Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Most of the reviewers here for this film appear to fall right in line with the common perception that this was one of, if not the weakest of the Thin Man films. But you know what? I liked it. I think a lot of it had to do with the hep-cat dialog coming from clarinetist Clinker Krause (Keenan Wynn), and if there was a better supporting cast in the series elsewhere, I think you'd be hard pressed to find it. Besides Wynn, you had Leon Ames, Gloria Grahame and Jayne Meadows, and the kicker would be Dean Stockwell, still a kid as young Nick Charles Jr.As usual, and despite my best efforts to follow the characters and situations, it's virtually impossible to solve the mystery presented, but getting there is much of the fun. I knew that necklace would wind up being instrumental in solving a murder as soon as Nick (William Powell) picked it up the first time, but gee, what's with Mrs. Talbin (Patricia Morrison)? She would have gotten her revenge when her husband confessed to killing Drake (Phillip Reed). I think you'd have to call her shooting of Mitchell Talbin (Ames) an unforced error. Oh well, too bad.So for a swan song, I think Nick and Nora Charles went out respectably. Powell by this time was showing his age a bit but Myrna Loy still looked great, though both conceding that perhaps their party hearty days may have been well behind them. Even Asta still had a few good scenes left in him, working the bedroom gimmick for maximum effect. Spanning a period of slightly over a dozen years, I think the Thin Man series came to a successful conclusion with this entertaining swan song.

This was another excuse to showcase the wonderful chemistry between Loy and Powell. Thankfully, I cannot say that there is no attention to detail, story, plot, or execution, because there is. It does somehow seem to be secondary, however, to the marvelous on screen relationship the principles enjoy.I like this in spite of the comparatively weak production style, plot, etc. and more for the quirky, sweet element and less for the tremendously compelling story or plot. It has a close feeling to Another Thin Man in that it was enjoyable, not as good as Shadow, or the first two installments, but enjoyable, nonetheless.All in all? This is great for an afternoon, or rainy day movie.It rates a 7.3/10 from...the Fiend :.

Mother of God, is this the end of Nico, as Eddie Robinson didn't quite say but may well have. Stanley Roberts who wrote this finale in the franchise had as checkered a career as any writer, turning out something like fifteen Poverty Row Westerns hand running, going on to script both Death Of A Salesman and The Caine Mutiny before winding up on lucrative TV series. Here he does what he can to come up with a 'topical' story set in the world of musicians. The problem was that by 1947 Bebop (already known as just Bop) was firmly established but couldn't really be depicted in a mainstream film so we have a somewhat ludicrous situation in which a 'society' band led by Phillip Reed's Tommy Drake (was this the studio attempting to 'chastise' contract player Tom Drake, who'd already appeared in Meet Me In St Louis and would play Lorenz Hart the following year in Words And Music) is full of musicians spouting VERY dated slang, including 'gate' which was a holdover from the 'swing' era. Lots of old friends pop up including Leon Ames who clearly decided that if his screen wife in Meet Me In St Louis, Mary Astor, could turn 'bad' in The Maltese Falcon, so could he, thus he turns up here with a cigarette welded to his mouth in best 'tough guy' fashion. Gloria Grahame is also on hand as the chanteuse who gets hers and Don Taylor, later to play in The Father Of The Bride and Stalag 17, plays a tortured clarinet player, possibly cast for his resemblance to Artie Shaw, which is emphasized in several close shots. On the whole it's pleasurable without being memorable.

Totally ordinary now, the Thin Man bowed out as slightly off-key as one of the clarinet solos played by the mysterious key character Buddy. Can madness be turned on and off like a tap? However still some fine moments here even for 1947, but especially for 2006.Murder is committed on a heaving nightclub-boat the Charles are disporting themselves on, and Nick launches himself into the case with gusto for the once and only. The dissembling suspects are assembled for the viewers, but with this lot for the first time I didn't care whether they were all guilty or innocent. None of them were given enough time to become interesting, whether as baddies or semi-baddies. If Nick had pointed out Junior as the murderer I would have been surprised but accepted his deductions as infallible as usual. Keenan Wynn and other all-white musicians laid on the hep talk with a trowel, to Nick and Nora's continual generation gap bewilderment.Overall a tremendous Golden Age Hollywood comedy drama series, starting with a bang and ending with a slight fizzle. So 6/6 it was but I give this one a good 7/10.