The Thin Man Goes Home

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 *****

It's 1945, the trains are packed with people, Asta doesn't remain hidden under Nora's fur coat so Nick, Nora and Asta end up in the baggage car as they travel to Nick's home town. And Nick is drinking only cider - his father never approved of drink. Thus begins, "The Thin Man Goes Home," made as the war was ending and a lot of people whose lives had changed were thinking about going home.

Nick, it turns out, has an uneasy relationship with his doctor dad because he himself never became a doctor. When the inevitable mystery arises around a murder, Nora wants Nick to solve it to impress his dad.

The fact is, the scripts of "The Thin Man" series never mattered. It was always the acting and interaction of William Powell and Myrna Loy, and here, as usual, they're great - loving, flippant, and funny. Since Nick is always falling on the floor or getting hit on the head, it's hard for anyone to believe he's sober. At a charity dance, in order to do some investigating, he gives his dance tickets to a sailor and Nora becomes his partner. The dance scene is hilarious as the sailor tosses Nora all over the place and swings her around with the kind of maneuvers you see in pair figure skating.

The war is still on so the story involves espionage. A very young Gloria de Haven does nicely as a self-consciously over-dramatic young woman; Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents; and the later blacklisted Anne Revere does a fine job as Crazy Mary.

William Powell could read the phone book with class and humor; Loy looks beautiful and their teamwork has never been better. Highly recommended.

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.

This is the fourth sequel to the 1934 smash hit THE THIN MAN. Just when I would have thought the series was dead the producers and writers were able to add life to the franchise.

Nick goes home and of course gets dragged into another murder mystery. Nora, who by now should no longer be curious to see Nick solve a mystery, tries to get Nick to solve a murder mystery so he can impress his father the medical doctor. Nick's father had always hoped his son would have become a doctor and when Nick became a cop and then detective he looked down on him. As far as the mystery goes it follows the typical THIN MAN formula. A bunch of suspects are introduced and in the end Nick rounds them all up and reveals the killer.

The comedy is better than ever. Rather than have Nick always drinking and having jokes centered around his drinking Nick is now sober. The jokes are even funnier because everyone believes he is still a drunk and he just can't convince them otherwise. The scene in his Dad's parlor is hilarious. Nick is stone sober but due to a series of mishaps he is on the floor and appears to all to be drunk as ever. Also, when Nick recounts his childhood to Nora and tells her of his trips to the wood shed that brings back memories of my childhood and trips to the wood shed.

This is my second favorite THIN MAN movie. Right behind AFTER THE THIN MAN and just before the original THIN MAN. It is an almost perfect blend of mystery and comedy.

The penultimate Thin Man movie has Nick & Nora visiting Nick's parents when, of course, a murder is committed. This one gives us a look at Nick's background, including that he grew up in a very MGM small town and that his doctor father is disappointed that Nick didn't follow in his footsteps. As the story progresses, the father learns to appreciate what a great detective Nick is. There's also a WWII spy angle and a recurring joke about Nick's newfound sobriety.

William Powell and Myrna Loy are great as ever with that fun chemistry we all love so much. One of my favorite Myrna Loy scenes in the entire series is the one here where she tells Nick's father about the Stinky Davis case. It's hilarious! Nick, Jr. is absent from this one but Asta is still around, albeit played by a different dog this time. The great supporting cast includes Lucille Watson, Harry Davenport, Lloyd Corrigan, Donald MacBride, Leon Ames, Edward Brophy, Helen Vinson, Donald Meek, Morris Ankrum, and a scenery-chewing Gloria DeHaven ("Just call me...Laurabelle."). It's the first Thin Man film not directed by Woody Van Dyke, who died in 1943. Perhaps that's why the movie has a different feel to it than prior entries in the series, although I'm sure we can most probably chalk it up to the changing times and tastes. More than a decade had passed since the first Thin Man film, after all. Still, it's an enjoyable movie that most fans of the series will love. It's hard to miss with Powell and Loy.