"Another Thin Man" (1939)

The third movie about Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) is... not one of my favorites in the series, to be honest.  I can never manage to remember the plot of this one even though it's based on a Dashiell Hammett story I've read.  We just get about twenty minutes into it, and then Cowboy and I will look at each other and say, "Oh, yeah!  This is the one with the baby party in it."  And that's all I can really remember about it between viewings!

It's always funny to me how the name "Thin Man" has come to refer to Nick Charles, when really the Thin Man in the title of the first film (1934) and the Dashiell Hammett book it's based on is NOT Nick Charles at all, but the murder victim.  

Anyway, in this particular movie, Nick and Nora are back in New York City, this time with their toddler Nicky Jr. (William A. Poulson) along, as well as their faithful dog Asta.  Where the Charles family goes, trouble is sure to turn up, and aren't we all glad it does?  Without trouble, there would be no movie for us to chuckle our way through.

This time, Nick and Nora get invited to spend the weekend at a Long Island mansion owned by Colonel MacFay (C. Aubrey Smith), ostensibly so Nick and MacFay can discuss a lot of business things.  MacFay was Nora's father's business partner, and now he's involved in handling the East Coast portions of her fortune. 

MacFay is being threatened and terrorized by a charming (note the sarcasm) fellow named Phil Church (Sheldon Leonard) and his pal Dum-Dum (Abner Biberman).  He assumes that Nick can put a stop to this somehow.  Nick pokes around into various corners, but before he can do much good, MacFay is murdered.

Obviously, Phil Church and Dum-Dum are the prime suspects.  Obviously, they can't be the killers because then the movie would be over too soon.  Disappearing dead bodies, a bunch of Nick's underworld acquaintances, and double lives all help complicate matters.  

One of my favorite parts of the movie involves Nick and Nora both winding up at a night club where Nora is pounced upon by a would-be new boyfriend and dragged out to the dance floor.  

Nora holds her own pretty well with the masher, but eventually, Nick has enough and rescues her.  It's a really funny, fun sequence that makes the most of Powell and Loy's comedic talents and their wonderful chemistry.

Another thing I love about this one is that Lt. Guild (Nat Pendleton) gets to appear again!  He's in The Thin Man too, and having him turn up again lends a wonderful bit of continuity to the series.

The "baby party" that I mentioned earlier is part of the film's climax and involves a whole lot of hoodlums and small-time crooks bringing random babies over to Nick and Nora's hotel suite to have a birthday party for Nicky Jr., with some pretty funny results.

Nick Sr. solves the mystery, as usual, and at the end, he and Nora collapse in their hotel room to get the rest they've been needing ever since they got off the train at the beginning of the film.

Between filming After the Thin Man (1936) and this film, William Powell suffered two pretty serious life events.  His fiancée Jean Harlow died, and he was diagnosed with colon cancer and underwent surgery and radiation for that.  I've heard that when he arrived on set to begin filming this movie, the cast and crew gave him a standing ovation.

I don't know if it's a result of those two things, but I think Powell's portrayal of Nick Charles is just a little softer and more loving in this film than in the previous two.  Of course, Nick and Nora still exchange lots of acerbic witticisms between many an onscreen smooch, just like in the first two films, but there seems to be even more affection and kindness laced throughout their interactions.  And Nick is particularly affectionate toward little Nicky Jr. in a way I think an earlier Nick might have not quite managed.

Anyway, Nick and Nora Charles remain one of my absolute favorite on-screen married couples.  I love the way they they are portrayed as playful, happy, and supportive of each other, and still very attracted to each other.  Too many movie and TV married couples show marriage as being unpleasant and a burden, and while it certainly can be, it doesn't have to be (in fact, in my experience, marriage generally is jolly good fun). 

Is this movie family friendly?  Pretty much.  Lots of alcohol use still.  Several murders, but none of them are shown graphically.  There's also a bit of very mild innuendo here and there.