May 25, 1934: "The Thin Man" Premieres

William Powell as Nick, Myrna Loy as Nora,

and Skippy as Asta

May 25, 1934: The Thin Man premieres, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, and based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, published earlier in the year.

Hammett had created the characters of Nick and Nora Charles, a married couple who solve murder mysteries while exchanging sharp and smart repartee. The tremendous popularity of the characters made them a media archetype, as the bantering, romantically involved detective duo has become a well-used trope in literature, stage, screen, and television ever since. Without Nick and Nora, there would be no McMillan & Wife, no Hart to Hart, no Scarecrow & Mrs. King, and, while the title characters were not cops but assisted their love interests who were, no Castle and no The Mentalist. The characters may even have influenced the banter between James Bond and the "Bond Girls."

Nick is a former private detective, whose surname Charles hides his Greek ancestry. He retired from his work when he married Nora, a wealthy heiress from the Nob Hill section of San Francisco. Hammett reportedly modeled Nora on his longtime mistress, playwright Lillian Hellman, and the characters' boozy, flippant dialogue on their relationship. (The novel also mentions that Nick was once a Pinkerton detective, as was Hammett.)

William Powell, who had starred in 4 films as Philo Vance, a private detective created by writer S.S. Van Dine (not to be confused with W.S. Van Dyke), was cast as Nick. Myrna Loy played Nora, having previously been typecast as exotic, foreign women. She had appeared in The Jazz Singer, the 1st "talkie," in 1927, but a sexy voice made her ideal for the transition out of the silent era.

The titular "Thin Man" is Clyde Wynant, an old friend of Nick's, and the Charleses end up having to solve his murder. There would be 6 Nick & Nora movies, among the 14 films that Powell and Loy would appear in together. Despite the original Thin Man being dead halfway through the 1st movie, all 6 had "The Thin Man" in the title, thus leading to the misperception that Nick was "the Thin Man." (Powell was rather slender.)

After the Thin Man was released on December 25, 1936. Another Thin Man followed on November 17, 1939. Shadow of the Thin Man was next, on November 21, 1941. To this point, all of the Thin Man movies had been directed by W.S. Van Dyke. However, he developed cancer and, as a Christian Scientist, refused treatment. He died in 1943. Richard Thorpe directed The Thin Man Goes Home, premiering on January 25, 1945. And Edward Buzzell directed Song of the Thin Man, premiering on August 28, 1947.

My grandmother was approaching her 10th birthday when the 1st film came out. She was a big fan of the films, and especially of Myrna Loy. She was also a big fan of crossword puzzles, and she taught me that it was common for them to have "ASTA," the Charles' dog, as an answer, because it was a short name.

Of course, by the time she taught me that, the Thin Man movies were in the distant past. Hammett died in 1961, Powell in 1984, and Loy in 1993. Asta was played by a Wire Fox Terrier named Skippy, who died in 1951, at the age of 20.

From 1957 to 1959, NBC aired The Thin Man, starring Peter Lawford as Nick and Phyllis Kirk as Nora. The action was moved to the present day and to New York. In 1975, for ABC, Craig Stevens and Jo Ann Pflug starred in the TV-movie Nick and Nora. In 1976, the Charleses were among the legendary fictional detectives spoofed in the film Murder by Death, with David Niven and Maggie Smith playing Dick and Dora Charleston.

In 1991, a Broadway musical titled Nick & Nora was staged, starring Barry Bostwick and Joanna Gleason. It tanked, running only 9 performances. In 2011, a film version was announced, with Johnny Depp, but it was canceled before Nora was ever cast.

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May 25, 1934 was a Friday. The entire American League was in action that day, while the entire National League was not:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 7-5 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Sammy Byrd, who took over as a defensive replacement for Babe Ruth so many times that he was nicknamed "Babe Ruth's Legs," hit a home run. Ruth himself did not play, while Lou Gehrig went 0-for-4, although he did draw a walk.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 18-3 at League Park in Cleveland. For the Tribe, Earl Averill went 5-for-6 with a home run and 5 RBIs, Bill Knickerbocker went 4-for-6 with 4 RBIs, Joe Vosmik went 4-for-6 with 3 RBIs, and pitcher Monte Pearson went the distance, and also went 3-for-5 with an RBI.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-7 at Navin Field in Detroit. (That ballpark was later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium.) Jimmie Foxx went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Hank Greenberg went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* And the Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Shortstop and manager Joe Cronin hit a home run for the Senators, as did John Stone and Buddy Myer.