The Thin Man

First and best of the famous whodunit series has the wisecracking, martini-sipping husband-and-wife sleuthing team of Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) investigating the disappearance of the ornery inventor Clyde Wynan (Edward Ellis), the "thin man" of the film's title. The film is an adaptation of a Dashiell Hammett private-eye novel and was followed by five sequels.

Having recently returned to New York City with his wealthy wife Nora, former detective Nick Charles agrees to investigate the missing man, at the pleading of his family, but mostly for the fun of it. The murder mystery at the heart of the film largely takes a back seat to the pair's flirtatious banter, snappy one-upmanship, playful physical affections, and charming terrier Asta.

But tensions escalate as the news of the missing man surfaces and he is implicated in the murder of his secretary. The investigation reaches its dramatic height at the couple's lavish New Year's Eve party where all suspects are assembled.

Co-starring Maureen O'Sullivan (David Copperfield) and earning four Academy Award nominations, The Thin Man was inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry and was selected by the prestigious American Film Institute as one of the 400 greatest American films of all time.

Part of our "Screwball Comedies" series. Courtesy of Warner Bros. and Swank Motion Pictures.