''Another Thin Man'' is a 1939 American detective film directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the third of six in the ''Thin Man'' series. It again stars William Powell and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

as Nick and Nora Charles and is based on

Dashiell Hammett Samuel Dashiell Hammett (; May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American writer of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. He was also a screenwriter and political activist. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade ('' ...

's Continental Op story "The Farewell Murder." The Charles' son Nicky Jr. is introduced for the first time. The cast includes their terrier Asta, Virginia Grey,

Otto Kruger Otto Kruger (September 6, 1885 – September 6, 1974) was an American actor, originally a Broadway matinee idol, who established a niche as a charming villain in films, such as Hitchcock's ''Saboteur''. He also appeared in CBS's ''Perry Mason'' a ...

, C. Aubrey Smith, Ruth Hussey, Nat Pendleton, Patric Knowles,

Sheldon Leonard Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. Early life Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle-cla ...

, Tom Neal, Phyllis Gordon and Marjorie Main.

Shemp Howard Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent. He is best known as the ...

appears in an uncredited role as Wacky. The film was unable to be called ''Return of the Thin Man'' because The Thin Man from the original film was "completely dead" according to newspapers in 1939. It was followed by ''

Shadow of the Thin Man ''Shadow of the Thin Man'' is the fourth of six ''The Thin Man'' murder mystery comedy films. It was released by MGM in 1941 and was directed by W. S. Van Dyke. It stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Also, in this fil ...

'' (1941).

Plot

Nick and Nora Charles are back in New York with Asta and their son Nicky Jr. They are invited by Colonel Burr MacFay to spend the weekend at his house on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...

. MacFay, the former business partner of Nora's father and the administrator of her fortune, desperately wants Nick to put his well-known detective skills to work, as he has been receiving death threats from a shady character named Phil Church. When MacFay is killed, Church seems to be the obvious suspect, but Nick is skeptical, suspecting more than a simple murder. MacFay's housekeeper, his adopted daughter, and various hangers-on all may have had an interest in killing him.

Cast

* William Powell as Nick Charles *

as Nora Charles * Virginia Grey as Lois MacFay *

as Assistant District Attorney Van Slack * C. Aubrey Smith as Colonel Burr MacFay * Ruth Hussey as Dorothy Walters, Charles' nanny * Nat Pendleton as Lieutenant Guild * Patric Knowles as Dudley Horn, Lois's fiancé * Tom Neal as Freddie Coleman, MacFay's secretary * Phyllis Gordon as Mrs. Isabella Bellam, MacFay's housekeeper *

as Phil Church *

Don Costello Eldon Lawrence "Don" Costello (September 5, 1901 – October 24, 1945) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. Background Costello was born in New Orleans on September 5, 1901. He was the son of James J. Costello and Mary E. Cos ...

as Diamond Back Vogel *

Harry Bellaver Harry Bellaver (born Enricho Bellaver; February 12, 1905 – August 8, 1993) was an American stage, film and television actor who appeared in many roles from the 1930s through the 1980s. Early years Bellaver was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the ...

as Creeps * Muriel Hutchison as Smitty *

Abner Biberman Abner Warren Biberman (April 1, 1909 – June 20, 1977) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter. Early years Biberman was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, later moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gained early acting experien ...

as Dum-Dum * Marjorie Main as Mrs. Dolley *

as Wacky (uncredited) * The Afro-Cuban dance team of René and Estela, headliners at the Havana-Madrid Club in New York City, is featured in the floor show at the West Indies Club.

Reception

The film

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website Rotten Tomatoes show's the film score to be 85% based on reviews from 20 professional critics. According to

Frank S. Nugent Frank Stanley Nugent (May 27, 1908 – December 29, 1965) was an American screenwriter, journalist, and film reviewer, who wrote 21 film scripts, 11 for director John Ford. He wrote almost a thousand reviews for ''The New York Times'' before lea ...

, "this third of the trademarked Thin Men takes its murders as jauntily as ever, confirms our impression that matrimony need not be too serious a business, and provides as light an entertainment as any holiday-amusement seeker is likely to find." Century Danforth 1939

''Another Thin Man'' is the third of six feature films based on the characters of Nick and Nora Charles: * '' The Thin Man'' (1934) * '' After the Thin Man'' (1936) * ''Another Thin Man'' (1939) * ''

'' (1941) * ''

The Thin Man Goes Home ''The Thin Man Goes Home'' is a 1945 comedy- mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe. It is the fifth of the six '' Thin Man'' films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's dapper ex-private detective Nick Charles and his ...

'' (1945) * '' Song of the Thin Man'' (1947)

Box office

''Another Thin Man'' grossed a domestic and foreign total of $2,223,000: $1,523,000 from the U.S. and Canada and $700,000 elsewhere. It returned a profit of $394,000."The Eddie Mannix Ledger." ''Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study'' (Los Angeles).

References

External links

* * * * {{Dashiell Hammett 1939 films 1930s mystery films American black-and-white films American comedy thriller films American crime comedy-drama films American detective films American mystery films American sequel films Films directed by W. S. Van Dyke Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Patricide in fiction The Thin Man films 1930s crime comedy-drama films 1930s comedy thriller films Films scored by Edward Ward (composer) 1930s English-language films 1930s American films