Shadow of the Thin Man is the fourth of six Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles.
In this caper, the married couple stumble upon another murder case that happens at a racetrack where a jockey is shot to death. Nick’s pal Lieutenant Abrams (Sam Levene, After the Thin Man) is there on the scene and wants Nick to help him, and at first, he declines but eventually does help. Nick simultaneously is approached by Major Sculley (Henry O’Neill, Invisible Stripes) to help him investigate a corrupt crime syndicate. More murders occur and Charles discovers there is a connection between the murdered jockey and the crime syndicate. It’s up to Nick along with his wife and his dog Asta to put all the pieces together and find the murderer!
Shadow of the Thin Man is another wonderful entrée in the Thin Man series. The chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is second to none. Nothing that I have seen comes close to the natural chemistry that the pair had together. You would think that they were married in real life, but they were not! The two appeared in no less than 14 films together!
Outside of Powell and Loy, the film has a great cast including Donna Reed (this was her third film), veteran actor Henry O’Neill, Barry Nelson, Sam Levene and Sid Melton (in an uncredited role).
Warner Archive debuts Shadow of the Thin Man on Blu-ray. The picture quality is magnificent. There are plenty of details to the scenery and the clothing that the actors wear. The film boats an excellent grayscale with sharp whites and rich black levels. There is nary a scratch or damage to the film elements and is easily an upgrade to the DVD.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 English mono sound mix is also solid with the dialog being clear and easy to understand. David Snell’s musical score and the various sound effects also come in perfectly without any common age issues like hissing or pops.
Warner’s Blu-ray also has a few extras. The Tell-Tale Heart is a 20-minute 1941 adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe classic directed by Jules Dassin. The Goose Goes South is an animated short from 1941. A theatrical trailer rounds out the extras.
I love the entire Thin Man series and the fact that the films are receiving Blu-ray releases one by one is just wonderful news. William Powell and Myrna Loy are a pair of my favorite actors even outside The Thin Man Series. These films are a lot of fun to watch and seeing them in high definition is a real pleasure. Shadow of the Thin Man Blu-ray from Warner is easily recommended!
Shadow of the Thin Man
Director- W.S. Van Dyke
Cast- William Powell, Myrna Loy, Donna Reed
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Warner Archive / Warner Home Video
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date- 10/8/21