Mini Review: Another Thin Man (1939)
Directed By: W.S Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, and Ruth Hussey


The third installment of the Thin Man series brings the element of parenthood into the party-going, boozing lives of Nick and Nora Charles. Seeing Nick as a father was delightful, even if the fact that he was mostly inebriated throughout the film was just a little disturbing. Interestingly, this was the first film for Powell in two years. He had taken a leave of absence to cope w/ the loss of his fiance', Jean Harlow', in 1937. He steps back into the gumshoes with ease, while also making time to trade sarcastic barbs w/ Nora and cast mildly fawning looks at his new son. The mystery is not especially memorable-another murder, another predictable killer. But even though the story reads like a newspaper or magazine serial of the time, it still provides plenty of entertainment along the way. The principal reason for that lies w/ the great performances of the two leads as well as the welcomed edition of Ruth Hussey (what a great voice she had!) to the cast. All in all, it is at least as good as the 2nd entry to the series, though perhaps not quite as good as the first. I think I did laugh a little more at this one, and for that I give it a solid:
8/10