Filmed on what MGM considered a B-picture budget and schedule (14 days, which at Universal or Columbia would have been considered extravagant)
The Thin Man
proved to be "sleeper," spawning a popular film, radio and television series. Contrary to popular belief, the title does not refer to star William Powell, but to
Edward Ellis
, playing the mean-spirited inventor who sets the plot in motion. The recently divorced Ellis discovers that his new girl friend (
Natalie Moorhead
) has stolen $50,000 and is carrying on with other men. Not long afterward, he disappears. Anxious to locate her father, Ellis' daughter
Maureen O'Sullivan
goes to private detective Nick Charles (William Powell) for help. Having just married the lovely and wealthy Nora (
Myrna Loy
), Nick has no desire to return to sleuthing, but the thrill-seeking Nora eagerly talks him into taking O'Sullivan's case. Shortly thereafter, Ellis' lady friend is murdered; so far as police detective
Nat Pendleton
is concerned, the still-missing Ellis is the guilty party. Nick is unsatisfied with this deduction, and with the help of his wire terrier Asta he manages to uncover several vital clues--including a decomposed corpse. At a fancy dinner party, between cocktails and the first course, Nick solves the mystery and exposes a hidden murderer. The story itself, lifted almost verbatim by scenarists
Albert Hackett
and
Frances Goodrich
from the
Dashiell Hammett
novel on which
is based, hardly matters. The film's strong suit is the witty repartee between Nick and Nora Charles, who managed to behave like saucily illicit lovers throughout the film even though they're married. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy would be adroitly exploited by MGM in several subsequent films, including five additional
Thin Man
mysteries produced between 1936 and 1948.