as a shaker full of martinis, The Complete Thin Man Collection represents an eagerly awaited DVD milestone for fans of the fizzy MGM movie series. The best film in the series came first: The Thin Man (1934), W.S. Van Dyke's marvelous adaptation of a Dashiell Hammet novel. The movie gods were in a generous mood when they paired William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, the upper-class sophisticates whose sleuthing escapades somehow joined the classic form of the whodunit with the giddyup of screwball comedy. Among the series' many attributes, one of its most radical notions was the idea that a married couple might find each other delightful and view life as a goofy adventure together.

It is common wisdom that the Thin Man sequels adhere to the law of diminishing returns, and while none of the follow-ups reach the diamond level of the first film, all afford pleasures. There's the cocktail-swilling chemistry of Powell and Loy, for one thing, as well as the considerable satisfaction of average movies made during the studio system: the craftsmanship of studio hands, and a gallery of terrific character actors filling in supporting roles. First sequel After the Thin Man (1936) is very good, with the couple in San Francisco and a supporting part for rising player James Stewart. The scenery moves again, to Long Island, for the rather impudently-titled Another Thin Man (1939), which adds baby Nick, Jr., to the mix (a "bad idea," thought Pauline Kael, perhaps a sign of the domestication of the series).

Amazon.com

Almost as welcome as a shaker full of martinis, The Complete Thin Man Collection represents an eagerly awaited DVD milestone for fans of the fizzy MGM movie series. The best film in the series came first: The Thin Man (1934), W.S. Van Dyke's marvelous adaptation of a Dashiell Hammet novel. The movie gods were in a generous mood when they paired William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, the upper-class sophisticates whose sleuthing escapades somehow joined the classic form of the whodunit with the giddyup of screwball comedy. Among the series' many attributes, one of its most radical notions was the idea that a married couple might find each other delightful and view life as a goofy adventure together.

It is common wisdom that the Thin Man sequels adhere to the law of diminishing returns, and while none of the follow-ups reach the diamond level of the first film, all afford pleasures. There's the cocktail-swilling chemistry of Powell and Loy, for one thing, as well as the considerable satisfaction of average movies made during the studio system: the craftsmanship of studio hands, and a gallery of terrific character actors filling in supporting roles. First sequel After the Thin Man (1936) is very good, with the couple in San Francisco and a supporting part for rising player James Stewart. The scenery moves again, to Long Island, for the rather impudently-titled Another Thin Man (1939), which adds baby Nick, Jr., to the mix (a "bad idea," thought Pauline Kael, perhaps a sign of the domestication of the series).

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) sets the action around a racetrack, and is the last of the series to be directed by the fast-working Van Dyke. The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) finds Nick escorting family to his parents' house for a visit. Song of the Thin Man (1947) engagingly adds a jazz milieu to the Charles's detective work; at this point, Nick, Jr. was played by child star Dean Stockwell. The series stuck with certain staples: the unveiling of the guilty party, a wirehaired terrier named Asta (who became a star in its own right), and booze. When Nick opines, in the first film, that a dry martini should always be shaken to "waltz time," you know why audiences fell in love with these guilt-free comedies. --Robert Horton

Description

The sparkling series featured the irresistible William Powell and Myrna Loy chemistry as husband and wife sleuths who solved murders with the aid of their wire-haired terrier, Asta. Set in the glamorous world of 1930s upper-class Manhattan, The Thin Man and its sequels established the standard for witty comedy, clever dialogue and urbane one upmanship. The 7-Disc set includes THE THIN MAN, AFTER THE THIN MAN, ANOTHER THIN MAN, SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN, SONG OF THE THIN MAN, THE THIN MAN GOES HOME, and the ALIAS NICK & NORA bonus documentary disc.

Customer Reviews:

Love the Thin Man.......2007-06-09

If you like mystery and comedy together than this is the collection for you. Myna Loy and William Powell are so good together, they should be up there with Hepburn and Tracy, Bogie and Bacall. I know they made alot of movies together beside the Thin Man series. The Documentary disc is really good because you can't find to much information on William Powell anymore and that is a shame because he was always one of my favorite stars. I loved all the movies in this collection and so glad that I added it to mine and you will be too...

Nick and Nora and Asta too!.......2007-05-30

This is a perfect box set containing all six movies of the popular Thin Man series. The first movie was based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett and teamed the great William Powell and wonderful Myrna Loy for the second time. Their first feature, also released in 1934, was "Manhatten Melodrama." To say that the pair exuded chemistry is an understatement. Though the best of friends, Powell and Loy, were never romantically linked. This did not stop fans from believing that they were. And why not, Powell and Loy managed to create an image of marriage that is as sexy as any courtship. In many romantic comedies,the dramatic tension ebbs when the romantic pair gets together. Powell and Loy manage to transcend this limitation, not only in these films, but also in seven others which run the gamut from comedy to melodrama.

The Thin Man films also owe a great deal to the writing, Hammett continued to be somewhat involved in the early spin offs from the original, but the series also benefited from the scripts produced by Albert Hacket and Francis Goodrich, who were married in real life. This point of view probably contributed to the success of series as a whole.

This boxed set contains all of the movies in the series along with biographies of Powell and Loy. There is also an episode of the 1950s TV series which only goes to show just how well the original film series was executed.

The films range from excellent to good. The sixth film in the series probably is the weakest of the lot, It appears that the producers were attempting to inject elements of film noir into the light hearted detective series and this just does not work. However, Powell and Loy managed to turn in excellent performances which rise above the problems with the script and its execution.

Probably the only thing that would make this boxed set better would be if it included the other seven films which starred Powell and Loy since they are always interesting, no matter what the subject matter.

ole movie buff.......2007-05-14

great cant say enough about this series. loved the thin man movies as a kid and still do. Wish there were more

Nick and Nora Review.......2007-05-08

The entire series depicts the engaging relationship that Nick and Nora Charles have; played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, they are coyly sexy.
The suave William Powell is always charming and Myrna Loy is sexy without trying to be. While the subsequent movies are short on story line, the husband and wife banter make up for it. They all represent the old fashioned "whodunit" black and white movies we grew up loving where the star gathers all the characters together into a room and we discover who the guilty party is.
Charming..............
Ken Blasingham

The Thin Man Collection.......2007-05-07

This is a wonderful collection of the Thin Man movies. If you like the Thin Man, you will love this set.

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