The Thin Man (film series)
Series of detective films
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Thin Man is a media franchise featuring detective characters Nick and Nora Charles based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The franchise includes six theatrical films, one radio series, and one television series. Additionally, it has been reimagined for the stage through a musical and various plays.
- The Thin Man (novel; 1934)
- The Thin Man (film; 1934)
| The Thin Man | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Dashiell Hammett |
| Original work |
|
| Years | 1934–1991 |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | The Thin Man (1934) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | The Thin Man (1957–1959) |
| Television special(s) | Nick and Nora (1975) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) | Nick & Nora (1991) |
| Audio | |
| Radio program(s) | The Adventures of the Thin Man (1941–1950) |
Films
| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thin Man | May 25, 1934 | W. S. Van Dyke | Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich | Based on: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett | Hunt Stromberg |
| After the Thin Man | December 25, 1936 | ||||
| Another Thin Man | November 17, 1939 | Based on: "The Farewell Murder" by Dashiell Hammett | |||
| Shadow of the Thin Man | November 21, 1941 | Harry Kurnitz and Irving Brecher | Harry Kurnitz | ||
| The Thin Man Goes Home | January 25, 1945 | Richard Thorpe | Robert Riskin and Dwight Taylor | Robert Riskin and Harry Kurnitz | Everett Riskin |
| Song of the Thin Man | August 28, 1947 | Edward Buzzell | Steve Fisher and Nat Perrin | Stanley Roberts | Nat Perrin |
Future
In October 2010, it was announced that Johnny Depp was developing a new adaptation of The Thin Man for Warner Bros. through his Infinitum Nihil production company.[1] Rob Marshall was negotiating to direct when screenwriter Jerry Stahl joined the project in March 2011.[2] However, David Koepp came on board to write the script that August.[3]
After creative differences between Koepp and Marshall, Billy Ray was tapped to write the screenplay.[4] But Warner Bros. never green-lit the film, and it was eventually shelved as Marshall entered production on Into the Woods (2014).[5]
In October 2023, LuckyChap Entertainment and Plan B Entertainment were in talks to co-produce a remake of The Thin Man.[6]
Television
The Thin Man (1957–1959)
In 1957, MGM Television produced a television adaptation of The Thin Man starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora Charles. The series ran for two seasons on NBC.[7]
Nick and Nora (1975)
Nick and Nora is a made-for-television movie that aired on ABC as a part of the network's Wide World of Mystery programming block. The MGM Television-produced special starred Craig Stevens and Jo Ann Pflug in the lead roles.[8]
Cast and crew
Principal cast
This section includes characters who have appeared in the franchise.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film or series.
| Character | Films | TV series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thin Man | After the Thin Man | Another Thin Man | Shadow of the Thin Man | The Thin Man Goes Home | Song of the Thin Man | The Thin Man | |
| 1934 | 1936 | 1939 | 1941 | 1945 | 1947 | 1957–1959 | |
| Nick Charles | William Powell | Peter Lawford | |||||
| Nora Charles | Myrna Loy | Phyllis Kirk | |||||
| Dorothy Wynant | Maureen O'Sullivan | ||||||
| Lt. John Guild | Nat Pendleton | Nat Pendleton | |||||
| Mimi Wynant Jorgenson | Minna Gombell | ||||||
| Lieutenant Abrams | Sam Levene | Sam Levene | |||||
| David Graham | James Stewart | ||||||
| Selma Landis | Elissa Landi | ||||||
| "Dancer" | Joseph Calleia | ||||||
| Aunt Katherine Forrest | Jessie Ralph | ||||||
| Lois MacFay | Virginia Grey | ||||||
| Assistant District Attorney Van Slack | Otto Kruger | ||||||
| Colonel Burr MacFay | C. Aubrey Smith | ||||||
| Dorothy Walters | Ruth Hussey | ||||||
| Paul Clarke | Barry Nelson | ||||||
| Stella | Louise Beavers | ||||||
| Molly | Donna Reed | ||||||
| Mrs. Charles | Lucile Watson | ||||||
| Laurabelle "Laura" Ronson | Gloria DeHaven | ||||||
| Crazy Mary | Anne Revere | ||||||
| Clarence "Clinker" Krause | Keenan Wynn | ||||||
| Nick "Nickie" Charles Jr. | William A. Poulsen | Richard Hall | Dean Stockwell | ||||
Additional crew
| Role | The Thin Man | After the Thin Man | Another Thin Man | Shadow of the Thin Man | The Thin Man Goes Home | Song of the Thin Man |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 1936 | 1939 | 1941 | 1945 | 1947 | |
| Composer | William Axt | Herbert Stothart and Edward Ward | Edward Ward | David Snell | ||
| Editor | Robert J. Kern | Fredrick Y. Smith | Robert J. Kern | Ralph E. Winters | Gene Ruggiero | |
| Cinematographer | James Wong Howe | Oliver T. Marsh | William H. Daniels and Oliver T. Marsh | William H. Daniels | Karl Freund | Charles Rosher |
| Art director | Cedric Gibbons | Edward Carfagno and Cedric Gibbons | Randall Duell and Cedric Gibbons | |||
| Production companies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |||||
| Distributor | Loew's Inc. | |||||
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Box office gross | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | International | Worldwide | ||||
| The Thin Man | May 25, 1934 | $231,000 | $818,000 | $729,000 | $1,423,000 | [9][10] |
| After the Thin Man | December 25, 1936 | $673,000 | $1,992,000 | $1,173,000 | $3,165,000 | [11] |
| Another Thin Man | November 17, 1939 | $1,107,000 | $1,523,000 | $700,000 | $2,223,000 | [9] |
| Shadow of the Thin Man | November 21, 1941 | $821,000 | $1,453,000 | $848,000 | $2,301,000 | [9] |
| The Thin Man Goes Home | January 25, 1945 | $1,401,000 | $1,770,000 | $1,044,000 | $2,814,000 | [9] |
| Song of the Thin Man | August 28, 1947 | $1,670,000 | $1,403,000 | $902,000 | $2,305,000 | [9] |
| Total | $5,903,000 | $8,959,000 | $5,396,000 | $14,231,000 | ||
Critical response
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| The Thin Man | 98% (46 reviews)[12] | 86 (16 critics)[13] |
| After the Thin Man | 100% (25 reviews)[14] | |
| Another Thin Man | 86% (22 reviews)[15] | 63 (8 critics)[16] |
| Shadow of the Thin Man | 89% (9 reviews)[17] | 63 (7 critics)[18] |
| The Thin Man Goes Home | 75% (8 reviews)[19] | |
| Song of the Thin Man | 91% (11 reviews)[20] |