A few weeks ago Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and I started recommending old movies to each other. My first suggestion to her was A Streetcar Named Desire, while she had me watch Double Indemnity. This second round had me watching The Thin Man, while I stuck with Tennessee Williams for her by suggesting Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. You can see her post here!

I have to be honest, I had never heard of The Thin Man movies before. I do however like old time sleuths (and modern day sleuths) and so I was game.

Nick is a retired detective, Nora is an heiress, and their life seems like one big happy party, filled with crazy characters from Nick’s past, crooks and con-men and all sorts who pop in to their apartment at all times, mainly for drinks but sometimes, they pop in to confess to murder. After one such confession, Nora encourages Nick to get involved in helping to solve the case, which he does.

This movie had us giggling and laughing over the antics and witty smart remarks that flowed as easily as the booze in this movie. Nick and Nora are full of mischief and martinis, and this movie made me want to get all spruced up and go out for cocktails. Perhaps one day soon, I will. I also really loved the chemistry that existed between Loy and Powell. I feel like they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

Billy and I could not believe how well this movie has held up through the years. It came out in 1934, 88 years ago! I guess that is why it is a classic. It was witty, fast paced, complex, and entertaining. Billy and I also could see how the detective mystery type shows we watch today were most likely influenced by The Thin Man and Dashiell Hammet. At the end of The Thin Man, Nick Charles gathers all of the suspects together for a big reveal, explaining everything that happened and exposing the murderer – just like the detectives in Death in Paradise do. The snarky playful relationship of Nick and Nora reminded us of Castle and Beckett, Mr. and Mrs. Murder, Miss Fisher and Jack, and to some extent Shepherd and Sims from The Brokenwood Mysteries.

However, for me the standout performance was this guy.

This doggo! He was so darn cute and funny! His real name was Skippy and he was a wire fox terrier, said to be one of the most intelligent working in the industry at that time. And I totally believe it!

Overall, we both really loved this movie, and were happy to discover that there are a bunch more Nick and Nora and Asta movies we can watch!

Next Up:

For Lisa, I picked Blue Hawaii. The last two movies I picked for her were super heavy and intense – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire. So I wanted to give her something light and fluffy and summery. I remembered how over the summer as pre-teen/teen I used to love watching these old Elvis movies and I thought you really can’t get much more light and fluffy.

Lisa picked To Catch a Thief for us – and I am so excited to watch it!