The Thin Man - 1934

Louis B. Mayer, head of MGM, originally was against the idea of Myrna Loy being cast in this picture but director W.S. Van Dyke wanted to use the stars of the movie Manhattan Melodrama (1934), William Powell and Myrna Loy. Mayer said that Powell was OK for the part since he had already played detectives in other films. Loy eventually got the part and made new image for herself.

Lux Radio Theatre version starring Myrna Loy, William Powell, Porter Hall aired June 8, 1936.

Film was shot only in about two weeks. Was originally said to be a "B" picture. First of six in The Thin Man series.

The title does not refer to Nick Charles (William Powell), but to the murder victim (Edward Ellis). Audiences and critics alike kept referring to Nick Charles as "the Thin Man", so subsequent films kept the name.

The Thin Man (1934) author Dashiell Hammett drew on his experiences as a union-busting Pinkerton detective in Butte, Montana, in creating his detective characters. Meanwhile, "The Thin Man" star Myrna Loy was born near and raised in Helena, Montana.

While the "Thin Man" in the movie refers to character Clyde Wynant, in the opening credits of the film the cover of the novel "The Thin Man" is shown. On the dust jacket of the book we see a thin man who's not just a model for the photo but who is also author Dashiell Hammett.

In the original novel, Jorgensen was Rosewater. For some reason, this was later changed or filmed and cut to get the movie the Hays seal.

Given three weeks to shoot the film, W.S. van Dyke managed it all in 12 days for the paltry budget of $231,000. The film surprised everyone by becoming a major box office hit, ranking in $1.4 million.

Skippy, who played Asta the dog, bit Myrna Loy during filming.

Reportedly, Dashiell Hammett based Nick and Nora's banter upon his rocky on-again, off-again relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman.

In The Thin Man (1934) while serving guests at a Christmas Party, and in My Man Godfrey(1936) when he comes home "intoxicated" William Powell sings the same line to a song, "For tomorrow may bring sorrow, so tonight let us be gay"

While William Powell, Myrna Loy, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, and William Henry recreated their roles in the June 8, 1936 Lux Radio Theater broadcast, Thomas Jackson was promoted from an uncredited bit as a reporter to the major supporting role of Lt. Guild. Even though Cecil B. DeMille had begun his 9 year run as Lux Theater host on June 1, only one week before, he was missing from this broadcast. Taking his place was The Thin Man (1934)'s director W.S. Van Dyke. Legendary silent star Theda Bara made an appearance and reminisced with him about silent film acting and the research she had to do to play Cleopatra in 1917. The washed-up Bara, who hadn't made a film in years, talked about making a comeback in films and seemed to be challenging the Norma Desmond character from Sunset Blvd. (1950). One wonders if either Billy Wilder or Charles Brackett was listening that night. Bara's unusual appearance suggests that Van Dyke was doing it as a favor to Charles Brabin, Bara's husband, who was a director colleague of his at MGM and whose career was ostensibly over too.

Maureen O'Sullivan appears intoxicated in her entrance to the dinner party at the end of the movie. She falls against the door frame prior to entering the room and her speech is slurred and stilted. In subsequent scenes at the dinner itself she is fine.

The second of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

American Film Institute Catalog of Feature Films 1931-40 erroneously identifies Huey White as playing the role of 'Face' Tefler, but it's actually Jack Irwin.

Cast of The Thin Man

William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
Skippy as Asta
Maureen O'Sullivan as Dorothy Wynant
Nat Pendleton as Lt. John Guild
Minna Gombell as Mimi Wynant Jorgenson
Porter Hall as Herbert MacCaulay
Henry Wadsworth as Tommy
William Henry as Gilbert Wynant
Harold Huber as Arthur Nunheim
Cesar Romero as Chris Jorgenson
Natalie Moorhead as Julia Wolf
Edward Ellis as Clyde Wynant
Edward Brophy as Joe Morelli