After the Thin Man

"Are you packing?"
"Yes dear, I'm putting away this liquor."

Nick (Powell) and Nora (Loy) Charles return home on New Year's Eve.  They plan to go to bed early and have a nice quiet new year, but they arrive home to find a raging welcome home / New Year's Eve party  in their living room.  Then they are summoned to the home of Nora's Aunt Katherine (Ralph) for dinner, despite Katherine's dislike for Nick.  Nick's skills are needed to find Katherine's missing son-in-law Robert (Marshall).

Meanwhile, Robert is having an affair with nightclub ingenue Polly (Singleton), but Polly is just using Robert for his money.  They plan to run away that night, after Robert collects a sizable sum from his wife, Selma (Landi).  But Robert is shot leaving his home, and Selma is discovered holding a gun over his body.  Nick sets out to prove Selma's innocence, but who shot Robert?  Was it Polly, her scheming brother Phil (Paul Fix), her gangster boss / boyfriend Dancer (Calleia), Selma's former fiance David (Stewart) who wanted Robert out of the picture permanently, or a member of Selma's family to get rid of a scandal?


The second film in the Thin Man series, the story picks up a few months later.  The script was penned by Dashiell Hammett (author of The Thin Man novel), and features many of the same components as it's predecessor.  Like it's predecessor, the screenplay was nominated for an Oscar.  This time Nora is more involved in solving the crime, as she is related to the main suspect.

Myrna Loy and William Powell continue to light up the screen, with playful banter and an easy chemistry.  There is even a subplot for their dog Asta, who gets a family.  The subplot is distracting, but cute.  James Stewart is a nice addition to the cast, but his part is rather strange.  Once again, the murderer is revealed at a gathering of the suspects: an apartment.

The original is better, but still a great detective film.

After the Thin Man (1936) 112 minutes
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
James Stewart as David Graham
Elissa Landi as Selma Landis
Joseph Calleia as Dancer
Jessie Ralph as Aunt Katherine Forrest
Alan Marshall as Robert Landis
Teddy Hart as Floyd Casper
Sam Levene as Lt. Abrams
Penny Singleton as Polly Byrnes