History Main / TheThinMan

* ''Literature/TheThinMan'', novel by DashiellHammett

[[redirect:Film/TheThinMan]]

[[quoteright:315:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/astatangle_4495.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:315:Nick and Nora Charles and Asta]]

''TheThinMan'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre- HaysCode) movie based on a DashiellHammett novel, and features William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a pair of hard-drinking, wisecracking, socializing types - except that Nick is also famous for being a tough detective, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't quite stop people (most especially including Nora) expecting him to solve crimes. Almost every single modern [[TheyFightCrime crime-solving-duo]] owes something to this film - everything from ''{{Castle}}'' to ''WarehouseThirteen'', from ''HartToHart'' and ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''{{Moonlighting}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

Despite Powell and Loy hamming it up to the best of their considerable acting ability, many a scene is stolen by their [[AnimalReactionShot Fox Terrier]] Asta.

Powell and Loy's chemistry and charisma were obvious, and several sequels followed, probably not quite up the standard of the first, but still very well done: ''After The Thin Man'', ''Another Thin Man'', ''Shadow of the Thin Man'', ''The Thin Man Goes Home'', and ''Song of the Thin Man''. ''After'' is noteworthy for an appearance by a disturbingly young JimmyStewart, playing what would prove to be a very atypical role, while an even-younger DeanStockwell played the couple's son in ''Song''.

Though popular opinion had that "The Thin Man" referred to Nick Charles, so much so that it was included as part of the title for the later sequel films, it was really a reference to the fugitive lead suspect in the first film's murder.

Also spawned a short-lived TV series, and was one of the franchises parodied in ''MurderByDeath''. In 2011 a remake was reported to be in the works, with JohnnyDepp attached to the project as Nick.

Not to be confused with Crispin Glover's character in the ''CharliesAngels'' movies. Also, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial any relation to]] TheSlenderManMythos [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial is purely speculative.]] ''NickAndNorahsInfinitePlaylist'' is a ShoutOut to this but entirely unrelated as a story.

----
!!Tropes used in ''The Thin Man'' movies include:

* TheAlcoholic: Count how many times Nick had a drink. Or better yet, have a drink yourself whenever he does.
** This is a public service announcement: Do not, I repeat, do ''not'' attempt to have a drink every time Nick or Nora have one. You ''will'' die.
** He quit by movie five, but circumstances make him look like he's off the wagon.
** In the book, if you can believe it, they drink ''even more.''
** Nick shared the drinking habits of the book's author, for whom he was a surrogate.
* AnimalReactionShot: Asta.
* ArtifactTitle: See above.
* BarBrawl: Nora starts one intentionally in the fifth movie, so she has an excuse to have two suspects arrested.
* BusmansHoliday: Nick and Nora never look for crimes to solve. In fact, Nick repeatedly insists that he is retired from detective work. He and Nora always stumble across murders while on vacation or simply socializing.
** Lampshaded in ''Shadow'' by Lt. Abrams: "Funny, I meet you two at all my homicides."
* ChocolateBaby: In ''After the Thin Man'', Asta the dog comes home to the missus to see she's got a litter of puppies...one of which is too darkly colored to be his. He spies a nearby black Scottish Terrier sneaking through a hole under the fence and drives off the intruder angrily, then fills in the hole. Pretty racy stuff for the time period it was made in.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: What TheReveal usually...[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment revealed]]. [[spoiler:Start with a murder, present a colorful parade of suspects, end by revealing the killer to be someone the audience had no reason to suspect.]] For modern audiences, ''After the Thin Man'' fits this trope best.
* FollowThatCar: ''Shadow'' does this gag.
* GenreSavvy: By ''The Thin Man Goes Home'', Nora has been through enough of these movies that she {{Lampshades}} the whole climax ahead of time; the SummationGathering, TheReveal, ThePerryMasonMethod, even the guilty party's eventual attempt to shoot their way out ("I usually hide under the table for that part"). She's actually disappointed when Nick has the suspects searched for guns, because that means the last part won't happen (though it does). She still guesses the wrong suspect, though.
* GenteelInterbellumSetting: New York version.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
-->'''Party Guest (upon seeing Maureen O'Sulivan's character):''' Say, who's the little brunette?
-->'''Nick (unamused):''' [[YoungerThanTheyLook I used to bounce her on my knee]].
-->'''Party Guest:''' Which knee? Can I touch it?
** There were also a fair number of implications that despite the series' use of the SleepingSingle trope, Nick and Nora had quite an "active" relationship. And that before he met her, Nick went through women like Kleenex.
* GrandeDame: Nora's aunt Katherine in ''After''.
* HeroesWantRedheads: Myrna Loy was a natural redhead. Although she wore a dark wig in many of her early roles, as Nora she always had her real hair color.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: [[spoiler: Selma in ''After'']]. "You sure can pick 'em!"
* HappilyMarried: Nick and Nora.
* IdleRich: Nick and Nora want to be.
* INeverSaidItWasPoison: A suspect in ''After'' claims he didn't shoot a murder victim...before it was revealed he was shot. [[spoiler: Subverted in that this particular suspect ''didn't'' do it, though he was far from innocent.]]
* {{Kayfabe}}: ''Shadow of the Thin Man'' has Nick and Nora attend a wrestling match. When the man running it says that they are in for a great match, Nick quips "Why, were you at the rehearsal?".
** Later on they leave while the fight is still going on, with one wrestler in a painful looking hold and groaning with discomfort. As she passes the ring, Nora tells him that she hopes he gets out of it okay. The wrestler stops groaning and thanks her for her concern in a perfectly normal tone of voice.
* LoyalAnimalCompanion: Asta. (Though "Loyal" is not the same thing as [[LovableCoward "Brave"]].)
* MayDecemberRomance: Nick and Nora, in the original novel.
* MotiveRant: The villain in ''After''.
* NeverSuicide: [[spoiler: subverted in ''Shadow''.]]
* NewYearsResolution: "Must scold, must nag, mustn't look too pretty in the morning.."
* ThePerryMasonMethod: How Nick elicits TheReveal in all six films.
* PlayingAgainstType: The first film in the series helped Loy finally escape from the "Villainous Foreign [[TheVamp Vamp]]" ghetto she'd been stuck in for years; ironically, she then became best known for playing wholesome-mother roles.
** Jimmy Stewart would be this, if he'd had a type yet at the time he starred in ''After the Thin Man''.
* PrettyInMink: Being a wealthy couple, Nora wore quite a few furs.
* TheReveal: The movies always ended with these.
* SleepingSingle: Except for that one time on the train.
* SummationGathering: All six films.
* TakingYouWithMe: ''After''. "I've got six bullets in this gun. One for her, one for myself. One for myself, and the rest for anyone who tries to stop me."
* ThoseTwoActors: Powell and Loy made several other movies together as well.
* WackyCravings: "And you call yourself a detective."
* WalkThisWay: ''After'' does this gag at one point with Nick and an elderly butler.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Nick in ''The Thin Man Goes Home''. Nora claims that if he ever got a pat on the back from his father, he'd burst a vest-button. It literally happens in the final scene.
----

* IAmNotShazam: Nick Charles is not the Thin Man. However, some of the later sequels' titles gave in and used it like he was.

* ValuesDissonance: To a modern eye Nick comes off as a hopeless alcoholic.
** Though he actually quits drinking by movie five. Sobriety doesn't change his behavior very much.

Not to be confused with Crispin Glover's character in the ''CharliesAngels'' movies. Also, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial any relation to]] TheSlenderManMythos [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial is purely speculative.]]

** Justified considering the movie was made just after Prohibition ended.

** There were also a fair number of implications that despite the series use of the SleepingSingle trope, Nick and Nora had quite an "active" relationship. And that before he met her, Nick went through women like Kleenex.

* SleepingSingle: Except for that one time on the train..

* WellDoneSonGuy: Nick in the fifth movie. Nora claims that if he ever got a pat on the back from his father, he'd burst a vest-button. It literally happens in the final scene.

** Nick shared the drinking habits of the book's author, for whom Charles was a surrogate.

* ChocolateBaby: In ''After the Thin Man'', Asta the dog comes home to the missus to see she's got a litter of puppies...one of which is too darkly colored to belong to either of them. He spies a nearby black Scottish Terrier sneaking through a hole under the fence and drives off the intruder angrily, then fills in the hole. Pretty racy stuff for the time period it was made in.

''TheThinMan'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre- HaysCode) movie based on a DashiellHammett novel, and features William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a pair of hard-drinking, wisecracking, socializing types - except that Nick is also famous for being a tough detective, and no matter how hard he tries, he can't quite stop people (most especially including Nora) expecting him to solve crimes. Almost every single modern [[TheyFightCrime crime-solving-duo]] owes something to this film - everything from ''{{Castle}}'' to ''WarehouseThirteen'', from ''HartToHart'' and ''RemingtonSteele'' to ''{{Moonlighting}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

* IAmNotShazam: Nick Charles is not the Thin Man. However, some of the later sequels' titles gave up any pretence of this.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Nick in the fifth movie. Nora claims that if he ever got a pat on the back from his father, he'd burst a vest-button. It literally happens in the final scene.

Not to be confused with Crispin Glover's character in the ''CharliesAngels'' movies. Also,[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial any relation to]] TheSlenderManMythos [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial is purely speculative.]]

[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Any relation to]] TheSlenderManMythos [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial is purely speculative.]] Also spawned a short-lived TV series, and was one of the franchises parodied in ''MurderByDeath''. In 2011 a remake was reported to be in the works, with JohnnyDepp attached to the project as Nick.

[[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial Any relation to]] TheSlenderManMythos [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial is purely speculative.]] Also spawned a short-lived TV series, and was one of the franchises parodied in ''MurderByDeath''.

* TheDogWasTheMastermind: What TheReveal usually revealed. [[spoiler:Start with a murder, present a colorful parade of suspects, end by revealing the killer to be someone the audience had no reason to suspect.]] For modern audiences, ''After the Thin Man'' fits this trope best.