utgard14 The penultimate Thin Man movie has Nick & Nora visiting Nick's parents when, of course, a murder is committed. This one gives us a look at Nick's background, including that he grew up in a very MGM small town and that his doctor father is disappointed that Nick didn't follow in his footsteps. As the story progresses, the father learns to appreciate what a great detective Nick is. There's also a WWII spy angle and a recurring joke about Nick's newfound sobriety.William Powell and Myrna Loy are great as ever with that fun chemistry we all love so much. One of my favorite Myrna Loy scenes in the entire series is the one here where she tells Nick's father about the Stinky Davis case. It's hilarious! Nick, Jr. is absent from this one but Asta is still around, albeit played by a different dog this time. The great supporting cast includes Lucille Watson, Harry Davenport, Lloyd Corrigan, Donald MacBride, Leon Ames, Edward Brophy, Helen Vinson, Donald Meek, Morris Ankrum, and a scenery-chewing Gloria DeHaven ("Just call me...Laurabelle."). It's the first Thin Man film not directed by Woody Van Dyke, who died in 1943. Perhaps that's why the movie has a different feel to it than prior entries in the series, although I'm sure we can most probably chalk it up to the changing times and tastes. More than a decade had passed since the first Thin Man film, after all. Still, it's an enjoyable movie that most fans of the series will love. It's hard to miss with Powell and Loy.

masercot This was the last of the Thin Man movies for me. I wasn't expecting much simply because it was so late in the series......but, the movie delivered. Nick stayed off the sauce; however, instead of leaving a hole in the movie, it added comedy throughout. There was a different feel to this movie...but, Nick Charles had to come from SOMEWHERE.The part of Nick's father is well-done. I would imagine that there is a temptation to make the character an exaggeration, but the part is played with some subtlety.No baby in this one. If you can only see five minutes of this movie, go to the Story of Stinky Davis, as told by Nora Charles. It is a riot...

ackstasis Everybody has at least one skeleton in their closet, and Nick Charles is the man who can bring them out into the daylight. The fifth film in the excellent 'Thin Man' series sees our favourite married detectives, Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy), visiting Nick's parents in the small town of Sycamore Springs, a sleepy locale where everybody knows everybody and crime is practically non-existent… or so they thought! The famous detective's arrival is greeted with a wave of controversy, despite his own insistence that the visit is merely a quiet vacation. With everybody under the impression that Nick is investigating an important case, long-forgotten skeletons begin to emerge from their hiding-places, a young artist is shot dead on the doorstep and an ordinary-looking painting of a windmill becomes a vital clue in identifying his murderer.'The Thin Man Goes Home' was the first film in the series not directed by W.S. Van Dyke, after he committed suicide in February 1943. Nonetheless, Richard Thorpe does a good job of recreating the mystery and good humour of the previous instalments, working off a script from Robert Riskin, Harry Kurnitz and Dwight Taylor. There are also a few notable adjustments to the usual formula: the action takes place in a small town rather than the city, and Nick Charles has gone completely teetotal {no doubt a consequence of the WWII liquor rationing}. Aside from obviously solving the mystery and apprehending the killer, the film has another important sub-plot concerning Nick and his disapproving father. Nora makes it her goal to convince Dr. Charles (Harry Davenport) that his son is, indeed, a detective genius, and fuels the rumours – in a not-so-subtle fashion – that he is here on a case. However, his father won't believe that Nick has gone off drinking, and various unfortunate moments of bad-timing do little to prove him otherwise.Of course, the main reason we watch 'The Thin Man' movies is to enjoy the witty banter and playful rivalry between husband and wife, and a lot of it is still here, even if it takes a back-seat to the murder mystery itself. Just like the audience, Nora believes that she understands Nick's mystery-solving tactics to the letter, and she enthusiastically narrates his technique to the attentive Dr. Charles, occasionally tossing in her own opinion of the identity of the killer. Of course, she's almost always wrong. This mystery is a muddled affair, with seemingly everyone guilty for at least something, but it's the killer's name that proves a real surprise.

blanche-2 It's 1945, the trains are packed with people, Asta doesn't remain hidden under Nora's fur coat so Nick, Nora and Asta end up in the baggage car as they travel to Nick's home town. And Nick is drinking only cider - his father never approved of drink. Thus begins, "The Thin Man Goes Home," made as the war was ending and a lot of people whose lives had changed were thinking about going home.Nick, it turns out, has an uneasy relationship with his doctor dad because he himself never became a doctor. When the inevitable mystery arises around a murder, Nora wants Nick to solve it to impress his dad.The fact is, the scripts of "The Thin Man" series never mattered. It was always the acting and interaction of William Powell and Myrna Loy, and here, as usual, they're great - loving, flippant, and funny. Since Nick is always falling on the floor or getting hit on the head, it's hard for anyone to believe he's sober. At a charity dance, in order to do some investigating, he gives his dance tickets to a sailor and Nora becomes his partner. The dance scene is hilarious as the sailor tosses Nora all over the place and swings her around with the kind of maneuvers you see in pair figure skating.The war is still on so the story involves espionage. A very young Gloria de Haven does nicely as a self-consciously over-dramatic young woman; Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents; and the later blacklisted Anne Revere does a fine job as Crazy Mary.William Powell could read the phone book with class and humor; Loy looks beautiful and their teamwork has never been better. Highly recommended.