Film Review: Another Thin Man (1939)
Like Tarzan, another popular 1930s MGM film series, The Thin Man tried to adapt increasingly conservative mindset of Hays Office censors by giving protagonists adorable child and thus turning the franchise more sugary and what we could these days call “family friendly”. The result of such efforts was Another Thin Man, 1939 crime comedy directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the third instalment of the series.
The film is very loosely based on “Farewell Murder”, had boiled detective story by the characters’ creator Dashiel Hammett, which originally had Continental Op as protagonist. The plot, however, begins with former private detective Nick Charles (played by William Powell), his rich socialite wife Nora (played by Myrna Loy) and their terrier Asta (played by Skippy) returning to New York City, this time joined by couple’s eight-month old son Nicky Jr. (played by William A. Paulsen). Soon afterwards Colonel McFay (played by C. Aubrey Smith), rich industrialist and business associate of Nora’ father, asks Nick to come to his Long Island estate to help him deal with campaign of threats and intimidations. The most likely culprit is Phil Church (played by Sheldon Leonard), engineer and McFay’s former employee who considers his boss responsible for spending ten years in prison. When McFay actually gets killed, Church, who became acquainted with various underworld characters during his incarceration, apparently tries to flee the country, but Nick suspects that the murderer might be someone with different agenda. His investigation is, however, hampered with time-consuming demands of parenthood.
Another Thin Man is the last film in the series that was written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, spouses who took their own lives as inspiration for characters of Nick and Nora Charles and their banter. It was also the last directly based on Hammet’s work. William Powell and Myrna Loy, one of the most popular screen couples of Hollywood, returned to the screen, together with director W. S. Van Dyke. The formula, established in previous two films, generally works, although the murder mystery, that also involves killing someone’s dogs, looks more sinister. Such darker tones are, however, confined to the first segment of the film that takes place on McFay’s estate and film becomes much lighter when plot returns to New York City, even with introduction of underworld characters that are presented mostly as comical and even, at times, friendly to Nick, like in the case of hilarious scene when they stage impromptu party for Nicky Jr. bringing their own baby sons in the process. However, the main problem for Another Thin Man is overcomplicated plot, with many characters introduced solely to serve as red herrings and make the solving the mystery as difficult for audience as possible; once the actual killer is revealed, it is, predictably but not too convincingly, the least likely suspect and whole thing looks non-cathartic. The mystery takes too much time and leaves little opportunity for Nick and Nora to engage in their comical banter, what was the main attraction of the film. This is, to a degree, compensated with murder suspects and people associated with them being played by very enthusiastic cast of character actors which include Sheldon Leonard as sinister Church, Abner Biberman as Church’s ridiculously loyal underling DumDum and Nat Pendleton who repeats the role of police detective Guild from the first film in the series. Although oriented more towards mystery than comedy, and overlong despite Van Dyke’s no nonsense economic style of direction, Another Thin Man delivered enough entertainment to become major hit at the box office and secure three more sequels in next ten years.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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