The Thin Man is a media franchise featuring detective characters Nick and Nora Charles based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The franchise includes six theatrical films, one radio series, and one television series. Additionally, it has been reimagined for the stage through a musical and various plays.
| The Thin Man | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Dashiell Hammett |
| Original work |
|
| Years | 1934–1991 |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | The Thin Man (1934) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | The Thin Man (1957–1959) |
| Television special(s) | Nick and Nora (1975) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) | Nick & Nora (1991) |
| Audio | |
| Radio program(s) | The Adventures of the Thin Man (1941–1950) |
Films
edit| Film | Release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Thin Man | May 25, 1934 | W. S. Van Dyke | Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich | Based on: The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett | Hunt Stromberg |
| After the Thin Man | December 25, 1936 | ||||
| Another Thin Man | November 17, 1939 | Based on: "The Farewell Murder" by Dashiell Hammett | |||
| Shadow of the Thin Man | November 21, 1941 | Harry Kurnitz and Irving Brecher | Harry Kurnitz | ||
| The Thin Man Goes Home | January 25, 1945 | Richard Thorpe | Robert Riskin and Dwight Taylor | Robert Riskin and Harry Kurnitz | Everett Riskin |
| Song of the Thin Man | August 28, 1947 | Edward Buzzell | Steve Fisher and Nat Perrin | Stanley Roberts | Nat Perrin |
Future
editIn October 2010, it was announced that Johnny Depp was developing a new adaptation of The Thin Man for Warner Bros. through his Infinitum Nihil production company.[1] Rob Marshall was negotiating to direct when screenwriter Jerry Stahl joined the project in March 2011.[2] However, David Koepp came on board to write the script that August.[3]
After creative differences between Koepp and Marshall, Billy Ray was tapped to write the screenplay.[4] But Warner Bros. never green-lit the film, and it was eventually shelved as Marshall entered production on Into the Woods (2014).[5]
In October 2023, LuckyChap Entertainment and Plan B Entertainment were in talks to co-produce a remake of The Thin Man.[6]
Television
editThe Thin Man (1957–1959)
editIn 1957, MGM Television produced a television adaptation of The Thin Man starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora Charles. The series ran for two seasons on NBC.[7]
Nick and Nora (1975)
editNick and Nora is a made-for-television movie that aired on ABC as a part of the network's Wide World of Mystery programming block. The MGM Television-produced special starred Craig Stevens and Jo Ann Pflug in the lead roles.[8]
Cast and crew
editPrincipal cast
editList indicator
This section includes characters who have appeared in the franchise.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film or series.
| Character | Films | TV series | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | The Thin Man | |
| 1934 | 1936 | 1939 | 1941 | 1945 | 1947 | 1957–1959 | |
| Nick Charles | William Powell | Peter Lawford | |||||
| Nora Charles | Myrna Loy | Phyllis Kirk | |||||
| Dorothy Wynant | Maureen O'Sullivan | ||||||
| Lt. John Guild | Nat Pendleton | Nat Pendleton | |||||
| Mimi Wynant Jorgenson | Minna Gombell | ||||||
| David Graham | James Stewart | ||||||
| Selma Landis | Elissa Landi | ||||||
| "Dancer" | Joseph Calleia | ||||||
| Aunt Katherine Forrest | Jessie Ralph | ||||||
| Lois MacFay | Virginia Grey | ||||||
| Assistant District Attorney Van Slack | Otto Kruger | ||||||
| Colonel Burr MacFay | C. Aubrey Smith | ||||||
| Dorothy Walters | Ruth Hussey | ||||||
| Paul Clarke | Barry Nelson | ||||||
| Stella | Louise Beavers | ||||||
| Molly | Donna Reed | ||||||
| Mrs. Charles | Lucile Watson | ||||||
| Laurabelle "Laura" Ronson | Gloria DeHaven | ||||||
| Crazy Mary | Anne Revere | ||||||
| Clarence "Clinker" Krause | Keenan Wynn | ||||||
| Nick "Nickie" Charles Jr. | William A. Poulsen | Richard Hall | Dean Stockwell | ||||
Additional crew
edit| Role | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 1936 | 1939 | 1941 | 1945 | 1947 | |
| Composer | William Axt | Herbert Stothart and Edward Ward | Edward Ward | David Snell | ||
| Editor | Robert J. Kern | Fredrick Y. Smith | Robert J. Kern | Ralph E. Winters | Gene Ruggiero | |
| Cinematographer | James Wong Howe | Oliver T. Marsh | William H. Daniels and Oliver T. Marsh | William H. Daniels | Karl Freund | Charles Rosher |
| Art director | Cedric Gibbons | Edward Carfagno and Cedric Gibbons | Randall Duell and Cedric Gibbons | |||
| Production companies | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |||||
| Distributor | Loew's Inc. | |||||
Reception
editBox office performance
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Budget | Box office gross | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. and Canada | International | Worldwide | ||||
| The Thin Man | May 25, 1934 | $231,000 | $818,000 | $729,000 | $1,423,000 | [9][10] |
| After the Thin Man | December 25, 1936 | $673,000 | $1,992,000 | $1,173,000 | $3,165,000 | [11] |
| Another Thin Man | December 25, 1936 | $1,107,000 | $1,523,000 | $700,000 | $2,223,000 | [9] |
| Shadow of the Thin Man | November 21, 1941 | $821,000 | $1,453,000 | $848,000 | $2,301,000 | [9] |
| The Thin Man Goes Home | January 25, 1945 | $1,401,000 | $1,770,000 | $1,044,000 | $2,814,000 | [9] |
| Song of the Thin Man | January 25, 1945 | $1,670,000 | $1,403,000 | $902,000 | $2,305,000 | [9] |
| Total | $5,903,000 | $8,959,000 | $5,396,000 | $14,231,000 | ||
Critical response
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| The Thin Man | 98% (46 reviews)[12] | 86 (16 critics)[13] |
| After the Thin Man | 100% (25 reviews)[14] | |
| Another Thin Man | 86% (22 reviews)[15] | 63 (8 critics)[16] |
| Shadow of the Thin Man | 89% (9 reviews)[17] | 63 (7 critics)[18] |
| The Thin Man Goes Home | 75% (8 reviews)[19] | |
| Song of the Thin Man | 91% (11 reviews)[20] |
References
edit- ^ Rottenberg, John (October 20, 2010). "Johnny Depp wants to play Nick Charles in a remake of 'The Thin Man.' Sounds brilliant. But who should play Nora?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 22, 2011). "Johnny Depp's 'Thin Man' Remake Nabs Writer Jerry Stahl (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ McNary, Dave (August 30, 2011). "David Koepp to pen 'Thin Man' remake". Variety. Archived from the original on January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Kit, Borys; Fernandez, Jay A. (October 6, 2011). "Billy Ray Writing 'The Thin Man' for Johnny Depp and Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 24, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 21, 2012). "Warner Bros Pumping The Brakes On 'The Thin Man' Remake?". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 23, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Wu, Valerie (October 9, 2023). "Margot Robbie's LuckyChap and Brad Pitt's Plan B in Talks to Co-Produce 'The Thin Man' Remake". Variety. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
- ^ Balio, Tino (March 20, 2018). MGM. Routledge. ISBN 1138913669.
- ^ "Jo Ann Pflug To Star". The Desert Sun. January 17, 1975. p. A12. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "MGM film grosses, 1924-1948: The Eddie Mannix Ledger". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (2): 127–144. doi:10.1080/01439689200260081.
- ^ Glancy, H. Mark (1992). "Appendix". Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. 12 (S2): 1–20. doi:10.1080/01439689208604539.
- ^ Sedgwick, John (2000). Popular Filmgoing in 1930s Britain: A Choice of Pleasures. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 9780859896603.
- ^ "The Thin Man (1934)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "The Thin Man". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "After the Thin Man (1936)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Another Thin Man (1939)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Another Thin Man". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Shadow of the Thin Man". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
- ^ "Song of the Thin Man (1947)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 1, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2023.