Song Of The Thin Man (1947)

Song Of The Thin Man - 1947

Our next film comes in the form of 1947's "Song Of The Thin Man", the final installment in the Nick and Nora Charles murder/mystery series.  When a man is killed on board a ship during a charity event, it's up to Nick Charles to ferret out the murderer and solve the crime.

The film's cast includes William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Philip Reed, Patricia Morison, Leon Ames, Gloria Grahame, Jayne Meadows, Ralph Morgan, Bess Flowers, Don Taylor, Bruce Cowling, William Bishop, Marie Windsor, and Asta Jr.

Nick and Nora Charles are attending a charity event on board a gambling ship.  Nick wants to cut out early, which surprises Nora, who thinks he's slipping.  "Darling, give me my pipe, my slippers, and a beautiful woman...and you can have my pipe and slippers," he tells her.  "That's sweet," she replies sarcastically.

Once Nick and Nora are gone, things start to heat up.  Jazz band leader Tommy Drake is murdered aboard the ship, and the assailant is at large.

Oblivious to all of this, however, are Nick and Nora, who are trying to induce their son to practice the piano instead of baseball.

When he defies them, Nick Jr. is told that he must be punished.  Nick tells his son that he's sorry he has to induce this "corrective action".  Nick can't seem to bring himself to punish his son, remembering all the good times they had together when the boy was little.

Asta just watches, wondering what in the world is going on with Nick and Nora as they debate the merits of punishment.

When the two people accused of Tommy Drake's murder arrive at the Charles apartment and tell them what is going on, Nick is enlisted to help solve the case.

He's doubly intent on finding the murderer when a shot rings out from the hallway and shatters a bottle of his beloved liquor.

Nick takes Asta for some investigating at Tommy Drake's rooms on board the ship.  Initially, Asta finds someone hiding behind the curtains, but when things get a little dicey, Asta himself dives behind the curtains for protection.

Nick enlists the help of "Clinker", a musician who played in Tommy's band.  Clinker drags Nick and Nora from one jazz spot to the next looking for clues and interview subjects.  "Dig that music," says Clinker.  "It sends me out of this world!"  Nick just rolls his eyes and says, "Should've sent you a little sooner."

The list of suspects includes Tommy's girlfriend Fran, who is intent on selling some information she has.

The people accused of the murder in the papers are newlyweds Janet and Phil.  Janet is a wealthy socialite, and Phil is the owner of the gambling ship.  Phil is suspected because Tommy informed him that he would no longer be working for him.  Tommy made Phil a lot of money and wasn't pleased about that.

Janet's wealthy father David is also involved, especially as one of his guns is missing.  David protests that he was intent on scaring his son-in-law out of marrying his daughter.

Another musician in Tommy's band is Buddy Hollis, who also seems to know something about the murder.  He's committed to a mental hospital and he's not telling anything.

The Talbins (Phyllis and Mitchell) are also involved.  Tommy was supposed to leave Phil's gambling ship to work with Mitchell.

Also included in the list of suspects are the Amboys (Al and Helen).  Al is a gangster, and Tommy owed him a lot of money.

On top of a lengthy list of suspects, an expensive diamond necklace is also key to the case.

Trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, Nick, Nora, Clinker, and Asta sit down at a local restaurant and have a good think.

Of course, as he always does, Nick gets all of the suspects to return to the scene of the crime in hopes that one of them will make a mistake and reveal themselves as the killer.  "If the party gets rough, duck," he warns Nora.  "I'm practically under the table now, but not in the way I like to be," she responds.

After successfully revealing the murderer, Nick and Nora head home in time to tuck Nick Jr. and Asta in bed before they retire themselves.

Cast rundown:

   William Powell...........................Nick Charles

   Myrna Loy.................................Nora Charles

   Keenan Wynn............................Clarence "Clinker" Krause

   Dean Stockwell..........................Nick Charles Jr.

   Phillip Reed...............................Tommy Eldon Drake

   Patricia Morison.........................Phyllis Talbin

   Leon Ames................................Mitchell Talbin

   Gloria Grahame.........................Fran Ledue Page

   Jayne Meadows..........................Janet Thayer

   Ralph Morgan............................David I. Thayer

   Bess Flowers..............................Jessica Thayer

   Don Taylor.................................Buddy Hollis

   Bruce Cowling............................Phil Orval Brant

   William Bishop...........................Al Amboy

   Marie Windsor............................Helen Amboy

   Asta Jr.......................................Asta

And that's all for Song Of The Thin Man.  This was the last film that Myrna Loy made for MGM Studios.  In her autobiography, Loy states that the movie was "a lackluster finish to a great series."  She also mentioned that she hated it.  Asta's son, Asta Jr., takes over the role of the beloved hound from his father, who by this time was in retirement.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.

The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935)

The Girl From 10th Avenue - 1935

Our next film is 1935's "The Girl From 10th Avenue", a movie in which a man and woman are married after an evening of drinking, and come to realize how much they mean to each other.

The film's cast includes Bette Davis, Ian Hunter, Colin Clive, Alison Skipworth, John Eldredge, Phillip Reed, Katharine Alexander, and Helen Jerome Eddy.

A high society wedding is happening in New York City.  A large crowd has gathered outside the church to see the happy couple.

An drunken man staggers through the crowd and steps on the foot of a bystander.

The man is Geoffrey Sherwood, who was a former flame of the bride.  The crowd listens to his drunken ramblings with amusement.  The woman whose foot he's stepped on is Miriam Brady, a working girl who is looking to catch a glimpse of the couple while on her lunch break.

Miriam hears talk in the crowd of getting a policeman to take Geoffrey away to a mental hospital so he won't disturb the proceedings.  She gets him away and invites him for a drink, which he gladly accepts.

The bride and groom (John and Valentine Marland) come out of the church.  The first thing Valentine does is ask the groomsmen about Geoffrey.  She then gets into the car that will take her and her new husband to their wedding reception.

The groomsmen, who happen to be friends of Geoffrey's, track him and Miriam to a restaurant.  Seeing what kind of a state Geoffrey is in, they offer Miriam $100 to keep an eye on him so that he doesn't get into trouble.

For the rest of the day they continue drinking, and Geoffrey tells her his life story.  The next day, the two find they have been married by a justice of the peace.

Miriam offers to give Geoffrey back the ring.  But he tells her to keep it.  They agree to stay married, but Miriam says that Geoffrey can leave anytime he wants to.  During the next several weeks, Miriam gets Geoffrey to sober up and stop taking alcohol, making a huge improvement with him.

She also works on herself.  She enlists the help of her landlady, Mrs. Martin, an ex-Florodora showgirl.  With Mrs. Martin's assistance, she transforms herself into being a well-read and well-bred lady.

After several weeks, Valentine comes to Geoffrey's office and tells him that she and her husband have been living apart, and she wants Geoffrey back.

On an outing one day, Miriam runs into Geoffrey's friends, as well as Valentine's husband John.

John tells Miriam that his wife is after Geoffrey, but that Geoffrey hasn't made any advances towards her.

When Miriam confronts Geoffrey about it, he tells her to leave the situation alone.  Finding herself in love, Miriam doesn't know what to do about it.

She tries to figure out what to do.  She tells Mrs. Martin that she's going to confront Valentine.  "I'm going to give that dame a shock!" she announces.  Mrs. Martin advises her to remember her manners and newly acquired good breeding when dealing with Valentine.

The next day, Valentine is at the Waldorf giving a party for a friend and chatting about the poor girl that Geoffrey married.

When Miriam walks in, it surprises Valentine, who can't take her eyes off of her.  Mrs. Martin remarks to Miriam, "Some woman is breaking her neck trying to look at you."  When Valentine quickly turns around, Miriam and Mrs. Martin smile to each other, knowing they are getting under her skin just by being there.

It further annoys Valentine when one of her friends remarks on Miriam.  "She has an interesting look.  She's just the sort of person you want to know," says Valentine's friend.

Miriam gets up and introduces herself to Valentine.  During the course of the conversation, Miriam lets Valentine know that she knows all about how she's after Geoffrey.  She does it in a very polite way.

When Valentine tries to get up to leave, Miriam tells her, "if you do, I'll put this grapefruit right in your face."  She doesn't say it rudely, just firm enough for Valentine to know she means business.

Instead of it being Miriam, Valentine herself causes a scene when she picks up the grapefruit and throws it at Miriam, causing herself great embarrassment.

Valentine is horrified at her own outburst.  Miriam just smiles and says, "Sometimes I do that, but my aim is better."  Afterwards, Miriam and Mrs. Martin walk triumphantly out of the Waldorf together.

Geoffrey hears about the encounter at the Waldorf and is upset with Miriam.  He packs his things and leaves.  Miriam says she never wants to see him again.

He does some thinking before going to see Valentine.  He tells her that it's over between them.

He rushes home to Miriam and presents her with a much better ring than the one he bought from the justice of the peace.  They smile and walk into their apartment together.

Cast rundown:

   Bette Davis.....................................Miriam Brady

   Ian Hunter......................................Geoffrey Sherwood

   Colin Clive.......................................John Marland

   Alison Skipworth..............................Mrs. Martin

   John Eldredge..................................Hugh Brown

   Phillip Reed......................................Tony Hewlett

   Katharine Alexander..........................Valentine Marland

   Helen Jerome Eddy...........................Miss Mansfield

And that's all for The Girl From 10th Avenue.  At just over an hour, this is a relatively short film.  It's well worth watching for the confrontation scene between Miriam and Valentine at the Waldorf.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.