History Film / TheThinMan

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.

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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) from expecting him to solve crimes.

''The Thin Man'' was nominated for four Oscars, including nominations for picture, director, and lead actor, but didn't win any. Powell and Loy's chemistry and charisma were obvious, and several sequels followed:

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar:
** Regarding Maureen O'Sullivan's character:
--->'''Party Guest:''' Say, who's the little brunette?\\
'''Nick:''' ''[unamused]'' I used to bounce her on my knee.\\
'''Party Guest:''' Which knee? Can I touch it?
** There are also a fair number of implications that despite the series' use of the SleepingSingle trope, Nick and Nora have quite an "active" relationship. And that before he met her, Nick went through women like Kleenex.
** Some of these would go over the heads of modern viewers, but were risque for their day. An example is this exchange that results when a policeman finds a firearm in Nick's chest of drawers:
--->'''Police lieutenant:''' You got a pistol permit?\\
'''Nick Charles:''' No.\\
'''Police lieutenant:''' Ever heard of the Sullivan Act?\\
'''Nora Charles:''' Oh, that's all right, we're married.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Act Sullivan Act]] is a gun control law; Nora is thinking of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mann_Act Mann Act]] [[/note]]
** While struggling with Morelli, Nick is grazed by a bullet. The press exaggerates the story.
--->'''Nick:''' Hey, I'm a hero! I was shot twice in the ''Tribune''.\\
'''Nora:''' I read you were shot five times in the tabloids.\\
'''Nick:''' It's a lie; he didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.
** Asta's Christmas present is a toy fire hydrant.

Not to be confused with Creator/CrispinGlover's character in the ''Film/CharliesAngels'' movies. Also, any relation to Franchise/TheSlenderManMythos is purely speculative. ''Film/NickAndNorahsInfinitePlaylist'' is a ShoutOut to this but entirely unrelated as a story.

* ArtifactTitle: In the original, the "thin man" was not Nick Charles, but a character named Clyde Winant, a missing person who was suspected of murder. However, moviegoers started associating Nick Charles with the "thin man," and by ''The Thin Man Goes Home'', which involved Nick going back to his hometown, the movie series did too.

* HaveAGayOldTime: In the first movie, Nick (briefly) sings a song with the line, "For tomorrow, we must be gay."

* HelloNurse: No fewer than three party guests swoop in on Nick's front door when Dorothy Wynant arrives. Nick ushers her away, saying that they have to "get away from the wolves."

* InterClassRomance:
** In the backstory, Nick was a working-class detective while Nora was a wealthy socialite. Most prominently featured in ''After,'' where Nick's discomfort with Nora's family is a recurring theme.
** There are several moments of Nick teasing his wife (much to Nora's annoyance) that he only married her for her wealth. This is always followed by an awkward silence and Nora's {{death glare}}.

* CloudCuckoolander: A fair number of characters seem to be skirting close to this, but [[NightmareFetishist Gilbert Wynant]] goes all the way.

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: At the end of the movie Nick bids Dorothy and her new husband goodbye with "[[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest]]."

* WouldHitAGirl: A pretty weird instance of this trope. A gun-wielding {{Mook}} has burst into Nick and Nora's bedroom. Nick gets Nora out of the line of fire by punching her in the face. A closer inspection shows it's more of a case of SlapstickKnowsNoGender--Nick tries to push her out of the line of fire (with an open hand, not a fist) but ends up accidentally smacking her on the chin, causing her to fall off the bed.
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: Dorothy Wynant comes to the conclusion that she should dump her fiancé when it looks like her father may be an insane murderer, and worries that it runs in the family. The case isn't helped by her NightmareFetishist[=/=]CloudCuckooLander brother, who rather than comfort her theorizes that it is a recessive trait, and that therefore there is only a one in four chance of her child being insane. So she should limit herself to three children. Then he changes his mind because "[[DiggingYourselfDeeper The first one might be the bad one]]."

* HeroicDimples: Nick's show not only his heroism, but his wit and charm, as well as his bravery, particularly in the first film when he sneaks around a dark warehouse to confront a suspect.

* HappilyMarried: The Charleses are one of the great screen examples of the trope.

* NiceToTheWaiter: Nick and Nora are adored by their servants, and many of Nick's friends are criminals he's arrested. In the first film several of Nick's hoodlum friends come to his Christmas party.

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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) from expecting him to solve crimes.

Almost every modern male/female [[TheyFightCrime crimesolving duo]] owes something to this film -- everything from ''Series/McMillanAndWife'' to ''Series/HartToHart'', from ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', from ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

''After'' is noteworthy for an appearance by a disturbingly young [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]], playing what would prove to be [[PlayingAgainstType a very atypical role]], while an even-younger Dean Stockwell played the couple's son in ''Song''. The ''Thin Man'' series constituted six of the ''[[ThoseTwoActors fourteen movies]]'' Powell and Loy made together, which also included ''Manhattan Melodrama'', and ''Film/TheGreatZiegfeld''.

* AffectionateNickname: Nora often calls Nick "Nicky". Nick varies between calling Nora "baby" and "sugar". Once Nicky Jr. comes along he mostly calls her "Mommy."
* TheAlcoholic: Count how many times Nick had a drink. Or better yet, have a drink yourself whenever he does. (Note: '''Don't''' 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.

* ArtifactTitle: In the original, the "thin man" was not Nick Charles, but a character named Clyde Winant, a missing person who was suspected of murder. However, movie goers started associating Nick Charles with the "thin man", and by ''The Thin Man Goes Home'', which involved Nick going back to his hometown, the movie series did too.

* DeadpanSnarker: Both Nick and Nora, but especially Nora, who had a lot of the best lines.
* TheDogWasTheMastermind: What TheReveal usually...[[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment revealed]]. 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.

* InterClassRomance: In the backstory, Nick was a working-class detective while Nora was a wealthy socialite. Most prominently featured in ''After,'' where Nick's discomfort with Nora's family is a recurring theme.

* NeverOneMurder: In every film, there will be a couple of more murders after the first one to keep the plot zipping along.

* PrettyInMink: Being a wealthy couple, Nora wore quite a few furs. In ''The Thin Man'' Nick gives her one for Christmas.
* RedHerring: Several examples, two of the more prominent being the Chinese nightclub owner in ''After'' and the senior Charles's housekeeper in ''Goes Home'', who both skulk around acting suspicious but ultimately prove to be unconnected to the relevant murder(s).

* TitleDrop: In the first film, Clyde Wynant is referred to as "the thin man". In the second one, as Nick and Nora get off the train, reporters crowd around them and wonder if Nick is going to get "another Thin Man case".
* TheWatson: Part of Nora's job, as Nick did most of the actual detecting. Nick lampshades this by calling her "Dr. Watson" at one point in the original.

-->'''Nora:''' Do you want a drink?
-->'''Nick:''' What do you think?
* BlowingSmokeRings: In one scene, William Powell can be seen [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0pdux05St1qbrdf3o1_500.gif blowing smoke rings]] as the policeman interrogates Nunheim.

* DidIMentionItsChristmas: Set around the Christmas holiday, but not particularly relevant to the plot except giving Nick an excuse to hold a party and drink a lot.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar

--->'''Party Guest''': Say, who's the little brunette?\\
'''Nick''' ''(unamused)'': 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.
** Some of these would go over the heads of modern viewers, but were risque for their day. An example is this exchange that results when a policeman finds Nick carrying a concealed firearm:
--->'''Police lieutenant''': You got a pistol permit?\\
'''Nick Charles''': No.\\
'''Police lieutenant''': Ever heard of the Sullivan Act?\\
'''Nora Charles''': Oh, that's all right, we're married.[[note]]The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_Act Sullivan Act]] is a gun control law; Nora is thinking of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mann_Act Mann Act]].[[/note]]
**
--->'''Nora Charles''': I read you were shot twice in the tabloids.\\
'''Nick Charles''': It's a lie; he didn't come anywhere near my tabloids.

* HaveAGayOldTime: In the first movie, Nick (briefly) sings a song with the line, "For tomorrow, we must be gay".

* AnInsert: Nunheim is trying to call someone when a hand comes in from out of frame and hangs the phone up.
* NeverOneMurder: A trademark of the series. In this one Nunheim, a prime suspect in the Julia Wolf murder, himself gets gunned down a little more than halfway through.

* SpitTake: When the cops start getting into Nora's cabinet while searching Nick and Nora's apartment.
-->'''Nora''': What's that man doing in my drawers?\\
'''Nick''': ''(spit take)''

* WouldHitAGirl: A pretty weird instance of this trope. A gun-wielding {{Mook}} has burst into Nick and Nora's bedroom. Nick gets Nora out of the line of fire by punching her in the face. A closer inspection shows it's more of a case of SlapstickKnowsNoGender, Nick tries to push her out of the line of fire (with an open hand, not a fist) but ends up accidentally smacking her on the chin, causing her to fall off the bed.
* WhatIfTheBabyIsLikeMe: Dorothy Wynant comes to the conclusion that she should dump her fiance when it looks like her father may be an insane murderer, and worries that it runs in the family. The case isn't helped by her NightmareFetishist[=/=]CloudCuckooLander brother, who rather than comfort her theorizes that it is a recessive trait, and that therefore there is only a one in four chance of her child being insane. So she should limit herself to three children. Then he changes his mind because "[[DiggingYourselfDeeper The first one might be the bad one]]".

* CousinOliver: Making Nora pregnant at the end of ''After the Thin Man'' was a good gag but backfired to some extent in later installments, forcing Nick and Nora into a domesticity that didn't fit well with their urbane, martini-swilling style. In ''The Thin Man Goes Home'' Nick Jr. isn't included on a visit to his grandparents (supposedly he's at school).

-->'''Nora:''' "Do you want a drink?"
-->'''Nick:''' "What do you think?"

* CoincidentalBroadcast: A previously quite radio burst forth with news of the Julia Wolf murder before Nick turns it off.
* ContinuityNod: Early on in each sequel except ''Song'', someone rattles off the cases Nick solved in each previous film.

Almost every single modern male/female [[TheyFightCrime crimesolving duo]] owes something to this film -- everything from ''Series/McMillanAndWife'' to ''Series/HartToHart'', from ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', from ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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) from expecting him to solve crimes. Almost every single modern [[TheyFightCrime crime-solving-duo]] owes something to this film -- everything from ''Series/McMillanAndWife'' to ''Series/HartToHart'', from ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', from ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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 ''Series/McMillanAndWife'' to ''Series/HartToHart'', from ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', from ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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 ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'', from ''Series/McMillanAndWife'' to ''Series/HartToHart'', from ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

[[caption-width-right:300:Nick and Nora Charles, and their pet dog Asta]]

''The Thin Man'' is a 1934 (and thus, pre-[[UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode Hays Code]]) movie based on a Creator/DashiellHammett [[Literature/TheThinMan novel of the same name]], and features Creator/WilliamPowell and Creator/MyrnaLoy 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 ''Series/{{Castle}}'' to ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'', from ''Series/HartToHart'' and ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' to ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' is, in part, a riff on a theme established in ''The Thin Man''.

[[quoteright:313:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-thin-man_5092.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:313:Nick and Nora Charles, and their pet dog Asta]]

* AffectionateNickname: Nora often calls Nick "Nicky". Nick varies between calling Nora "baby" and "sugar".

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

* MotiveRant: The villains usually got one, although the murderer in the first film didn't. Unsurprisingly, the best one is from [[Creator/JimmyStewart James Stewart]] in ''After'', as he explains how was driven mad by jealousy after his girlfriend threw him over for her sleazy husband.

[[caption-width-right:313:Nick and Nora Charles and Asta]]

* LoyalAnimalCompanion: Asta. (Though "Loyal" is not the same thing as [[LovableCoward "Brave"]].)

[[folder: "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1945)]]

[[folder: "Song of the Thin Man" (1947)]]