Tin man is a short book at just over twohundred pages, but it packs a powerful punch. Nor does it refer to the book s author, whose spare frame often illustrates book jackets of the thin man. Synopsis famous new york detective nick charles met and fell in love with nora, an heiress from an old upp er class family, decided to quit his job, moved to san francisco and started a life of merriment, childish pranks and nonstop drinking. He wrote two fulllength novellas for the films that became after the thin man and another thin man. Although hammett never wrote a sequel, the book became the basis for a successful sixpart film series, which also began in 1934 with the thin man and starred william powell. In the thin man, nick and nora charles charm, party, and crack cases. Hammetts final novel centers on the life of nick and nora charles, a pair of stylish, wealthy partygoers with a yen for sleuthing and the couples delightful dog, asta. Once hitched, the nick quits his job, and he and his new bride move to san francisco for a life of luxury, fun, and constant drinking.
Pdf the thin man book by dashiell hammett free download. He debuted during the end credits of secrets of the maw, and makes his first full appearance in the pale city chapter, of which he is also the main antagonist. This film was based on a detective novel by hardboiled author dashiell hammett, hence the book cover theme of the titles. I have discovered a love affair with the hardboiled detective fiction from the 1920s and 1930s. The thin man the greatest literature of all time editor eric. Originally published in the december, 1933 issue of redbook, it appeared in book form the following month although hammett never wrote a sequel, the book became the basis for a successful sixpart film series, which also began in 1934 with the thin man and starred william powell and myrna loy. The book title, by the way, does not refer to the detective as many people seem to think.
After a four year absence, one time detective nick charles returns to new york with his new wife nora and their dog, asta. He knows the man needs serious medical help, but his attempts to radio the mainland are stopped by the thin man who smashes the radio. This unnerves tim, who orders the thin man to the couch. Van dyke, also known as one take woody, reportedly shot the entire movie in 12 days, giving it a kind of zippy, relaxed quality, which is odd and refreshing for an. The first of an epic number of films concerning the thin man fueled by the love of cinema noir by the audience. In addition, maccauley has been paying mimi installments of money to.
The top 100 mystery novels of all time mystery writers of america. Content is available under gnu free documentation license 1. Aug 08, 2005 nick and nora charles, dashiell hammetts wealthy depressionera detectives, are the hero and heroine of six thin man movies, which were released this month in a boxed set that quickly jumped to. The title refers to clyde wynant, who is unusually thin.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1934, and was written by dashiell hammett. The slender gentleman of the title is a character in the novel. Nick reconnects with many of his old cronies, several of whom are eccentric characters, to say the least. Dec 22, 2002 thats certainly the case in the thin man 1934, a murder mystery in which the murder and the mystery are insignificant compared to the personal styles of the actors. The thin man, american detective film, released in 1934, that was considered a paragon of the fun, sophisticated, glib dramas produced by hollywood during the great depression. Former detective nick charles and his wealthy wife nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it. Apr 20, 2014 the movie version of the thin man 1934, written by albert hackett and frances goodrich and directed by w.
The thin man summary at wikisummaries, free book summaries. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a classic murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. Most of the story is about conversations, and it really is a study of manners and class as charles goes between welloff families in nice rooms to thugs and goons in. With william powell, myrna loy, maureen osullivan, nat pendleton.
As a book in the hardboiled genre, the thin man was highly successful. Opinion the thin man is escapism, from an unlikely source. The movie version of the thin man is also highly recommended. Redbook magazine, hammetts detective tale was publis.
The film was based on the novel of the same name by dashiell. Nora, having grown weary of her silverspoon existence, is fascinated by the world of private investigation. The thin man movie series the cozy mystery list blog. I bought this book as well as our man in havana based on the name recognition of the author. The thin man serves as the main antagonist of little nightmares ii, mainly appearing in televisions across the pale city from the transmission. Explain, giving specific examples and direct quotes from the novel for support. The thin man, published in 1932, is a classic mystery book that inspired a popular series of movies starring william powell and myrna loy as nick and nora charles.
It follows the intoxicating relationship between ellis and michael, from the time they were young boys. Anxious to locate her father, gilberts daughter maureen osullivan goes to private detective nick charles william powell for help. Based on dashiell hammetts novel of the same name, the film combines the elements of a classic detective story with overtones of the screwball comedies that had their heyday during the depression. Brad runyon, the fat man, was a character completely opposite to the thin man, who, as anyone into detective fiction knows, was another popular character actually based upon a hammett novel. Aug 20, 2018 the thin man series plots the plots all follow the same basic formula as the first movie, the thin man, based on a clever dashiell hammett story. Dashiell hammett was a great mystery writer, who wrote. Powell and loy have great chemistry as a strange plot unfolds around them. Jan 05, 2014 the thin man was loy and powells second outing after manhattan melodrama 1934, which was directed by the thin man director w. Nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis.
The novel, like the rest of hammetts work, is sometimes criticized for a lack of. The main characters of this mystery, fiction story are nick charles, nora charles. A well thought out answer will probably be two or three substantial paragraphs 250350 words on average. Tin man by sarah winman is such a unique and marvelous tale. The thin man 1934 movie summary and film synopsis on mhm. Nora buys a used book which turns out to be a rare firstedition. It is the memoir of two men, ellis and michael, who, during. The thin man is a 1934 american precode comedymystery directed by w. There are rare times that a book will reach out and grab hold of your heart and soul and affect you in ways that you never knew the written word could do. The film is the first in a popular series of detective films featuring william powell as the dapper detective nick charles. The thin man 1934 is a detective novel by dashiell hammett, originally published in the.
May 02, 2016 there was actually a perfect transitional movie, the thin man, from the dashiell hammett novel, shot very quickly, in early 1934, and released just before the code went into effect. Nick charles is happily retired from the private detective game, but when the police pressure him into helping look into a recent murder, his socialite wife nora wants in on the investigation. Though this book is the only one to include nick and nora charles, their story has been. Nor does it refer to the books author, whose spare frame often illustrates book jackets of the thin man.
The thin man coughs up slime on tim, who wipes it away. But if these two books are any indication, hes one of the most highly overrated authors, ever. Oct 12, 2011 the thin man movies are based on dashiell hammetts the thin man mystery book. What happened is that wealthy clyde wynant is missing, and his daughter dorothy wants nick to help find him. Maccauley killed wynant and buried the disguised body. The thin man is a comedy of manners mixed with a solid mystery.
How does it relate to the plot or themes of the thin man. Opinion the thin man is escapism, from an unlikely. The nick and nora in this book dont have the pure level of charm and chemistry that made the movies so. Dashiell hammett was a crime writer who elevated the genre to true literature, and the thin man was hammetts last and most successful novel. Dec 30, 2019 the thin man 1934 mystery writer dashiell hammetts final novel, the thin man, introduced former private detective nick charles and his wealthy socialite wife nora. Nick charles, a former private detective who retired for a life of ease after marrying nora, a wealthy socialite, is drawn into investigating a murder. After marrying nora, nick left detective work in order to manage her business interests. The thin man is a murdermystery that takes place in 1930s new york city. Originally published in the december, 1933 issue of redbook, it appeared in book form the following month. Top 10 christmas crime stories peter swanson books the. About the thin man in dashiell hammetts famous crime novel, we meet one of the detectivestory masters most enchanting creations, nick and nora charles, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in. Dec 23, 2020 the thin man by dashiell hammett 1934 its funny to think that this was the only thin man book hammett wrote, despite the fact that it launched a sixfilm series. The thin man 1934 is a detective novel by dashiell hammett.
Plot summary exdetective nick charles and his excitementloving wife, nora, are in new york city for a brief christmas vacation, eager to engage in some serious partying. The thin man was an entertaining novel, and now its an entertaining picture, reported variety. Your responses to other students answers are due by midnight on sunday, october 25. The thin man dashiell hammett 1001 books to read before. Powell and myrna loy costar as nick and nora charles, a retired detective and his rich wife, playfully in love and both always a little drunk. The daughter tries to convince retired detective nick charles to take the case. Nick charles is a former detective who has given up his profession to manage his wife noras lumber fortune, which allows the couple to lead an easy life of. Based on a detective novel by dashiell hammett originally published in redbook, the thin man features a solid crime plot as former private detective nick. When our protagonist and his wife nora go to vacation in new york city for the holidays, they find out about the disappearance of one of nicks former clients, the. After reading the lecture, answer one of the two questions below. Top 10 christmas crime stories peter swanson books.
The thin man by dashiell hammett 1934 dashiell hammetts final novel, the thin man, features the beloved detective nick charles. Thats certainly the case in the thin man 1934, a murder mystery in which the murder and the mystery are insignificant compared to the. Tim stays up most of the night to keep an eye on the thin man. Nick charles is happily retired from the private detective game, but when the police pressure him into helping look. The book was sold by mistake and the thieves who stole the book in the first place are intent on recovering the volume.
The thin man, novel by dashiell hammett, published in 1934. When a former client of nicks eccentric inventor and title character clyde wynant. Following the enormous success of the thin man movie in 1934, hammett was commissioned to write stories for additional films. Nick charles is a retired private eye who gets pressed into investigating the murder of a woman in which a former client of his named clyde wynant is a suspect, though wynant who was the actual thin man not charles has been missing for quite some time. The main characters are a former private detective, nick. The father goes missing after promising to return for his daughters wedding. Adapted from dashiell hammetts novel, the thin man is one of those rare examples of a hollywood studio production on which everything came together perfectly. Exdetective nick charles and his excitementloving wife, nora, are in new york city for a brief christmas vacation, eager to engage in. Told in two distinct parts, tin man is a love story but so much more. With peter lawford, phyllis kirk, asta, berry kroeger. The traditional mystery novel ends with all the questions answered. Nick and nora are in some glamorous spot, having lots of cocktails when they somehow find themselves in the middle of a murder or two, mixed up with nicks earthy pals. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 201 pages and is available in paperback format. Dashiell hammetts novel, the thin man launched one of the golden ages greatest detective movie franchises, along with a popular radio program, as well as a 1950s syndicated tv series.
Theres wisecracking dialogue, great clothes and a twisty murdermystery. The story is set in new york city in december 1932, in the last days of prohibition. From the back cover nick and nora charles are hammetts most enchanting creations, a rich, glamorous couple who solve homicides in between wisecracks and martinis. The thin man is one of the brightest and most sophisticated comedymysteries of the 1930s. Where nick charles, the thin man, was a tall, suave, married, aristocratic, martinisipping amateur, brad runyon was a short, heavy, hardfisted.
This answer is due no later than thursday, october 22. Probably the weakest of the lot, with a tortuous plot and dark, gothic elements that mingle incongruously with the cosmopolitan comedy. Synopsis the thin man stars nick charles, a retired private detective, and his wife nora, who get sucked into investigating a murder case, and have to navigate the complicated wynant family, along with cops and criminals, and bring their best to the table in order to solve the crime. Based on the novel the thin man by dashiell hammett new york, 1934. Free download or read online the thin man pdf epub book.
There is a lot of smart banter, the most obvious between nick and nora. At once knowing and unabashedly romantic, the thin man is a murder mystery that doubles as a sophisticated comedy of manners. Hammetts portrayal of sophisticated new york cafe society during prohibition and his witty protagonists nick and nora charles made this the most popular of his works, if not the most successful critically. The thin man is a 1934 detective novel by dashiell hammett. The third man is dull, colorless, dreary, hard to follow in spots, with unexpected and out of place dialogue and plot twists.
This book has become a classic for mystery fans everywhere. The movies remain a fantastic showcase of the talents and chemistry of william powell and myrna loy. Van dyke, who also went on to helm three other thin man movies. Complete thin man collection, the dvd 7packthe sparkling series featured the irresistible william powell and myrna loy chemistry as husband and wife sleuths. Tough and selfpossessed, nick has retired from his days working for the transamerican detective agency and has since married a socialite and moved to california. Though a murder mystery, the plot has a great deal humor as nick charles, a retired.
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