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US Mall 1 - Song of the Thin Man
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $4.25
Your Save: $ 15.73 ( 79% )
Availability:
Manufacturer: MGM (Warner)
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Phillip Reed
Directed By: Edward Buzzell
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301978569
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 6301978560
Label: MGM (Warner)
Manufacturer: MGM (Warner)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Release Date: 1998-09-01
Running Time: 86
Studio: MGM (Warner)
Theatrical Release Date: 1947-09
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Do you like Keenan Wynn?
Comment: A must have if you already own the other Thin Man movies and are a fan of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Keenan Wynn is the treat in this movie. Without his performance the movie would not hold up. What a great actor he was. In my opinion he steals the show.
Customer Rating:
Summary: So long, Asta
Comment: Elsewhere in this space I have praised to the sky Dashiell Hammet's contribution to American literature through innovative improvements in the detective genre. That remains true. I have also praised the original film of the Thin Man here as well. But in the present review we are down to the sixth and last sequel in this series and it shows. Gone is the bright repartee between Nick (played by William Powell) and Nora (played by Myrna Loy) that made the original work. As the series progressed these characteristic charms took a beating until at the end the two are basically working separate beats.
The plot here involves a murdered small time jazz bandleader who has admirers (mainly female) but also some deadly enemies. Nick and Nora are drawn into this one by an acquaintance who has recently married a local gambling boss who, as the bandleader's employer, turns out to be a prime suspect. The fight for `truth and justice' takes off from there ending in the inevitable gathering of all the possible suspects in one locale in order for Nick to sort things out. The one redeeming feature here is the snappy `hip' dialogue of the various white jazz musicians who form the background for the story, especially the lively Keenan Wynn. Otherwise, this film-take it or leave.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "That's an old saying I just made up."
Comment: Song of the Thin Man is the last film of the highly popular detective series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Here, the couple is dragged into another murder case when a man is killed at a popular nighclub. It seems that he was involved with several women and owed a few debts. He could have been killed by anyone, and the evidence points to several people. Inevitably, just when the duo gets close to solving the case, something happens to throw them off course.
It is obvious that the leading stars have aged quite a bit since the first film in the series, but this is appropriate with the story. There are references to their longtime involvement in solving crimes, and their dog Asta has found a loving companion in the Charles son, Nick Jr. (Dean Stockwell). This is a movie about a family, which appeals to sentimental types, but it includes jazz and action for other audiences. There is certainly something for everyone here. No wonder this series ran for so long.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Swan Song of the Thin Man
Comment: The film shows a gambling ship used for a charity event. The Charles' play and win at roulette. The band leader has an issue with the lead clarinet player. This band leader owes a pile of money ($12,000) that must be paid back soon - or else. A man enters a cabin to break into a locked chest. A gun shoots him. The murder of Tommy Drake makes front page news. At home Nicky Jr. must practice the piano, not play baseball. His refusal calls for a spanking.
Phil Brant is wanted for the murder. He just got married to a wealthy heiress. After they arrive at the Charles' the police show up to arrest him. Nick explains his reasons. So now Nick will investigate the murder. Nick visits the gambling ship to view the crime scene. [Note how a double is used for stunts and rough action.] The film shows musicians gathering for a good time. No drinking or smoking for these hep cats. Has a receipt for $12,000 gone up in smoke?
Mr. Thayer tells Nick about an antique gun. [This is not the revolver shown earlier!] There is a phone call that takes Mrs. Brant away. Nick deduces the address written on a paper pad. A clue brings Nick and Nora to Poughkeepsie NY. They find Buddy Hollis at a rest home; his mind is "shattered". Can anyone believe what he says? They discover a clue on the trip back home to Manhattan. Nick thinks up a ruse to expose the killer. [False clues have been spread around.] The suspects are all assembled on the gambling ship. There is a confession and a surprise ending. [Does it remind you of "Murder, My Sweet"?]
This film is not as good as the earlier films. It is the last of the series, but a better story could have perhaps avoided this [unless that was its purpose]. This story seems to wander too much and waste the viewer's time. But its all right for fans of this series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nick and Nora Charles stroll off arm-in-arm into the distance. We'll miss them
Comment: Song of the Thin Man is a sad-sweet experience, something like meeting a good friend you haven't seen in years and realizing how much affection you still have for him... but also how much you both have aged. It's been 13 years since The Thin Man appeared in 1934. We have to stop and remember that Nick Charles wasn't the thin man back then; that particular thin man was just one of the many murder victims Nick and Nora came across in their six movies. We remember the sophistication and insouciance of this affectionate and clever couple. They were never at a loss for a quick come-back or to shake a cold, gin martini. Even Nick's modus operandi to bring all the suspects together at the conclusion and pick apart the case until he has the murderer squirming never quite got stale. Alas, with Song of the Thin Man we have the MGM factory squeezing out one more film to try to wring a profit from it, this time attempting to make it "contemporary" by setting the story in the post-WWII social world of after-hours jazz clubs, bebop musicians and hep cat dialogue. Nick and Nora never looked uncomfortable anywhere their adventures took them in the past. They look at times now as out of place as salesmen from Peru, Indiana, at a Linda and Cole Porter party.
Gone is the sophisticated world of white sofas and polished black floors, of naughty Porter lyrics and earnestly sophisticated Gershwin tunes. Martinis seem oddly old fashioned now (and so do Old Fashioneds) as Nick drinks high balls and Nora sips sherry. And instead of clever repartee, Song of the Thin Man gives us the kind of dialogue only studio journeymen can write. Says one character, "I must have blown my top, kicking Buddy over for a road company Casanova like you!" The solution depends on the kind of half-baked, melodramatic psychology popular at the time. To make it even more tedious, there are no characters except Nick and Nora to care about. The movie is peopled with crooks, opportunists, gold-diggers, scat-talking musicians and the unattractive rich. The acting is so variable that it doesn't take long to realize we're watching the kind of movie that MGM did not waste much effort on.
Why spend time on it? Two names: William Powell and Myrna Loy. Even though 13 years have elapsed, even though, at 55, Powell is a little fuller around the face (Loy at 42 doesn't seem to have changed a bit) and even though WWII altered decisively the world of films, they remain one of the most refreshing, attractive and delightful movie pairs in screen history. They raise the movie, if at least not to their level, to a level of enduring affection for their style, their warmth, their intelligence and, that word again, their insouciance. So three stars is too much for the movie but five stars is too little for them.
The DVD transfer looks just fine. There are a couple of extras, a cartoon and a short feature.
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