The Thin Man is one of the funniest and most stylish screwball comedies of all time, disguised (thinly) as a detective thriller. The plot is derived from Dashiell Hammett's original, but the focus is on the enormous amount of fun that Nick Charles, seasoned detective, and Nora, his monied wife, could create in the privacy of their own world (bar and bedroom). Together Nick and Nora investigate a series of murders following the disappearance of an aged inventor; facts are gathered while walking the dog, dangerous convicts are let into the bedroom, and the final coup is planned around a dinner party. Director W.S. Van Dyke got the film out in the short span of two weeks, then watched it gross millions off a public whose Depression-weary marriages no doubt needed a shot. And The Thin Man provides ample proof that - given enough money, alcohol and, above all, wit - marriage endures. William Powell and Myrna Loy as the lucky couple are sophisticated and delightful by turns - and Asta is as Asta does.