Film Review: Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Film series seldom end as planned, and the final instalment is more often than not the most disappointing. This could be applied to Classic Hollywood and its popular series of Thin Man crime comedies. Song of the Thin Man, the 1947 film directed by Edward Buzzell, the sixth and final instalment of the series, is one such disappointment.

William Powell and Myrna Loy repeat their respective roles of Nick Charles, former policeman and amateur detective, and his wealthy socialite wife Nora. The plot begins aboard the SS Fortune, a gambling ship owned by Phil Brant (played by Bruce Cowling) moored outside New York City, where tycoon David I. Thayar (played by Ralph Morgan) sponsors a charity ball attended by the Charleses. The music is provided by a jazz band led by Tommy Drake (played by Phillip Reed), who gets into a fight with the talented but unstable clarinetist Buddy Hollis (played by Don Taylor) over sultry singer Fran Ledue Page (played by Gloria Grahame). Tommy’s other problem is a serious debt he owes to shady bookmaker Al Amboy (played by William Bishop). So, when Tommy is shot dead later in the evening, there are plenty of suspects.

Nick gets involved in the case rather reluctantly, being brought in by Thayar’s daughter Janet (played by Jayne Meadows), who has just eloped with Phil—who happens to be the most obvious murder suspect. Nick must get to the bottom of things and receives help from young jazz musician Clarence “Klinker” Krause (played by Keenan Wynn).

Song of the Thin Man isn’t a bad film per se, but for those already introduced to Nick and Nora Charles, it is obvious that the series has seen better days. W. S. Van Dyke, director of the four previous films, had died a few years earlier, and the talented screenwriting couple Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich had left the series. Director Edward Buzzell does a solid job and keeps a good pace, but the script by Steve Fisher and Nat Perrin is very disappointing. There is less comical banter between Nick and Nora and more of a rather forgettable “whodunnit” mystery, with the usual red herrings before the standard great reveal at the end that points to the least likely suspect as the true culprit.

The producers, to their credit, tried to do something different by partially setting the film in the milieu of jazz music. Song of the Thin Man does feature some interesting jazz numbers, but more importantly, it shows musicians as a strange emerging subculture with “jive talking” that is all but incomprehensible to the Charleses, who obviously belong to an older generation. This, in turn, makes viewers aware of the stars’ age, and Loy’s decision not to renew her contract with MGM and continue with the series becomes quite understandable.

Like many films of the series, Song of the Thin Man features quite a formidable cast that includes great character actors like Keenan Wynn and lesser-known mid-20th-century Hollywood beauties like Patricia Morrison or Marie Windsor. But probably the most interesting casting addition is Dean Stockwell, the child actor who plays Nick Charles Jr., a character who was absent from the previous instalment. Stockwell handles his role well, and it is easy to see why he became such a prolific and successful character actor later in life.

Myrna Loy in her memoirs expressed dissatisfaction with Song of the Thin Man and said that she “hated it”. This verdict is likely too harsh, and the film can be enjoyed if expectations aren’t too high, but Loy’s arguments may have some merit.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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