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Streaming The Complete Thin Man Collection Online.
Movie Title: The Complete Thin Man Collection The Complete Thin Man Collection is available for streaming or downloading. Click Here to Stream or Download The Complete Thin Man Collection |
Warner Brothers’ release of “The Complete Thin Man Collection” on DVD is a major windfall for fans of the legendry Slice and Nora Charles. Retired private see Slit, and his ditzy, (I should be so shining), wife Nora, known for their witty repartee, ever-present cocktail in hand, and hang-over remedy at bedside, were originally created by author Dashiell Hammett. They are probably sleuthdom’s most sophisticated couple – perhaps the most urbane pair in all of romantic comedy. Rumor has it, the characters were loosely based on Hammett and his longtime companion, Lillian Hellman. Played on the silver veil by William Powell & Myrna Loy, the chemistry and timing between the two is dynamite. Skippy, (the dog), plays Asta, their Wire-Haired Fox Terrier, who takes her job seriously as assistant PI.
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The series’ six Thin Man films, (“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”), revolve around the antics of Mr. and Mrs. Charles, their beloved terrier, and the mysteries they bag finagled into solving, which usually involve at least one execute. Nora, a wealthy socialite married Prick, a PI who decided to give up his business to manage her financial affairs. They reside, temporarily, in a plush Unusual York City apartment with a spacious understanding of the Manhattan skyline. Neither of them want to continue in the Private Investigation business, but grief seems to salvage them, and they unprejudiced cannot turn it away. Filmed smack in the middle of the Tremendous Depression, Americans going through tough times seemed to appreciate the frivolous Charles couple, and their slap-stick detecting style.
The first, and I assume best film is “The Thin Man,” completed in 1934 and directed by W.S. Van Dyke. Here the mystery takes a relieve seat to the couple’s loving relationship, with an emphasis on shenanigans, wisecracking, martini sipping followed by morning-after hang-overs, more banter, etc.. Bottom line – an eccentric, gargantuan, thin, moneyed inventor, named Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis), has disappeared. He is the “thin man” of the film title. Nora convinces Crop to assume on the case because she wants to inspect how a abolish is solved – if the inventor has been murdered. Or, he might, in fact, be the murderer! Straight-forward, no subplots – unprejudiced dashing Carve, elegantly comical Nora, Asta, the martinis, lots of panache and several corpses! Gargantuan supporting cast, which includes: Maureen O’Sullivan, Minna Gombell, William Henry, and Cesar Romero.
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“After The Thin Man,” released in 1936 is a glorious, fast-paced, fun sequel, and what it lacks in noir grit, it makes up for in verve. Again, the Depression is giving folks their own of good grit in the loyal world. Humor, the opulence and luxury of the Charles’ world, and lots of sexy, sophisticated banter between husband and wife are what brings weary people into movie theaters. This film has the debonair duo, looking into a blackmail turned kill case. The two have objective returned to their dazzling California home, and accumulate it inundated with Nora’s relatives – all uninvited. Nora’s cousin’s husband has gone missing, and her upper crust family would rather he discontinue lost than cause a scandal. He was having an affair with a nightclub singer, and apparently extorting mega-bucks on the side. Oh, Prick and Norah glean him all correct! Tiresome! And, once again, Nora’s finances are on the relieve burner. You’ll never guess whodunit! A very young James Stewart is featured here…very briefly!
“Another Thin Man,” (1939), and another friendly movie – more complex plot-wise, and perhaps wackier than the first two films! Baby makes three here, four, of course, with Asta. One year broken-down Nickie Jr., is the latest addition and he takes-up lots of his Mom’s time, distracting her from distracting Dad. The Charleses have been invited to employ the weekend at the Long Island estate of Colonel Burr MacFay, (C. Aubrey Smith), a friend and customary business associate of Nora’s father. The wealthy munitions industrialist is timorous that an archaic business partner is going to end him. Phil Church, who once worked with MacFay, has impartial been released after spending ten years late bars for fraud. The man holds a large grudge against MacFay and has threatened his life. The usual gang of martini drinkers are out on the Island, and when MacFay dies, predictably, no one is too tremulous. However, Cut and Nora are on the suspect list! Crop drinks less and detects more with this one! Virginia Grey plays the Colonel’s daughter Lois, and Ruth Hussey plays Nicky’s nurse.
“Shadow Of The Thin Man,” (1941), takes Reduce and Nora to the races, literally, when execute, racketeering and mayhem glean, site and show-up at the track. Gash had absolutely decided against moving himself with any more sleuth work. He definitely wants to expend more time with Nora and Nicky, Jr.,…and Asta, too. Unfortunately, he cannot say no to the head of the Original York Athletic Commission, who asks him personally to select the case when a jockey is murdered. There’s a hilarious episode on a department-store merry-go-round in this one, and a expansive brawl, started by Asta, at an fine sea food restaurant. Mountainous cast and characters, including celebrated acting teacher Stella Adler as Claire Porter, somebody’s girlfriend. And young Donna Reed makes an appearance here as well.
“The Thin Man Goes Home,” (1944), is the penultimate series’ offering and the movie never fails to crack me up! They say “you can never go home again.” This primitive adage is probably honest because no matter how grown-up, sophisticated and gracious one might be, you can be obvious to be taken down several notches when returning to the stale homestead. The Charleses pay a visit to Nick’s home town of Sycamore Springs. And his parents browbeat the unpleasant retired PI, (how undignified!) . They so wanted him to be a doctor, unprejudiced like his father! And he cannot get a stiff drink anywhere!! When a man drops unimaginative on the front porch, however, Nick’s folks are grateful for his chosen vocation. Suitable cast: Gloria DeHaven, Edward Brophy, Lloyd Corrigan, Leon Ames, and Ann Revere as the eccentric “Crazy Mary.”
“Song Of The Thin Man,” released in 1947 is the sixth and last film, and finds the Charleses looking into the mysterious slay of bandleader Tommy Drake. Sultry Gloria Graham sings “You’re Not So Easy to Forget,” by Herb Magidson and Ben Oakland. A splendid supporting cast includes: Jayne Meadows, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Ralph Morgan, William Bishop and Marie Windsor
This outstanding boxed-set comes with some mountainous features, including a bonus 7th disc, entitled, “Alias Reduce and Nora,” with two documentaries on William Powell and Myrna Loy. Other highlights are two radio adaptations of the series, as well as comedy, musical and mystery shorts, and cartoons. How can you go gross??
JANA
MGM was not entirely alive to about 1934′s THE THIN MAN and even less so about the casting of Myrna Loy as Nora Charles–and director W.S. “Woody” Van Dyke was positive to have her the studio gave in with unpleasant grace.
But Van Dyke knew what he was doing. With a wickedly witty script by Goodrich and Hackett, proto-noir cinematography by James Wong Howe, and powerful chemistry between the stars, MGM had a major and unexpected hit. Powell and Loy would become the public’s well-liked cover team overnight and would go on to compose a host of films together, including five more that chronicled the further adventures of Cut and Nora, sophisticated, high-living, and solving one crime after another.
The current film was a landmark in so many ways that it detached sets standards to this day. The 1934 AFTER THE THIN MAN is equally ravishing and the 1939 ANOTHER THIN MAN and 1941 SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN only exiguous less so.
With Van Dyke’s death in 1944 direction passed to other hands. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the 1945 THE THIN MAN GOES HOME suffered from an incredibly ancient script; although the film is droll in its blueprint it is a clinker in comparison with the other films in the series. Directed by Edward Buzzell, the 1947 SONG OF THE THIN MAN was a tremendous improvement–but although the script was quite honorable Buzzell’s handling of the material lacked energy.
Whatever the case, in each instance we are treated to the truly legendary Powell-Loy flash and dazzle, always exquisite, and a series of grand supporting casts that included such names as Maureen O’Sullivan, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, Stella Adler, Lucille Watson, and Keenan Wynn. Even the lackluster THE THIN MAN GOES HOME is quite humorous and entirely watchable!
Film quality is near-pristine, and these prints are clearly the best available short of a pudgy digital restoration. Even so, the box space leaves something to be desired. Although it lays claim to mighty bonus material, in truth it offers very exiguous worth while.
The 1934 THE THIN MAN was released to DVD several years ago and the DVD in this state is that release: the only bonus offered is a package of trailers for the series. The other disks include programs of various MGM cartoons and shorts–but there is not a single cast biography to be found, powerful less an audio commentary on any of the titles. Given the quality of the casts, the landmark spot of the recent, and the great following the series has… well, it seems a spacious pity.
The seventh DVD consists entirely of bonus material, but it proves a mixed bag. MYRNA LOY: SO NICE TO Reach HOME TO is very good; WILLIAM POWELL: A Legal GENTLEMAN is nice enough but it hardly does justice to its subject. A Lux Radio version of THE THIN MAN is bright, but it needs a indispensable remaster, and an episode from the later television series based on the films can only be described as fairly dire.
Fans of the film series–and I’m among them–will be pleased to have all six of the titles on DVD at long last, and I give the residence a fleshy five stars for that alone. But that joy will be tempered by the inadequate treatment the films receive in terms of bonuses. It seems an opportunity lost.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
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