The thin man series is the cinematic equivalent of those detective novels that always have the same basic plot, but keep their audiences coming back because the characters are so irresistible. The book title, by the way, does not refer to the detective as many people seem to think. In the 1976 comedy spoof movie murder by death, the characters of nick and nora charles became dick and dora charleston, played by david niven and maggie smith. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a classic murder mystery that. Dashiell hammetts the thin man had an enduring effect. The thin man is a 1934 american precode comedymystery b movie directed by w. The thin man television series aired on nbc from 195759, and starred peter lawford and phyllis kirk. Parker with his spenser novels and at the lowest level by the hart to hart television series. Despite its long run on radio 19411950 few recordings of the series exist, and many of them are in subpar sound. Mccallahan, jarrett evanswolfe, and thayne evanswolfe. But the thin man was also a well known and much read series, and maybe still is.
A volume no fan of hammetts, of nick and nora charles, of the thin man series should even think of doing without. Mccallahan, jarrett evanswolfe, and thayne evanswolfe also play ongoing roles in this new series. This one features the lush drinking duo nick and nora charles and opens very much like a screwball. The thin man is a murdermystery that takes place in 1930s new york city. Dec 22, 2002 that the thin man cost so little and looks so good is possibly because the interiors are simple and elegant, and the black and white photography flatters the loungewear and formalwear worn by a greatlooking cast which in addition to powell and loy, included maureen osullivan and a young cesar romero. Read return of the thin man and rediscover why dashiell hammett was the peerless master of crime fiction in all its dark and bloody glory. Mar 25, 2018 the thin man series is the cinematic equivalent of those detective novels that always have the same basic plot, but keep their audiences coming back because the characters are so irresistible.
They feel like old friendsor, at least, the kind of rich, amusing, goodlooking, and welldressed friends we wish we had. The slender gentleman of the title is a character in the novel. During world war ii, hammett again served as sergeant in the army, this time for more than two years, most of which he spent in the aleutians. Return of the thin man kindle edition by hammett, dashiell. If youve read the death and destruction series, lincoln snow, mcbride m.
Lillian hellman, to whom the thin man, the published book, is dedicated. The thin man is a collection of sequential horrific tales in and about a thin entity. New york journal of books a volume no fan of hammetts, of nick and nora charles, of the thin man series should even think of doing without. The thin man movies are based on dashiell hammetts the thin man mystery book.
The thin man, dashiell hammetts classic tale of murder in manhattan, became the popular movie series with william powell and myrna loy, and both the movies and the. Produced by hunt stromberg who wasnt among the first rank of mgm producers it shows what a great studio could do even when it was not putting forward its major talent. If you are an avid reader of it then great news a new book is coming out very soon im counting down the days. There interactions are marked by smart banter and sharp repartee. The series transplanted the couple to new yorks greenwich village, updating the 1930s big band glamour to the 1950s beat generation. We recently conducted a poll among visitors and the memory man series was voted the 8th most favourite series by all readers. With peter lawford, phyllis kirk, asta, jack albertson. Nov 03, 2012 nick, nora and asta return in thin man novellas dashiell hammetts the thin man invented a new kind of crime fiction. In dashiell hammetts famous crime novel, we meet one of the detectivestory masters most enchanting creations, nick and nora charles, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. The adventures of the thin man radio series, initially starring les damon, was broadcast on all four major radio networks during the years 1941 to 1950. Nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. This book has become a classic for mystery fans everywhere. Aug 20, 2018 the thin man series is the cinematic equivalent of those detective novels that always have the same basic plot but keep their audiences coming back because the characters are so irresistible.
Lux radio theater the thin man, starring william powell, myrna loy june 8, 1936. Nick and nora charles are fictional characters created by dashiell hammett in his novel the thin man. Nora is a classy society dame, while nicks work puts him in touch with the world of cops and. This one features the lush drinking duo nick and nora charles and opens very much like a screwball comedy. Nick and nora charles from his fifth and final novel, the thin man also set the prototype for the archetype of the romantic crime solving couple. The tv series the thin man ran from 1957 through 1959, starring peter lawford and phyllis kirk.
Nor does it refer to the books author, whose spare frame often illustrates book jackets of the thin man. The thin man is a comedy of manners mixed with a solid mystery. Myrna loy and william powell in the thin man movies. Red harvest 1929, the dain curse 1929, and the glass key 1931 are among his most successful novels. Hammetts portrayal of sophisticated new york cafe society during prohibition and his witty protagonists nick and nora charles made this the most popular of his works, if not the most successful critically. There is a lot of smart banter, the most obvious between nick and nora. He dropped out of high school after his freshman year and held a series of odd jobsmessenger boy. Thin man, old time radio 8 episodes from the 194150 series based on the popular book and movie, starring claudia morgan as nora charles and les damon, david gothard, les tremayne, and joseph curtain as nick charles. Jul 30, 2019 the thin man became a huge hit, but its rampant drinking, dirty jokes and all that followed were not lost on the hollywood gatekeepers when it came to making sequels. Dashiell hammetts 1934 novel the thin man is a small but dense piece of detective fiction which follows a former detective, nick charles short for the.
Claudia morgan had the female lead role of nora charles throughout the programs entire nineyear run. But the thin man was also a well known and much read series, and maybe. Nick, nora and asta return in thin man novellas dashiell hammetts the thin man invented a new kind of crime fiction. Soon after dorothy wynant announces to her inventor father that she plans to marry, he goes on a mysterious business trip, promising to return in time for dorothys wedding. Van dyke and based on the novel of the same name by dashiell hammett. Amateur detectives nick and nora charles investigate various crimes. Dashiell hammett booklist dashiell hammett message board. Catalog your books from amazon, the library of congress and 4941 other libraries. The thin man is a detective novel by dashiell hammett, originally published in the december 1933 issue of redbook. Nora, having grown weary of her silverspoon existence, is fascinated by the world of private investigation. The movie version of the thin man is also highly recommended. Dashiell hammett was a crime writer who elevated the genre to true literature, and the thin man was hammetts last and most successful novel.
In the film gumshoe1971, who noticed the book, the thin man, opened and in. Buy a cheap copy of the thin man book by dashiell hammett. The paperback of the the thin man by dashiell hammett at barnes. Talk about what you love with other committed bibliophiles.
The success of the novel and especially the film series hammett. The characters were later adapted for film in a series of films between 1934 and 1947. The thin man goes home 1945 film by richard thorpe. The thin man movie series the cozy mystery list blog. The movies remain a fantastic showcase of the talents and chemistry of william powell and myrna loy.
He wrote two fulllength novellas for the films that became after the thin man and another thin man. The thin man by the 1248th greatest fiction book of all time. The thin blue line series audiobooks listen to the full. With william powell, myrna loy, maureen osullivan, nat pendleton. He was going to be involved in the sequel but personal difficulties and difficulties the the growing power of the production code and the legion of decency prevented him from doing that. That the thin man cost so little and looks so good is possibly because the interiors are simple and elegant, and the black and white photography flatters the loungewear and formalwear worn by a greatlooking cast which in addition to powell and loy, included maureen osullivan and a young cesar romero. The movie gods were in a generous mood when they paired william powell and myrna loy as nick and nora charles, the upperclass sophisticates whose sleuthing escapades somehow joined the classic form of the whodunit with. This is the opening title sequence from the nbctv series the thin man 19571959, starring peter lawford and phyllis kirk as dashiell hammetts nick and nora charles.
Snag a book from over 2000 earlyrelease books every month. The thin man, novel by dashiell hammett, published in 1934. Hammett never wrote a sequel but the book became the basis for a successful sixpart film series, which also began in 1934 with the thin man. Dashiell hammetts 1934 novel the thin man is a small but dense piece of detective fiction which follows a former detective, nick charles short for the greek charalambides. They feel like old friendsor at least, the kind of rich, amusing, goodlooking and welldressed friends we wish we had. The thin man movies were part of my growing up and i have seen most of them. Former detective nick charles and his wealthy wife nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it. But lest it appear hammett has betrayed the hardboiled detective. Dashiell hammetts novel, the thin man launched one of the golden ages greatest detective movie franchises, along with a popular radio program, as well as a 1950s syndicated tv series.
Dashiell hammett was a great mystery writer, who wrote. Following the enormous success of the thin man movie in 1934, hammett was commissioned to write stories for additional films. The thin man the greatest literature of all time editor eric. Featuring an involving mystery and sparkling repartee between william powell and myrna loy, the thin man is an endlessly charming romp. Hammett never wrote a sequel but the book became the basis for a successful sixpart film series, which also began in 1934 with the thin man and starred william powell and myrna loy. The nick and nora in this book dont have the pure level of charm and chemistry. The adventures of the thin man radio shows were based on the thin man movie series, which were in turn based on the novel by dashiell hammett. Oct 12, 2011 the thin man movies are based on dashiell hammetts the thin man mystery book. The thin man is a sort of noir comic by one of the greats of noir crime history, dashiell hammett, who is best known for creating sam spade in the maltese falcon. Nick investigates the case of a missing man and later a murder that is connected to noras family. Van dykes marvelous adaptation of a dashiell hammet novel.
Dashiell hammetts the thin man had an enduring effect on. The thin man ran two seasons from 1957 to 1959 starring peter lawford and phyllis kirk as nick and nora. Dashiell hammetts the thin man invented a new kind of crime fiction. Nick is a retired private detective who left his very successful career when he.
The thin man 1932 offered another immortal sleuth, nick charles. Few hollywood franchises were as successful as the thin man series, featuring william powell and myrna loy as sophisticated, witty detectives nick and nora charles, solving crimes with a martini in one hand and their little wirehaired fox terrier astas leash in the other. Nick charles is happily retired from the private detective game, but when the police pressure him into helping look into a recent murder, his socialite wife nora wants in on the investigation. The complete thin man collection the thin man after the.
The thin man became a huge hit, but its rampant drinking, dirty jokes and all that followed were not lost on the hollywood gatekeepers when it came to making sequels. Now, some 60 years later i have read most of dashiell hammetts works in the last month and i can say that the movie was conform to the book. The film stars william powell and myrna loy as nick and nora charles, a leisureclass couple who enjoy copious drinking and flirtatious banter. 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 alias nick and nora by w. The thin man, dashiell hammetts classic tale of murder in manhattan, became the popular movie series with william powell and myrna loy, and both the movies and the novel continue to captivate new generations of fans. Jul 20, 2012 this is the opening title sequence from the nbctv series the thin man 19571959, starring peter lawford and phyllis kirk as dashiell hammetts nick and nora charles. An explosives manufacturer suspects a young man is out to kill him. Nick charles is a retired private eye who gets pressed into investigating the murder of a woman in which a former client of his named clyde wynant is a suspect, though wynant who was the actual thin man not charles has been missing for quite some time. A husbandandwife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts. The first in the thin man series is in a darker tone and has more plot nuances because it was based on hammetts last novel written in 1933.
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