Review of Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

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The high-living Nick and Nora Charles stumble into murder at a San Francisco racetrack and are quickly led into an investigation of various gambling rackets in this fast paced and very witty forth installment of the famous "Thin Man" series. The powerful charm of William Powell and Myrna Loy as a screen team is undimmed by passing time, and the script gives them plenty of opportunity to shine.

Like all the "Thin Man" films, THE SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN offers a superior supporting cast including a very young Donna Reed--but the real standout here is Stella Adler, seldom seen on screen but a noted stage actress and famous acting coach. Adler's performance here is quite remarkable, at once sultry and disconcerting, and should not be overlooked.

Although two more films were to come in the series, THE SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN is really the last significant film in the series. Both fans and newcomers will enjoy it!

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This time Nick and Nora (and Asta, of course) get themselves embroiled in the murder of a jockey--at the racetrack, no less! This along with helping out a reporter friend whose girlfriend's boss is involved in shady dealings.

But none of this really matters, because the main reason to watch these films has always been the wisecracking chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy. And with characters named Link, Whitey, and Rainbow Benny, how can you go wrong?

Plus, there's a bonus! At Nick, Jr.'s insistence, Nick actually drinks a glass of milk!

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SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN offers nothing really new but it does offer exactly what fans of the franchise expect. Nick and Nora get dragged into another murder mystery. They continue to bicker in their loving way. Nick and all his old street contacts help Nick do what the police cannot. Lt. Abrams (Sam Levene) last seen in AFTER THE THIN MAN returns. He is to Nick what Inspector Lestrad is to Sherlock Holmes. It's a treat to see a young Donna Reed in a film 5 years prior to her breakthrough performance in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and 2 decades prior to her self named sitcom.

As usual, Nick with Nora's help rounds up all the suspects and walks the viewer through his deductive reasoning and then announces who the killer is. As this was the third sequel it is plain to see the basic formula that is present in all the THIN MAN films. It, by this film, had become about as complex as a color by numbers coloring book. Little imagination but still fun to do. I would rank this my fourth favorite of the six THIN MAN FILMS. I'm still waiting on the DVD release for this film and the other 4 sequels to the original THIN MAN. Hurry up!!!

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Nick and Nora (William Powell and Myrna Loy) investigate after their friend, Paul Clark (Barry Nelson), is framed for murder. The familiar things that make the Thin Man series easy to like are present in this movie. Nick and Nora continue their witty and sophisticated repartee, having fun with their marriage. A running joke in the series is Nora's amused reaction to Nick's blue-collar background. Wherever they go, Nick meets old friends and associates among the cops, bookies, gamblers, and ex-cons. Nora's chutzpah keeps pace with Nick's rapier wit. Their night out at the wrestling matches is a high-point of our little story. Note her introduction to "Spider" Webb. Asta occasionally steals the spotlight, especially in the restaurant segment as the mischievious pooch causes a knockdown brawl. The cutesy Nickie, Jr. detracts from the edginess of the adult story line. This is unfortunate but not important enough to emphasize. We usually fast-forward through Nick and Nick, Jr. on the merry-go-round. In the middle of all this classic comedy, a genuine murder mystery is in progress. Sam Levene repeats his role from "After the Thin Man" of Lt. Abrams. When Nick isn't sparring with Nora, he and Abrams square off. A very young Donna Reed plays Paul's girl, Molly. Mix it in a cocktail shaker, and we have good fun. ;-)

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"You know that jockey, Gomez," says Lieutenant Abrams (Sam Levene) to Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) as the two arrive at the racetrack for a little betting, "the one who was caught throwing the fourth race yesterday? He was shot." "My," says Nora, "they're strict at this track." And we're off on the fourth of the Nick and Nora Charles Thin Man series. The mystery isn't bad. The Powell-Loy chemistry is just as fine as always, and the characters...well, Nick remains the suave, gentleman private detective, fond of martinis and double-breasted suits, clever at putting puzzles together, and a man who seems to know everyone from distinguished officials to Rainbow Benny, a racetrack tout. Nora, his wealthy, socialite wife, remains most of the time a skeptical, affectionate, funny helpmate who can match her husband's martini intake whenever she chooses. However, slowly the series is turning Nora into a more conventional wife and mother. In Shadow of the Thin Man, the writers have Nora sometimes just being a ditzy, adoring wife. Myrna Loy makes it work, but some of Nora's smartness and wit have been dumbed down.

Nick agrees to look into the death of the jockey, but then another shooting takes place, this time of Whitey Barrow, a corrupt reporter who is in cahoots with a ring of racketeers who are making a fortune on racetrack gambling. When the dignified Major Jason Scully, hired by the track commission to clean up the situation, and Paul Clark, a young, crusading reporter, visit Nick and try to enlist his services, he turns them down. He's got too much on his hands already with Nora and their three-year-old son, Nick, Jr. That second murder makes him change his mind. Before long he's up to his waist in suspects. There's Link Stephens, the tough smoothie who runs the syndicate and who is weak around the edges; Fred Main, his wise-guy enforcer; Claire Porter, Stephen's upper-class girl friend; and Baku, her chauffeur. There is even a ticket seller to be suspicious of. Plus, just maybe Paul Clark (Barry Nelson) isn't as honest as he seems, especially since his girlfriend, Molly (Donna Reed), works for Stephens. It all comes together, of course, with a big meeting of all the suspects, with Nick taking apart the case clue by clue until the murderer is unmasked. This time, Nora does a bit of heroics that ends with a loving smooch by our favorite couple, with Asta the dog covering its eyes with a paw.

The movie features three genuinely funny set pieces. First up is Nick and Nora at a crowded wrestling match. It's reassuring to see that professional wrestling hasn't advanced an inch in more than 65 years when it comes to the need for great acting ability. Next is the merry-go-round where Nick has to prove that he's not a scaredy-cat to a group of sneering tykes. And finally is a classic that should be revived, where the waiter at Mario's Grotto is determined Nick and Nora and their two guests will all order the sea bass. He will not take broiled lobster as an answer.

And let's spend a moment with Stella Adler, who plays Claire Porter. She was 40 when she made this movie. She was born into one of the leading Yiddish theater families in New York, and became a star in Yiddish theater in the Twenties. In the Thirties she joined the Group Theater, became a star on Broadway, went to the Soviet Union to study under Stanislavsky himself, and returned to become one of America's great drama teachers, as well as an actor and director. Adler never made much of an impression in Hollywood; she spent most of her life in New York. She taught and mentored Marlon Brando and was the single most important influence on his acting career. She died, honored and full of years, in 1992. Just watch her as Porter, a lush, well-bred blonde with a voice as cultured as clotted cream. Except that Claire had been a professional woman, as in the oldest profession. When Claire loses her temper, she loses her culture, her class and her accent. Nick finds this out. Adler handles the role with aplomb, and her instant transformation from cultured to common is something to see.

The black and white DVD transfer is excellent. There is one noteworthy extra, a 20-minute dramatic short based on Poe's Tell-Tale Heart. It was Jules Dassin's first job as a director. It's creepy and it's first-rate.