Nick & Nora The Musical

Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Charles (which was changed from his father's original Greek name "Charalambides"), are fictional characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. Nick is a retired private detective and Nora a wealthy society woman whose snobbish family thinks she has married beneath herself; Hammett modeled her on his lover Lillian Hellman. Their banter provides comic relief of the type that would later be seen between John Steed and Emma Peel in The Avengers. The couple have a pet dog, Asta, who is a female schnauzer (but became a male wire fox terrier when the book was made into a film)

The film adaptation of The Thin Man was a resounding success, and although Hammett never wrote another novel with Nick and Nora Charles, five movie sequels were produced.

In 1991, the Thin Man motion pictures were adapted into an unsuccessful Broadway musical, Nick & Nora with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr., and music by Charles Strouse. It opened on December 8, 1991 and ran for just nine performances before closing on December 15. In his memoir Original Story By, Laurents confessed he didn't realize until the show was in previews that the characters of Nick and Nora Charles were identified so closely with William Powell and Myrna Loy that the public would have difficulty accepting anyone else in the roles.

Quotes & Pics from your Favorite Mister and Missus...Nick and Nora Charles

The Thin Man (1934)

Nora Charles: How many drinks have you had?
Nick Charles: This will make six Martinis.
Nora Charles: [to the waiter] All right. Will you bring me five more Martinis, Leo? Line them right up here.

Nora Charles: Pretty girl.
Nick Charles: Yes. She's a very nice type.
Nora Charles: You got types?
Nick Charles: Only you, darling. Lanky brunettes with wicked jaws.

Reporter: Say listen, is he working on a case?
Nora Charles: Yes, he is.
Reporter: What case?
Nora Charles: A case of scotch. Pitch in and help him.

Nick Charles: The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time.

Nick Charles: How'd you like Grant's tomb?
Nora Charles: It's lovely. I'm having a copy made for you.

Nora Charles: All right! Go ahead! Go on! See if I care! But I thinks it's a dirty trick to bring me all the way to New York just to make a widow of me.
Nick Charles: You wouldn't be a widow long.
Nora Charles: You bet I wouldn't!
Nick Charles: Not with all your money...

Nick Charles: Now don't make a move or that dog will tear you to shreds.

Nora Charles: [to Asta, as Nick and Asta are going out on a case] If you let anything happen to him, you'll never wag that tail again.

Nora Charles: You asleep?
Nick Charles: Yes!
Nora Charles: Good... I want to talk to you.

[last lines]
Nora Charles: Nicky... Nicky, put Asta in here with me tonight.
Nick Charles: [chuckles] Oh, yeah?
[throws Asta in the other bunk]

After the Thin Man (1936)

Nick Charles: Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm thirsty.

Nick Charles: You see, when it comes to words like that, an illiterate person...
Polly Byrnes: Whaddaya mean "illiterate"? My father and mother were married right here in the city hall!
Nick Charles: [Leans toward Nora] Having a good time, Mrs. Charles?
Nora Charles: It couldn't be better.

Nora Charles: Are you packing?
Nick Charles: Yes dear, I'm putting away this liquor.

[Last line, as Nick gapes at Nora knitting baby boots]
Nora Charles: And you call yourself a detective.

Another Thin Man (1939)

Nora Charles: I got rid of all those reporters.
Nick Charles: What did you tell them?
Nora Charles: We're out of scotch.
Nick Charles: What a gruesome idea.

Policeman with flashlight: We're going to have to shoot that mutt. We'll never find him like this.
Nick Charles: Wait a minute. He's not going to come running up to a lot of strange men with lights. What do you think he is? A moth?

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)

Nora Charles: He's [ Little Nicky ] getting more like his father everyday.
Estrellita: He sure is. This morning he was playing with a corkscrew.

Nora Charles: Follow that car, quick!
Cab Driver: Yes, ma'am!
[Drives off after cab, leaving Nora and Molly on the sidewalk]

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

Nora Charles: Just imagine, four murders, all strangulations, no fingerprints, no clues. The police were baffled. All they had were four bodies. So what do they do? They dump the whole thing in Nick's lap. Nobody suspected Stinky, because he's been a cripple ever since some nitro went off while he was cracking a canister in Salt Lake. Everybody thought it was Rainbow Benny, but Nick knew that Rainbow was an expert with the shiv. Strangling was out of his line! Oh, smart Nick! Then they turned the heat on Slasher Martin who ran an dice joint down in China Town. But Slasher had an alibi with Squinty Burke and Studsy Green, so that took care of him. But all the time Nick was certain that Stinky Davis was the killer. Why? Because he had him pegged right away for a two timing double crossing rat! But the police listen to Nick? No! They told him it was a hophead theory, wild as loco buttons, because Stinky was a cripple and couldn't navigate. So Nick got the brushoff from the police. They cold-shouldered him right out. But did that stop him? No sir! He knew the case was hot and he was all set to start cooking on the front burner. He said: "Stinky, you're the two timing double crossing rat who strangled Knobs McClure and Reesy Joe and Horseface Dan and Denver Mike and then he turned his back on him. And the trick worked! Because Stinky got out of his chair and tried to strangle Nick with a piece of wire he had hidden in his mouth. But just in time, Nick turned around and gave him the old one-two and knocked Stinky colder than an ice flounder. Stinky wasn't a cripple at all! He was just using it to cover up his crimes. Now, what do you think of *that*?

Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Taxi Driver: Follow that car?
Nora Charles: Movie fan.
[ See Nora's line to Cab Driver in Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) above ]

Who is the 'Thin Man' in The Thin Man?

Just in case you didn't know The Thin Man is the 1934 American comic detective film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease. Nick is a hard drinking retired detective and Nora a wealthy heiress. Their dog, the Wire-Haired Fox Terrier Asta, played by Skippy, was also a popular character.

Completed in 1934 and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich; the screenplay was based on the mystery novel The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, supposedly based on his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. Also appearing in the film were Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Cesar Romero and Porter Hall.

In 1997, the film was added to the United States National Film Registry having been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

But who is the 'Thin Man' in The Thin Man?

The "Thin Man" in the title of the film The Thin Man was actually the lead suspect, but the name was thought by virtually everyone to refer to Nick Charles, and it was used in the titles of the sequels, although no one ever called him that.

During TCM Thin Man Marathon I decided to tweet the question. Here some interesting answers from fellow TCManiacs:

Worth Retweeting

Do you know who the 'Thin Man' is in The Thin Man? Hint: its not Nick Charles y'all...tweet me

Kellykoop
8:49pm, Dec 31 from Power Twitter

@TCManiacs The Thin Man is Wynant

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CaftanWoman
8:44pm, Dec 31 from Web

@TCManiacs Everybody knows it's Edward Ellis. It's one of the first things I taught my children when they started talking.

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susanmifflin
8:39pm, Dec 31 from Web

@TCManiacs Cyde Wynant is the "Thin Man", not Nick Charles as everyone assumes from title.

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ShelfLifeCC
8:34pm, Dec 31 from Web

@TCManiacs Wynant.

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lhbflute
8:24pm, Dec 31 from UberTwitter

@TCManiacs Yeah, it's the victim!

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Preppy101
8:23pm, Dec 31 from Web

@TCManiacs William Powell.

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JennBailey
8:23pm, Dec 31 from TweetDeck

@TCManiacs Or did you want the actor's name? Edward Ellis. We are a Thin Man family.

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Apopheniac79
8:22pm, Dec 31 from Digsby

@TCManiacs the man missing a suit ;)

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JennBailey
8:20pm, Dec 31 from TweetDeck

@TCManiacs It's Clyde Wynant isn't it? The inventor?

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AyeQue
8:20pm, Dec 31 from Tweetie

@TCManiacs it isnt?

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