Day 41: The Thin Man

"Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?"

Let’s face it, the best things come in pairs. Peanut Butter and Jelly make for a formidable combo as does Bogart and Bacall. But, at least in the case of film history, there is one tag team that often gets overlooked: William Powell and Myrna Loy. Looking at Hollywood today, it appears to me it lacks an assembly of actors who can consistently get together and create magic on the screen. And no, I don’t mean the likes of Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart who merely get together for the sake of a sequel. I’m talking about actors who have chemistry to the extent that you can practically plug them into any type of film or situation, and they’d easily make the screen pop. William Powell and Myrna Loy are prime examples of this. Now, these two will never be confused with Bogart and Bacall, who had an uncanny sexual tension. Instead, they were comedic equals whose relationship lacked the heat of Hollywood’s old school couple, but they could carry a film on their shoulders and together, they had an incredible ability to stretch a scene’s hilarity to epic proportions by simply bantering about the most inane things. The most prominent set of films you can find these two together would be “The Thin Man” series, a popular film franchise that spawned numerous films in the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Yet, for as good as the franchise is as a whole, I feel the first film in the franchise, simply named “The Thin Man”, is the most enjoyable. The film begins with Nick Charles (Powell), a retired detective enjoying his life one martini at a time. Accompanying Nick in his post-sleuth life is his beautiful, but boisterous wife Nora (Loy), an heiress to a fortune that seems to have forgotten that she lives in the early 20th century: a man’s world. Despite Nick’s demanding presence, or any man’s for that matter, it’s Nora who often runs the show. She is certainly a character ahead of her time. Anyways, Nick’s retirement is cut short when his friend Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis) disappears from the face of the earth. To make matter’s worse, Clyde’s disappearance coincides with the murder of his girlfriend and other suspicious shenanigans. Feeling an obligation to clear his friend’s name and to scratch his investigative itch at the behest of Nora, Nick takes on the case with his wife following closely behind. What happens from here on out revolves around the mass consumption of alcohol, colorful characters, plot twists, and witty banter against the backdrop of detective noirs. All of which leads to a hilarious dinner scene that would be best compared to how a Sherlock Holmes mystery is inevitably solved. Except, this one involves more alcohol, or at least references to alcohol.

As indicated before, the chemistry between Powell and Loy is undeniable. Powell, with a martini in hand, sets up every gag with a playful smile and a semi-drunk droll that is absolutely charming. Sure he’s being an ass at times and sarcastic as hell, but there is an innocence and friskiness to him that makes him endearing. The same can be said for Loy as Nora, who is absolutely adorable. At times her behavior can resemble that of a snobbish socialite, but Loy pulls off a terrific parody of high society without being too over the top. Not to mention, with Nora shadowing Nick in his investigation, Loy also adds a sense of power to her character that often corrects the trajectory of Nick’s snooping. This itself is quite refreshing considering most films that hinge on noir tend to feature female characters who are dependent on the savvy male lead. Loy’s Nora is anything but a dependent woman. Between Powell and Loy, they have more than enough comedic talent to deliver the dialogue with a wise-cracking ferocity that is only rivaled by their ability to give each other “the look” when one of them gets out of line. Needless to say, Loy and Powell make for the perfect couple. Perhaps they possess even a relationship we all would like.

Of course, the humor comes quick and often, but I’d remiss to not talk about the film’s deft ability in blending dialogue driven comedy with moments that can rival the best 1940’s noir has to offer. The plot has a plethora of fun twists amongst a stylish backdrop that makes great use of vacant sets, leery characters, and sharp shadows. From moments that are completely shrouded in darkness to a handful of instances where Nick lurks the shadows for a clue with Nora and his dog in tow, the film offers serious laughs while paying legitimate homage to the detective films and stories that came before it. Not to mention, “The Thin Man” places its own mark in the world of noir by twisting its conventions with great ease. At its heart though, and in spite of the body count, “The Thin  Man” is a hilarious film featuring two magnificent performances that wonderfully play off each other. With insults being tossed around like they’re hugs and kisses, Powell and Loy create a loving relationship that delves beyond a physical nature. And it’s through the bond and chemistry between the two leads that this 70 year old film never seems dated, nor dimwitted. If only Hollywood could recapture this kind of magic today.