The main characters are a former private detective, nick charles and nora, his clever young wife. Hammetts portrayal of sophisticated new york cafe society during prohibition and his witty. The thin man, american detective film, released in 1934, that was considered a paragon of the fun, sophisticated, glib dramas produced by hollywood during the great depression. When a girls father goes missing, she enlists the help of a family friend, a former private detective. Dashiell hammetts the thin man had an enduring effect. Dashiell hammetts novel, the thin man launched one of the golden ages greatest detective movie franchises, along with a popular radio program, as well as a 1950s syndicated tv series. After the thin man starring william powell, myrna loy. But we know all about that, and why the thin man was so thin.
The thin man was released just before the infamous hays code began to be officially enforced by the mpaa, setting tight restrictions on movie content. This first unabridged appearance of two nick and nora charles novellas by hammett should be an occasion for delight, and it is. The thin man the greatest literature of all time editor eric. But the thin man was also a well known and much read series, and maybe still is. The thin man by dashiell hammett published in 1934 by alfred a. Return is witty and convincing, as good on the written page as on the screen.
By 1933, when hammett published the thin man, the hardboiled detective novel was a wellestablished american genre, with its disillusioned, tough investigators markedly distinct from their. The daughter tries to convince retired detective nick charles to take the case. Hammetts final novel centers on the life of nick and nora charles, a pair of stylish, wealthy partygoers with a. Tin man is a nostalgic and melancholy read filled with bitter memories and finding oneself at middle ageat any age. Something about this very understated, dialogueheavy style makes it very difficult to recall much of the plot, which is complex. Dashiell hammetts 1934 novel the thin man is a small but dense piece of detective fiction which follows a former detective, nick charles short for the greek. Van dyke, and starring william powell, myrna loy, and james stewart. The film stars william powell and myrna loy as nick and nora charles, a leisureclass couple who enjoy copious drinking and flirtatious banter. Anxious to locate her father, gilberts daughter maureen osullivan goes to private detective nick charles william powell for help. The thin man is a 1934 american precode comedymystery b movie directed by w. The thin man, dashiell hammetts classic tale of murder in manhattan, became the popular movie series with william powell and myrna loy, and both the movies and the. The slender gentleman of the title is a character in the novel. The film version of the thin man was taken from dashiell hammetts 1934 detective novel of the same name, and based upon a married couple that was reportedly modeled on dashiell hammetts own relationship with playwright lillian hellman.
Pulp novelist holly martins travels to shadowy, postwar vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, harry lime. The movie version of the thin man is also highly recommended. This book is destined to become essential reading for hammetts millions of fans and a new generation of mystery readers the world over. More so than plot, this novel offers a meandering of tender memories that all coalesce like rivers in a delta, pooling into one larger story. He wrote two fulllength novellas for the films that became after the thin man and another thin man. Nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. For one of their vacations, nick took nora back to new york to visit old friends, just in time to get tangled up as old friend clyde wynant a thin middleaged businessman was discovered to be missing thus suspected of murdering girlfriend julia wolf and kidnapping exwife mimis new husband chris jorgenson. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. The thin man, novel by dashiell hammett, published in 1934. The thin man film the thin man is a 1934 american precode comedymystery film directed by w.
Van dyke and based on the novel of the same name by dashiell hammett. History of the thin man in print, on screen, and over. The daughter confesses to the secretarys murder in. The thin man, dashiell hammetts classic tale of murder in manhattan, became the popular movie series with william powell and myrna loy, and both the movies and the novel continue to captivate new generations of fans nick and nora charles, accompanied by their schnauzer, asta, are lounging in their suite at the normandie in new york city for the christmas holiday, enjoying the prerogatives. Read the full synopsis of the thin man, 1934, directed by w.
This book has become a classic for mystery fans everywhere. The scripts after the thin man and another thin man show why employing hammett was a twoedged sword. The thin man is a comedy of manners mixed with a solid mystery. Nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a ri. The thin man became a huge hit, but its rampant drinking, dirty jokes and all that followed were not lost on the hollywood gatekeepers when it came to. The film is the first in a popular series of detective films featuring william powell as the dapper detective nick charles. The nick and nora in this book dont have the pure level of charm and chemistry that made the movies so. Thin definition, having relatively little extent from one surface or side to the opposite. Following the enormous success of the thin man movie in 1934, hammett was commissioned to write stories for additional films. Learn the major plot points and story structure of the thin man. Weilands eletter and receive her free ebook crafting unforgettable.
I was inspired to read the book after catching a marathon of the thin man film series a few. The dain curse, the maltese falcon, the glass key and lastly and perhaps most memorably, the thin man. Written in the style of a screenplay treatment, the return of the thin man is a hugely entertaining read that brings back two classic characters from one of the greatest mystery writers who ever lived. Dashiell hammetts 1934 novel the thin man is a small but dense piece of detective fiction which follows a former detective, nick charles short for the greek charalambides.
Nick is a retired private detective who left his very successful career when he married nora, a. Thus, the movie got away with centering a great deal of its humor around nick and noras constant even competitive martini drinking. This one features the lush drinking duo nick and nora charles and opens very much like a screwball. The father goes missing after promising to return for his daughters wedding. What happened is that wealthy clyde wynant is missing, and. Hammetts fifth and final novel, the thin man, is a return to firstperson narration, as nick charles narrates the story of a case he unwillingly takes on while vacationing.
Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. During world war ii, hammett again served as sergeant in the army, this time for more than two years, most of which he spent in the aleutians. When a former client of nicks eccentric inventor and title character clyde wynant is suspected of murdering his female. Dashiell hammett was a crime writer who elevated the genre to true literature, and the thin man was hammetts last and most successful novel. Red harvest 1929, the dain curse 1929, and the glass key 1931 are among his most successful novels.
In dashiell hammetts famous crime novel, we meet one of the detectivestory masters most enchanting creations, nick and nora charles, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. An out of work pulp fiction novelist, holly martins, arrives in a post war vienna divided into sectors by the victorious allies, and where a shortage of supplies has led to a flourishing black market. The thin man series is the cinematic equivalent of those detective novels that always have the same basic plot but keep their audiences coming back because the characters are so irresistible. She likes wrapping her head around a good we didnt come to new york to stay sober. The wall street journal dashiell hammett was a crime writer who elevated the genre to true literature, and the thin man was hammetts lastand most successfulnovel. Plot the story is set in new york city in december 1932, in the last days of prohibition. After marrying nora, nick left detective work in order to manage her business interests. The movie version of the thin man 1934, written by albert hackett and frances goodrich and directed by w. Dashiell hammett was a great mystery writer, who wrote.
Van dyke, with william powell, myrna loy, maureen osullivan, at turner classic movies. The thin man 1932 offered another immortal sleuth, nick charles. Mhm podcast network movie synopsis, plot summary, and film summary of after the thin man 1936 directed by w. But also, in its simplicity, the thin man is also vivid and colorful, proving that big words dont always mean big emotion. Nick and nora give a dinner party, to which they invite all of the suspects as guests. Following the enormous success of the thin man movie in 1934, hammett was. Nor does it refer to the books author, whose spare frame often illustrates book jackets of the thin man. Following the enormous success of the thin man movie in 1934, hammett was commissioned to write storie. The most enjoyable thing about this book for me was the urgency of it. The book title, by the way, does not refer to the detective as many people seem to think. Return of the thin man comprises two scripts hammett developed as a followon to the wildly successful thin man movie.
Theres wisecracking dialogue, great clothes and a twisty murdermystery. The thin man 1934 is a detective novel by dashiell hammett, originally published in the december 1933 issue of redbook. Return of the thin man by dashiell hammett nook book. The novel, like the rest of hammetts work, is sometimes criticized for a lack of. Dashiell hammetts the thin man was first published as a magazine serial in 1933. The police suspect that wynant has committed another murder, but nick realizes that the body must be wynants because of a trace of shrapnel found in the leg. The thin man was adapted from the dashiell hammett mystery of the same name nora is to some degree modeled after hammetts longtime. In the thin man, nick charles, private detective, has hung up his hat. That the thin man cost so little and looks so good is possibly because the interiors are simple and elegant, and the black and white photography flatters the loungewear and formalwear worn by a greatlooking cast which in addition to powell and loy, included maureen osullivan and a young cesar romero. Nick charles is happily retired from the private detective game, but when the police pressure him into helping look into a recent murder, his socialite wife nora wants in on the investigation. Nick charles is a retired private eye who gets pressed into investigating the murder of a woman in which a former client of his named clyde wynant is a suspect, though wynant who was the actual thin man not charles has been missing for quite some time. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the thin man near you. Exdetective nick charles and his socialite wife nora find their christmas holiday interrupted when nick is pulled into the investigation of a former acquaintances disappearance. Buy a cheap copy of the thin man book by dashiell hammett.
At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a classic murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. The thin man is a murdermystery that takes place in 1930s new york city. The thin man was one of the most popular films of 1934, inspired five sequels, and was nominated for four oscars best picture, actor, direction and screenplay. Former detective nick charles and his wealthy wife nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it. The movies remain a fantastic showcase of the talents and chemistry of william powell and myrna loy. After a four year absence, one time detective nick charles returns to new york with his new wife nora and their dog, asta.
They feel like old friendsor, at least, the kind of rich, amusing, goodlooking, and welldressed friends we wish we had. Return of the thin man audiobook by dashiell hammett. If hammett had any notion of poetic style it was omitted completely from the book. Nick, nora and asta return in thin man novellas dashiell hammetts the thin man invented a new kind of crime fiction. What happened is that wealthy clyde wynant is missing, and his daughter dorothy wants nick to help find him.
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