Whether it's solving a murder or sipping a Bacardi, Nick and Nora Charles are excellent company
Added 7/26/2009
When a movie begins with C. Aubrey Smith, that craggy paragon of old-fashioned values, beaten, shot and stabbed to death and then finishes with Shemp Howard, one of the Stooges, dandling a baby, you might believe you're in some odd alternate universe. In a way, you are, but the universe is the world of Nick and Nora Charles and the movie is Another Thin Man. It's the third film William Powell and Myrna Loy made about the debonaire amateur sleuth and his wealthy wife. If it doesn't quite reach the heights of witty sophistication of the first two, it'll do.
Nick and Nora, together with their new baby and Asta, are at the Long Island estate of the aging and imperious Burr MacFay (Smith), the partner of Nora's father before her father died. He's a financial wizard who still manages much of Nora's wealth...and he believes he's a man under a death threat. Within hours of their arrival, late at night, a fire starts in the ornate bath house, a fuse apparently blows taking out all the lights, the huge dog of the house is found killed...and MacFay is discovered shot, beaten and stabbed. Yet everyone seems to have an alibi. And what a bunch there is: MacFay's adopted daughter, Lois MacFay; Dudley Horn, the man she plans to marry who seems to love her money as much as he says he loves her; Freddie Coleman, MacFay's young, baby-faced secretary who is smitten with Lois; Mrs. Bellam, the curiously uncurious housekeeper; and Dorothy Waters, the nanny Nora engaged to help look after Nickie, Jr., who suddenly disappears. Those are the ones in the mansion. Lurking outside is a former employee of MacFay, Phil Church, who went to prison and now has schemes to cash in, as well as his girl friend, his loyal goon and a slow-speaking piece of muscle who wears thick glasses. Nick and Nora head back to New York as soon as they can, but the mystery and the threats follow. It takes a visit to the apartment of a woman no one seems to have met and some clever thinking before Nick brings everyone together in the Charles' hotel apartment where the ruthless murderer is exposed. Even that is complicated by Nickie, Jr.'s boithday party thrown by some of Nick's disreputable acquaintances and their kids.
In the meantime, we get to enjoy the imperturbable, affectionate and wittily ironic relationship between Nick and Nora, and delight in the expert playing of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick and Nora, especially Nick, enjoys his martinis and scotch, but this time around it's a little less obvious and a little more fun. "A Bacardi," says Nick to the waiter in a latin nightclub. He glances over at Nora and adds, "Two Bacardis." Says Nora with a straight face to the waiter, "I'll have the same." The waiter brings four Bacardis. The movie's extended nightclub scene shows just how witty, light and affectionate Powell and Loy could be when they had enough time to work their characters together. They made 14 movies together over 20 years, including the six in the Thin Man series. Individually or together, Powell and Loy were class acts.
And yes, Shemp Howard really is there. So's a chest-thumping Marjorie Main.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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"Wait a minute. He's not going to come running up to a lot of strange men with lights. What do you think he is? A moth?"
Added 7/17/2009
We once again join ace crime-solving couple Nick and Nora Charles in their third big-screen adventure, ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939). Whilst it doesn't exactly reach the dizzy heights of sophistication like the first two "Thin Man" entries, it's never dull when the Charles clan are on the screen.
When Nick and Nora (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are invited to the Long Island estate of Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith), a old business associate of Nora's father, they gather up Asta and little Nicky Jr. for what they assume will be a rather dull weekend of Nick fixing the accounts. But naturally, the Charleses always run into the most intriguing murder mysteries, and the MacFay case turns out to be a real doozy!
Once again furnished with a solid supporting cast and a lively Frances Goodrich/Albert Hackett screenplay (the recipe of success for a memorable "Thin Man" film), ANOTHER THIN MAN is a joy, and only slightly below-par of the first two movies. Ruth Hussey ("The Philadelphia Story") co-stars as Nicky Jr.'s shifty new nanny; with Virginia Grey, Otto Kruger, Nat Pendleton, Patric Knowles, Marjorie Main and Muriel Hutchison leading the supporting cast.
The DVD includes a musical short ("Love on Tap"), plus the Technicolor cartoon "The Bookworm", and the trailer.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A Big Disappointment
Added 4/21/2009
I generally love old, black-and-white movies, but I'll make an exception with this one. Both of us gave up after about an hour trying to make sense out of this movie. Poor, wooden acting and even lousier directing made it very painful to watch.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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I just love the Thin Man series, and I enjoyed this one as I have the others. Now I have the complete set, and I can watch them over and over. The DVD was clear and sound quality was great.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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"How Long Have You Been Leading This Double Life?" "Only Since We Got Married."
Added 9/10/2008
Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are back in New York with their almost one year old son. They haven't even had a chance to unpack when they are invited, summoned really, to the Long Island estate of Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith). MacFay was the partner of Nora's late father and still manages her estate.
When they arrive, they discover that MacFay is convinced he is about to be murdered. He's been receiving threats from Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard), an ex employee who blames MacFay for the decade he spent in jail. With all kinds of weird things happening around the estate, Nick is inclined to take the threat seriously. Unfortunately, the colonel is indeed killed, and Phil vanishes. Did he do it? What's really going on?
This is the third in the series, but I think it is the strongest to date. The plot was good and kept me going until the logical end. While all the suspects were together at the end, it wasn't a pre-arranged cliche like in the first two films. Nick and Nora are still great characters, and their banter is as strong as ever. And the entire cast does a good job. Plus they didn't all look the same to me, so I could tell them apart and follow the story better. While the baby does have much to do, he is cute in his scenes. And Astra, the dog, has several funny bits.
I really can see why these films are still watched and referenced today. They are fun with good stories. I recommend all three that I've seen so far.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Whether it's solving a murder or sipping a Bacardi, Nick and Nora Charles are excellent company
Added 7/26/2009
When a movie begins with C. Aubrey Smith, that craggy paragon of old-fashioned values, beaten, shot and stabbed to death and then finishes with Shemp Howard, one of the Stooges, dandling a baby, you might believe you're in some odd alternate universe. In a way, you are, but the universe is the world of Nick and Nora Charles and the movie is Another Thin Man. It's the third film William Powell and Myrna Loy made about the debonaire amateur sleuth and his wealthy wife. If it doesn't quite reach the heights of witty sophistication of the first two, it'll do.
Nick and Nora, together with their new baby and Asta, are at the Long Island estate of the aging and imperious Burr MacFay (Smith), the partner of Nora's father before her father died. He's a financial wizard who still manages much of Nora's wealth...and he believes he's a man under a death threat. Within hours of their arrival, late at night, a fire starts in the ornate bath house, a fuse apparently blows taking out all the lights, the huge dog of the house is found killed...and MacFay is discovered shot, beaten and stabbed. Yet everyone seems to have an alibi. And what a bunch there is: MacFay's adopted daughter, Lois MacFay; Dudley Horn, the man she plans to marry who seems to love her money as much as he says he loves her; Freddie Coleman, MacFay's young, baby-faced secretary who is smitten with Lois; Mrs. Bellam, the curiously uncurious housekeeper; and Dorothy Waters, the nanny Nora engaged to help look after Nickie, Jr., who suddenly disappears. Those are the ones in the mansion. Lurking outside is a former employee of MacFay, Phil Church, who went to prison and now has schemes to cash in, as well as his girl friend, his loyal goon and a slow-speaking piece of muscle who wears thick glasses. Nick and Nora head back to New York as soon as they can, but the mystery and the threats follow. It takes a visit to the apartment of a woman no one seems to have met and some clever thinking before Nick brings everyone together in the Charles' hotel apartment where the ruthless murderer is exposed. Even that is complicated by Nickie, Jr.'s boithday party thrown by some of Nick's disreputable acquaintances and their kids.
In the meantime, we get to enjoy the imperturbable, affectionate and wittily ironic relationship between Nick and Nora, and delight in the expert playing of William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick and Nora, especially Nick, enjoys his martinis and scotch, but this time around it's a little less obvious and a little more fun. "A Bacardi," says Nick to the waiter in a latin nightclub. He glances over at Nora and adds, "Two Bacardis." Says Nora with a straight face to the waiter, "I'll have the same." The waiter brings four Bacardis. The movie's extended nightclub scene shows just how witty, light and affectionate Powell and Loy could be when they had enough time to work their characters together. They made 14 movies together over 20 years, including the six in the Thin Man series. Individually or together, Powell and Loy were class acts.
And yes, Shemp Howard really is there. So's a chest-thumping Marjorie Main.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
"Wait a minute. He's not going to come running up to a lot of strange men with lights. What do you think he is? A moth?"
Added 7/17/2009
We once again join ace crime-solving couple Nick and Nora Charles in their third big-screen adventure, ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939). Whilst it doesn't exactly reach the dizzy heights of sophistication like the first two "Thin Man" entries, it's never dull when the Charles clan are on the screen.
When Nick and Nora (William Powell and Myrna Loy) are invited to the Long Island estate of Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith), a old business associate of Nora's father, they gather up Asta and little Nicky Jr. for what they assume will be a rather dull weekend of Nick fixing the accounts. But naturally, the Charleses always run into the most intriguing murder mysteries, and the MacFay case turns out to be a real doozy!
Once again furnished with a solid supporting cast and a lively Frances Goodrich/Albert Hackett screenplay (the recipe of success for a memorable "Thin Man" film), ANOTHER THIN MAN is a joy, and only slightly below-par of the first two movies. Ruth Hussey ("The Philadelphia Story") co-stars as Nicky Jr.'s shifty new nanny; with Virginia Grey, Otto Kruger, Nat Pendleton, Patric Knowles, Marjorie Main and Muriel Hutchison leading the supporting cast.
The DVD includes a musical short ("Love on Tap"), plus the Technicolor cartoon "The Bookworm", and the trailer.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
A Big Disappointment
Added 4/21/2009
I generally love old, black-and-white movies, but I'll make an exception with this one. Both of us gave up after about an hour trying to make sense out of this movie. Poor, wooden acting and even lousier directing made it very painful to watch.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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