Film Review: Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
If you want to see well-oiled Classic Hollywood machine at work, you should look for something like Shadow of the Thin Man, 1941 crime comedy directed by W. S. Van Dyke, the fourth instalment of the popular Thin Man series. William Powell and Myrna Loy repeat their iconic role of former police detective Nick Charles and his wealthy socialite wife Nora. The plot begins with the couple going to enjoy a day at the San Francisco race track, only to be greeted by the news about one of the jockeys being apparently killed. Nick, rather reluctantly, joins the investigation that initially points to race fixing and organised crime as something to do with motive and perpetrators. Soon afterwards, another murder occurs and Nick would have to use all of his skills to solve the mystery.
After three previous films Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, spouses who had used their real life experience in order to create comic banter between the Charles, have felt too exhausted with the series. They were replaced by Harry Kurnitz and Irving Brecher, dependable Hollywood scriptwriters who here didn’t provided anything particularly remarkable and original, but they nevertheless recognised effective formula and stayed within it. It was rather easy with Powell and Loy, who had appeared together in ten previous films (including Thin Man series), repeating their on-screen chemistry and with W. S. Van Dyke, one of the most efficient directors of Classic Hollywood, delivering another fast-paced solid mix of murder mystery and screwball comedy. The mystery itself for the first time hadn’t anything to do with the character’s original creator Dashiell Hammett and isn’t anything to write home about. It features many murder suspects that are, in the fashion of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit novels, brought together near the end and actual culprit revealed to be the least likely suspect of all. The film is more imaginative in the comical scenes that serve as some sort of the filler – initial encounter between Charles and motorcycle policeman at recently built San Francisco bridge, Nick experiencing dizziness while accompanying Nick Jr. (played by Dickie Moore) at merry-go-round and visit to pirate ship-themed restaurant where Charles encounter massive brawl. Shadow of the Thin Man also features more than fine cast, which includes Stella Adler, legendary drama teacher (who had, among others, trained Maron Brando), in one of her only three film appearances of her careers. Donna Reed, who would later become great star both on film and television, also appears in prominent role of mobster’s clerk. Another future screen legend, Ava Gardner, briefly appears in her film debut. Despite being far from classic, Shadow of the Thin Man is easily digestible and entertaining film that could be recommended even to those viewers who care little about Classic Hollywood legends. Shadow of the Thin Man was major success at the box office, but soon after the premiere USA entered into Second World War. With Myrna Loy temporarily abandoning her acting career to serve as Red Cross volunteer, new instalment in the series had to wait until 1945 and The Thin Man Goes Home.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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