Song of the Thin Man *** (1947, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Dean Stockwell, Keenan Wynn) – Classic Movie Review 3685

Director Edward Buzzell’s 1947 MGM comedy crime thriller Song of the Thin Man plays a bitter-sweet song, as it is farewell to married couple sleuths Nick and Nora Charles in their sixth and final MGM series offering. The screenplay is written by Nat Perrin and Steve Fisher, based on a story by Stanley Roberts and the characters created by Dashiell Hammett.

Song of the Thin Man finds William Powell and Myrna Loy carrying on their display of light comedy technique faultlessly to the end as hard-drinking, retired private detective Nick and wealthy heiress Nora probe jazz joints in the Big Apple, on the trail of a killer. Eloping couple Phil Brant (Bruce Cowling) and Janet Thayar (Jayne Meadows) learn that Brant is the prime suspect in the murder and call on Nick and Nora for help when jazz band leader Tommy Drake is killed at a charity benefit society dance, sponsored by David Thayar (Ralph Morgan) aboard the S.S. Fortune, Phil Brant’s gambling ship.

MGM give William Powell and Myrna Loy a fine support cast to see them out, including Dean Stockwell, aged 11, who plays their son, Nick Charles Jr. Their wire-haired fox terrier Asta is played by canine actor Skippy.

Also notable in the cast are Keenan Wynn, Phillip Reed [Philip Reed], Patricia Morison, Gloria Grahame, Jayne Meadows, Don Taylor, Leon Ames, Ralph Morgan, Warner Anderson, William Bishop, Bruce Cowling, Bess Flowers, Connie Gilchrist, Marie Windsor and James Burke.

It was popular but not popular enough. It cost $1,670,000 and earned $2,305,000, resulting in a loss of $128,000, and causing MGM to kill of the series.

Powell and Loy were such a popular star duo that they had starred in 13 films together in as many years. Their Thin Man series films are: The Thin Man (1934), After the Thin Man (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) and Song of the Thin Man (1947).

The titular Thin Man is not Nick Charles, but was the man he was hired to find in the first film, The Thin Man (1934), but many viewers thought it referred to Nick Charles and, after a time, it was used in the titles of sequels as if referring to him.

Marie Windsor as Helen Amboy.

The main cast are William Powell as Nick Charles, Myrna Loy as Nora Charles, Keenan Wynn as Clarence “Clinker” Krause, Dean Stockwell as Nick Charles Jr, Phillip Reed as Tommy Edlon Drake (as Philip Reed), Patricia Morison as Phyllis Talbin, Leon Ames as Mitchell Talbin, Gloria Grahame as Fran Ledue Page (singing voice was dubbed by Carol Arden), Jayne Meadows as Janet Thayar, Ralph Morgan as David I. Thayar, Bess Flowers as Jessica Thayar, Don Taylor as Buddy Hollis, Warner Anderson as Dr. Monolaw, Bruce Cowling as Phil Orval Brant, Connie Gilchrist as the Charles’s housekeeper Bertha, Henry Nemo as The Neem, William Bishop as Al Amboy, Marie Windsor as Helen Amboy, and James Burke as Captain Callahan.

Song of the Thin Man is directed by Edward Buzzell, runs 86 minutes, is made and released by MGM, is written by Nat Perrin (screenplay), Steve Fisher (screenplay), James O’Hanlon (additional dialogue) and Harry Crane (additional dialogue), based on the story by Stanley Roberts, based on the characters created by Dashiell Hammett, is shot by Charles Rosher, is produced by Nat Perrin, and scored by David Snell.

The regular crew is missing. Director W S Van Dyke died in 1943 so this is one of two films in the series not directed by him. Nor is the script written by the husband and wife team of Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, who originally worked with Dashiell Hammett to develop the Nick and Nora characters. It is one of three not written by them.

Dean Stockwell (1936–2021).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3685

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