Song of the Thin Man is a 1947 film directed by Edward Buzzell, the last of the six Thin Man films. Like the others, it stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, characters created by Dashiell Hammett. Nick Jr. (now old enough for a two-wheeled bicycle and piano lessons) is played by Dean Stockwell. Keenan Wynn, Gloria Grahame and Jayne Meadows are featured in this story set in the world of nightclub musicians. The plot, somewhat more convoluted and darker than the other Thin Man movies, reflected post war sensibilities.
This Thin Man movie differs in several respects from the others in the series. It was one of two films in the series not directed by W.S. Van Dyke, who died in 1943, and the script was one of two not written by the husband and wife team of Albert Hackett and Francis Goodrich who had worked with Dashiell Hammett to develop the Nick and Nora characters earlier in the series. Consequently, it lacks the lightness of touch of previous efforts. There is almost an attempt to marry the then very popular film noir genre to the light breeziness of the previous Thin Man movies and it does not quite work as well as the previous examples
Nick and Nora Charles are attending a charity benefit aboard a gambling ship. The festive atmosphere conceals many tensions among those connected with the ship, with most of the friction centering around Tommy Drake, its unpopular, spiteful band-leader. When he is murdered later that night, suspicion falls on Phil Brant, who had argued with Drake earlier in the evening. When Phil and his wife seek help from Nick and Nora, Nick refuses to get involved. But when shots are fired outside his own apartment, Nick begins to investigate, and he soon finds himself in a confusing case with numerous suspects. Written by Snow Leopard
