Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Thin

Of course I've READ The Thin Man, by Hammet, and love the movies.  The first and the sequel.  Caught the sequel again this past weekend on commercial free American Movie Classics.  What I didn't know is that there are FOUR more sequels. 

The first movie came out in 1934.  The sequels all go up to the mid 40s.  But I do love the flavor of the 30s.  It may be my favorite 'era' of history.  Especially if you focus on what is happening to regular people and ignore some of the high up policy and political folderol.  Myrna Loy is quite the dish, of course, and William Powell is also excellent in the role. 

Gonna have to check out the other 4...

Anyway, gun content...  In the second movie, After the Thin Man, two ne'er do wells have a confrontation in an apartment.  The renter comes to the door to greet the gangster and is holding a 1911.  Later in the movie, the renter is found dead in that room.  Strangled.  He has a shoulder holster.  The whodunit is 'did the gangster do it...' but that is neither here nor there for our purposes.  When Nick gets there the gun on the floor is a revolver.  Inexplicable gun switcheroos seem to be common in the old movies.  A gun is a gun to the prop men?  Anyway, if give a gun geek something to do.  I might stress it, here, but I don't really get wrapped around the axle over this.  Watching the movie I just go with the flow.

I could be wrong, too, as it was television and I could rewind to double check.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

No need to re-watch (unless you want to)
You got it right.
Love those films! Love noir!

Sunset Boulevard has Bill Holden dead and narrating...
And there's some kerfluffle about an 'automatic' being used to kill him, switched for a revolver, but read as an automatic by Holden.
Or vice versa...
I'll have to watch it again.

gfa

Turk Turon said...

My favorite bit from The Thin Man is when the burly NYC detective searches their bedroom and finds a hangun. "A pistol!?" he barks, "Ain't you never hoid of the Sullivan Act?" Cut to Myrna Loy who says, "Oh, it's all right, Officer. We're married." She thought he was referring to the Mann Act. Probably got a big laugh in the '30s.