We Are Movie Geeks All things movies… as noted by geeks.

January 6, 2022

William Powell and Myrna Loy in SONG OF THE THIN MAN – Available on Blu-ray January 18th From Warner Archive

Filed under: Blu-ray — Tags: , , — Tom Stockman @ 10:38 am

“Nick, we’re going home and I’m not tucking you into bed, I’m tying you in.”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947) will be available on Blu-ray January 18th from Warner Archive

At a charity gambling benefit aboard the S.S. Fortune, the tables are hot, the jazz is hotter and before you know it, a bandleader’s body is growing cold. They’re playing your song, Nick and Nora Charles! William Powell and Myrna Loy return for the sixth and final time as the married sleuths, rousting suspects out of bed for 4 a.m. interrogations while trying to fathom the bebop argot of ‘40s jazz jive. Speaking of their renowned screen chemistry, Loy once said, “It wasn’t a conscious thing. If you heard us talking in a room, you’d hear the same thing. He’d tease me, and there was a sort of blending which seemed to please people.” Decades later, people are still pleased. The melody of Song of the Thin Man and the entire beloved series lingers on.

Special Features:

  • M-G-M Passing Parade short “A Really Important Person”
  • Tex Avery Cartoon “Slap Happy Lion”
  • Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

November 18, 2021

William Powell and Myrna Loy in THE THIN MAN GOES HOME Available on Blu-ray November 23rd From Warner Archive

Filed under: Blu-ray — Tags: , , — Tom Stockman @ 9:56 am

“Oh, Nicky, you’re driving me crazy. This case is serious and all you do is fuddle around and guzzle cider.”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in THE THIN MAN GOES HOME (1944) will be available on Blu-ray November 23rd from Warner Archive

William Powell and Myrna Loy reunite as amateur sleuths Nick and Nora Charles in this penultimate 5th entry to the beloved, long-running series of mystery comedies that began a decade earlier. Outlaws come and go in Nick and Nora’s lives. Now it’s time to meet the in-laws. The debonair sleuths leave little Nicky Jr. at boarding school, grab Asta and head to Nick’s boyhood home of Sycamore Springs. Of course, wherever they go, murder has a way of showing up on the doorstep – a point proven in delightful classic. Nick can show off his gumshoe talents for his parents (Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson) when an artist is killed. And he’ll do it without customary liquid inspirations… because Nick is on the wagon. He’s also on his game. As is Nora, wrestling a folding lawn chair, tailing a presumed suspect through town, igniting a pool-hall rumble, and racking wise as good as she gets. Make yourself at home, whodunit fans.

Special Features: Classic M-G-M Robert Benchley Short “Why, Daddy?”, Classic M-G-M Tex Avery Cartoon “Screwball Squirrel”, Original Theatrical Trailer (HD)

August 14, 2021

William Powell and Myrna Loy in SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN Available on Blu-ray August 17th From Warner Archive

Filed under: Blu-ray — Tags: , , — Tom Stockman @ 6:02 pm

“You got all the luck. What’d you do? Swallow a horseshoe?”

William Powell and Myrna Loy in SHADOW OF THE THIN MAN (1941) will be available on Blu-ray August 17th From Warner Archive.

A jockey who threw a race is murdered in the locker room. With that, she and hubby Nick are off to the races on another case of murder, mirth and perfect martinis. Red herrings abound.

Nick and Nora’s hopes for a pleasant afternoon at the local race track are dashed when a jockey is found shot dead in the locker room. Nick’s friend Lt. Abrams wants him to help out but Nick is enjoying the good life too much to get involved. However, he is subsequently approached by Major Scully to look into corruption and the role of organized crime in gambling. Others are killed but in the end, Nick gathers all of the suspects into a room and identifies the killer.

Special Features: Vintage Short: “The Tell-Tale Heart,”  Cartoon: “The Goose Goes South,” Theatrical Trailer

August 12, 2019

Nick and Nora Charles THE THIN MAN Available on Blu-ray From Warner Archives

Filed under: Blu-ray — Tags: , , — Tom Stockman @ 3:39 pm

” Waiter, will you serve the nuts? I mean, will you serve the guests the nuts?”

Nick and Nora Charles cordially invite you to bring your own alibi to The Thin Man, the jaunty whodunit that made William Powell and Myrna Loy the champagne elite of sleuthing. Bantering in the boudoir, enjoying walks with beloved dog Asta or matching each other highball for highball and clue for clue, they combined screwball romance with mystery. The resulting triumph nabbed four Academy Award® nominations (including Best Picture) and spawned five sequels. Credit W.S. “Woody” Van Dyke for recognizing that Powell and Loy were ideal together and for getting the studio’s okay by promising to shoot this splendid adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel in three weeks. He took 12 days. They didn’t call him “One-Take Woody” for nothing.

William Powell and Myrna Loy light up the screen in this intoxicating screwball murder mystery that is as seductively charming now as it was 85 years ago. Debutante Nora shocked 5th Avenue when she married laconic gumshoe Nick Charles; Nick, on the other hand, shocked himself by getting the one girl who was every bit his match in wit and detection. And it’s a good thing, too, because it will take both their minds, and many jiggers of gin, for them to solve the disappearance of The Thin Man and save his daughter (Maureen O’Sullivan). Painstakingly restored from a 4K scan of the best available elements, The Thin Man sparkles like the finest vintage champagne in glorious black and white on this wondrous Blu-ray Disc. Special Features: 1936 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast Starring Powell and Loy (Audio Only); 1957 Episode of “The Thin Man” television series-“Scene of the Crime”; Theatrical Trailer 

July 7, 2015

LOVE ME TONIGHT – 1932 Musical Screens at The Hi-Pointe Saturday Morning

Filed under: Movies — Tags: , , , , — Tom Stockman @ 11:54 am

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“A peach must be eaten, a drum must be beaten, and a woman needs something like that!”

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LOVE ME TONIGHT plays at The Hi-Pointe Theater ( 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117) Saturday, July 11th at 10:30am as part of their Classic Film Series

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I’ve never seen the 1932 Paramount production LOVE ME TONIGHT, a classic mix of comedy, romance, song and satire with a first-rate cast, but I will this weekend. The story takes place in France around the time the film was made. It’s an early musical that employs an unusual script device in places – rhyming dialog exchanges that often lead into song (think the early ‘Musical Novelty’ Stooges short The Woman Haters). LOVE ME TONIGHT is apparently a satire of French royalty and high society households. Its characters are either the idle rich leading empty, hedonistic lives, or their compliant, consenting household staff. Maurice Courtelin, a Parisian tailor (Maurice Chevalier), is owed a great sum of money by a viscount (Charles Ruggles). Stalling for time, the titled but penniless nobleman moves Maurice into the family chateau and passes him off as a baron. The beguiling Maurice soon charms the entire aristocratic household, except for the haughty Princess Jeanette (Jeanette MacDonald), who remains suspicious of him. But suspicion eventually gives way to love. From the reviews I’ve read, it seems that much of the pre-code dialog in LOVE ME TONIGHT is rife with double entendres and that this is a musical worthy of rediscovery more than 80 years after it was made. LOVE ME TONIGHT is directed by Russian emigrant director/writer Rouben Mamoulian who gave us such diverse films as DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1931), MARK OF ZORRO (1940), and SILK STOCKINGS (1957). There are many famous Rodgers & Hart tunes in the film sung by Chevalier, MacDonald and by the cast (that includes Myrna Loy), that include “The Song of Paree,” “Isn’t it Romantic,” “Lover,” “Mimi,” “A Woman Needs Something Like That,” “Mimi,” “I’m an Apache,” “Love Me Tonight,” and “The Son-Of-A-Gun is Nothing But A Tailor.” I’m curious. I’ll be there and so should you.

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So don’t miss LOVE ME TONIGHT when plays as part of The Hi-Pointe Theater’s Saturday Morning Classic Film Series! Doors open at 10am LOVE ME TONIGHT begins at 10:30! Admission is only $5!

The Hi-Pointe is located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117. Their website can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

June 7, 2015

See Nick and Nora Charles Saturday Morning at The Hi-Pointe – THE THIN MAN

Filed under: Movies — Tags: , , — Tom Stockman @ 8:27 pm

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“The murderer is right in this room. Sitting at this table. You may serve the fish.”

25th April 1934: Myrna Loy (1905 - 1993) and William Powell (1892 - 1984) play sleuthing couple Nick and Nora Charles in 'The Thin Man', directed by W S Van Dyke. In this scene Nick practises his aim using his feet to steady the muzzle of the gun.

THE THIN MAN plays at The Hi-Pointe Theater ( 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117) Saturday, June 13th at 10:30am as part of their Classic Film Series

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W.S. Van Dyke’s 1934 film THE THIN MAN stars Myrna Loy and William Powell as Nora and Nick Charles, upper class sleuths who unwittingly become caught up in the case of a missing friend and former client. Nick is a former detective who has been in retirement for the last four years, living the high life with Nora when Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O’Sullivan) implores with them to help find her father, who has been missing for three months. Throughout the investigation, Nick and Nora rarely are without a drink in their hands, are forever trading witticisms and getting themselves into comical situations; they even get their terrier Asta in on their investigation.

9th May 1934: Myrna Loy (1905 - 1993) and William Powell (1892 - 1984) play sleuthing couple Nick and Nora Charles in 'The Thin Man', directed by W S Van Dyke. Maureen O'Sullivan (1911 - 1998, right) joins them in their hard-drinking crime-solving capers.

THE THIN MAN is a great detective story that is enhanced by its classiness and humor. Powell is definitely the physical comedian of the pair, with Loy looking stunning and conveying so much with the looks she gives him. I honestly found myself guessing the outcome until the end, which culminates in a deliciously wonderful dinner party where all of the guests are suspects. It is amazing that this film was made in 1934, because it seems so ahead of its time; which is probably just one reason why it is so highly regarded and remains on many critics’ lists. THE THIN MAN is so thoroughly enjoyable, and its stars (including Asta) are so engaging that it spawned five sequels. So don’t miss THE THIN MAN when plays as part of The Hi-Pointe Theater’s Saturday Morning Classic Film Series! Doors open at 10am THE THIN MAN begins at 10:30! Admission is only $5!!

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The Hi-Pointe is located at 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, MO 63117. Their website can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

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January 27, 2011

Try It Out Thursday: THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

Filed under: Classics,Columns,General News,Try It Out Thursday — Tags: , , , , — Joan Rapp @ 7:00 am

Saturday night, I was scouting around trying to find something to watch that interested me. Cable was the same old reruns of old television shows and movies. I wanted something I hadn’t seen before. I wanted a new adventure, so I turned to Netflix. I stumbled upon a film from 1932 that intrigued me; THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. The cast included Lesley Howard (best known as Ashley Wilkes from GONE WITH THE WIND), Myrna Loy (best known from the THIN MAN series) and Ann Harding.

The story revolves around the characters of Tom Collier (Lesley Howard), Daisy Sage (Ann Harding) and Cee Henry (Myrna Loy). Tom is a free thinker and has been living that lifestyle; enjoying art and only publishing books that he actually would want to read. Tom thinks that it is time to become respectable so he announces his engagement, but it is not to longtime girlfriend Daisy but to Cee, a New York socialite. Cee represents everything that he has been running away from in his father’s world. It doesn’t take him too long after the marriage to realize the mistake that he has made. Cee shows herself to be conniving and deceitful while Daisy only wants what is best for Tom. Tom must choose between his desire for Cee and Daisy. Which one fulfills him more as a person? The acting is stellar.

The film is a bit stilted; it is an adaptation of a staged play that was filmed. The film touches on topics of premarital sex, adultery, love and friendship. It is the film version of a Philip Barry play. This film was the first of three of his plays to be filmed: HOLIDAY (1938) and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940). It is interesting to see Myrna Loy as an unsympathetic character. She usually plays someone the audience likes, but it is hard to like or root for her here. Lesley Howard plays a much more interesting character than I have seen him portray before; here he is multi-dimensional and interesting.

This film is not from the beginning of either of their careers but it is a footnote to things to come. I am glad that I found it. I love HOLIDAY and THE PHILADELPHIA STORY and was glad to discover another film written by Phillip Barry. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM is available on Netflix instant stream. Enjoy.

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