Just perused the current list of top TV shows CSI:Everywhere, Special Law & Order Unit, Crossing Jordan and was wondering what ever happened to detective stories with detectives in them. Not that all the pretty faces on these shows don't do the job of detective (the late Jerry Orbach is the exception), it's just that they have all the personality of alphabet soup. I wonder if movies like The Thin Man could even compete with these flashy, juiced-up shows, or, for that matter, if Magnum P.I. would find a place on the network's schedule. But then I think who cares? The Thin Man series (and Magnum, too) are there to be adored but anyone lucky enough to come across them. Such charm has rarely been seen in the movies, and I'm not talking about Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando showy charm. I'm talking about characters that are as comfortable talking to high society as they are to thugs and more comfortable with the thugs. I'm sure if The Thin Man were released today some alphabet soup organization, Dads Upset over Drinking (DUD) or some such nonsense, would be picketing over alcohol's prominent place in the Charles' lifestyle. As the other detective here would say, "Phooey." Drinks for breakfast, drinks on the job, nightcaps these are important as any plot developments in these films. They give the pictures a gauzy atmosphere, as if by watching them, you might feel a little tipsy. But don't be fooled, the plotting here is like clockwork. If you check your watch at the first shooting, you'll notice it's exactly at 45 minutes. And then the fun begins. Beautifully realized performances down to the ittiest bit player, check out the decrepit butler for a comic touch later riffed on in Mary Poppins, fun production numbers it's all here and none of it is show and tell it all serves the king, in the case of any Dashiell Hammett, the story.
Review of After the Thin Man
