The Thin Man Goes Home

All the Thin Man films are great to watch, but this is one with which I find a bit easier to identify. Riskin, the writer of this film and long time scriptwriter for Frank Capra, was also the guy who wrote "It Happened One Night" and "Meet John Doe". This New York City born writer's attraction to average Joe small town values over Cosmopolitan glitz and decadence obvious in those two films is plain to see here. This is probably the image a lot of successful urbanites had about moving to the suburbs after WW2.

This is sort of an odd bird among Thin Man films in a couple of ways. First of all, Nick is astonishingly sober for a change. Don't look for any of those scenes of Nick and Nora trying to drink each other the table at some New York nightclub in this one. In fact, the nightclubs and high rises are totally gone as Nick takes Nora the glamorous New York socialite back for a visit to Nick's hometown, which bears a fairly strong likeness to Andy Hardy's. Nick's father is a retired M.D. not unlike the ones in the Norman Rockwell paintings. He wanted Nick to follow in his footsteps as a small town doctor instead of becoming a big city policeman and this is the first time the two of them have gotten together in years. This father-son reconciliation is the explanation for Nick's sudden uncharacteristic attraction to a sober, healthy lifestyle.

Nick's father is actually fairly proud of Nick and keeps a scrapbook about all his adventures. The whole town knows about Nick Charles the famous Detective. I sort of see invisible images of G.I.s returning home from WW2 in a lot of this movie. Nick's celebrity as a tough, smart local boy who went off to bring gun toting gangsters to justice in the big city of aristocratic sophisticates and Broadway nights is not very far removed from how most Americans probably saw the guys who went off to liberate Paris and Europe in WW2. Nora fits into that picture as a sort of "Mrs. Miniver" figure of what American's admired about European sophication brought back home to meet the folks.

The homecoming hero vision of Nick peacefully turning into a happy coach potato in a post war suburbia however is not what we want to see. What everybody loves about the Thin Man films is their contrary to Hollywood stereotype revelation that life after marriage can actually be exciting. Nora decides to get Nick off the coach with an "I Love Lucy" sort of plot twist that spreads a rumor around town that Nick is secretly working on a detective case. The result of course is that all the various local characters with small town secrets to hide think he's after them and all the mystery murders and skeletons start coming out of the closet like we've all been waiting to see. Nick and Nora are such a fun couple, aren't they?

The Thin Man Goes Home find's Nick and Nora Charles visiting Nick's parents in their small New England town. The parents are Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson and Davenport has never gotten quite over the fact that Bill Powell did not choose to follow him in the medical profession. And he disapproves of Powell's liquid lunches mightily. Powell goes on a spartan diet of apple cider though no one believes him and that's a source of a lot of the comedy in The Thin Man Goes Home.

Of course no one also believes that Powell could be in town on anything but business and his mere presence touches off one guy ready to confess to some illegal activity when he's shot to death right on the doorstep of Davenport. An espionage ring his uncovered during the course of the investigation and the murderer who is eventually uncovered is not someone we would suspect. Due to some falsification of evidence the murderer almost gets away with it.

Here's a hint for you though. Forensics here more than in any other Thin Man film plays a part in the solution leading Harry Davenport to be proud that his influence was for the good with Powell.

When World War II started Myrna Loy unlike any other female star in Hollywood completely abandoned her career to devote herself to work with the Red Cross and other civilian agencies. It was a sacrifice that no other star of her gender made during the war years. This film was the only one she made from Pearl Harbor to V.E. Day.

This fifth film of the Thin Man series is also the first made without director Woody Van Dyke who committed suicide when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. One of MGM's able studio directors, Richard Thorpe, pinch hit admirably for Van Dyke.

Funniest scene in the film is when Powell ditches Loy onto a jitterbugging sailor while he investigates. Worth it to see that alone.

Generally the Fourth Sequel to nearly anything would be considered Garbage and You'd think that the Producers had milked the cash cow once too often...BUT 'The Thin Man goes home' the Fourth Sequel and penultimate Film in the Enjoyable MGM Series which ran from 1934-1947 is FAR better than you could really hope for.

Nick (William Powell) & Nora (Myrna Loy) catch a Train to see Nick's Parents merely for a Vacation, but everybody in the Small town are led to believe that Nick is on a Case... He Isn't...Well, Not until a Young man drops dead on his Parents doorstep from a Gunshot Wound -

'The Thin Man goes home' despite being 65 Years old now, doesn't feel anywhere near as dated as many other Films from the Era, There is plenty of Witty lines that are still Funny today and the Sparkling Chemistry between Powell & Loy is a joy to watch.

***1/2 out of *****

This entry in the "Thin Man" series is enjoyable in itself, and it also works well as a change-of-pace from the rest of the series, in placing the familiar Nick and Nora characters in a new setting, when Nick returns to his old home town. It makes for a much different atmosphere, since Nick is received quite differently at home than he is in the big city where his crime-solving skills are so renowned.

Some things, of course, are still the same. William Powell is as witty and elegant as always, Myrna Loy is as engaging and as charming as ever, and the mystery that crops up is interesting and enjoyable. The screenplay does a nice job of keeping the best elements of the series while placing Nick in some new situations. The Powell/Loy characterizations of Nick and Nora are so good that when you see them in a somewhat new setting like this, you take an interest in them as you would old friends.

Harry Davenport heads up a very good supporting cast, and he gives one of his many fine character performances as Nick's father. The relationship is quite believable, and it's easy to empathize with Nick in his inability to please his father.

For all that this is a lesser-known movie in the "Thin Man" collection, it is quite good. The mystery itself is set up cleverly and efficiently, and it has the same combination of the offbeat and the logical that you hope for in these features. It's well worth seeking out for anyone who enjoys the "Thin Man" films.

This film is hilarious! Powell and Loy's chemistry just doesn't let up, even after four sequels. I've now seen three of these films (The first, third and fifth), and the quality is as high as ever. I liked this one better than the third (Another Thin Man), though it's not quite as good as the first (The Thin Man).

The humour is excellent. These films wouldn't be half as good without the oft-subtle, always hilarious dialogue rampant throughout. And Powell and Loy are always perfect, they never miss a beat. One of the problems I had with the third one was that it felt forced, the humour just wasn't top-notch. But it's full-force here, nearly at the level of the first one. As well, the story is much more interesting than the third one, and almost at the level of the first. The first one had the spark, the originality, that won't ever be reproduced. But this script is sharp (although I really missed all of the great drinking jokes;), and it didn't (thankfully) have the brat of a baby;) And Asta is as cute as ever, what more could I ask for??

It's not perfect, it's not as good as the first. But it's up there! Another definite must-see; I'd recommend these films to all, an eternal classic!! 8/10.