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The Thin Man is one of the greatest American movies ever made. Those of us who have seen the film can agree, and those of you haven’t need to get on that, and pronto. The Thin Man is also, along with the original King Kong, one of the first franchises. We complain nowadays about how sequels, remakes, and other unoriginal ideas clog up the cinematic marketplace, especially at this time of year, but the practice has been going on in Hollywood since before most of us (I’m willing to hope that some of the people reading this are very old, but I could be wrong) were even thoughts in our mothers’ and fathers’ eyes. The Thin Man came out in 1934, and over the next 13 years, five sequels were released. There was also a radio series, and a two-season TV show starring Peter Lawford as Nick Charles.

So when I tell you that this week’s classic movie, 1947’s Song of the Thin Man, which is mostly known for being the last film in the Thin Man series, isn’t as good as The Thin Man, I doubt you’ll be too surprised. It’s in the Thin Man series, though, where we see how charisma can elevate just about anything. For some reason, the movie series I kept coming back to while watching Song of the Thin Man was the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I know, the films are wildly similar, right? Seriously, though, anyone who is willing to admit that they enjoy all three films of that series (and yes, I am one of those people), would admit that a large part of the enjoyment comes from watching charming actors just be charming. Whatever problems Song of the Thin Man has, they’re mostly washed away by William Powell.

William Powell is one of the great Hollywood stars of the 1930s and 1940s who unfortunately falls into the category of actors who never won an Oscar but really should have. Of course, he’s most well known for playing Nick Charles in the Thin Man series, but he was also the star of the great 1930s screwball comedy My Man Godfrey, and appeared in such films as The Great Ziegfeld, Mister Roberts, and Manhattan Melodrama (in the history books, that last film is remembered as the movie John Dillinger watched just before he got murdered). Powell manages, in the Thin Man series, to not only make his alcoholic nature charming, but a lifestyle we should all aspire to (but in reality, of course, we really shouldn’t). Nick is the active player here, but he’s not nearly as charming without his wife, Nora.

Myrna Loy returned to the big screen in the late 1940s after being shunned for years in America. Why was she shunned, you ask? Oh, just for speaking out against Adolf Hitler. Yes, back when the country was content in staying out of other countries’ atrocities, Loy was outspoken against the Nazi regime and ended up dedicating her time to raising awareness of the Nazi Party, not being a movie star. Still, after World War II ended, she came back to the silver screen in films such as Song of the Thin Man and The Best Years of Our Lives. That said, if you’re like me, and have only seen The Thin Man and Song of the Thin Man, the 13-year jump wasn’t as kind as I would’ve liked it to be for Loy, who’s cute, charming, and adorable in the original film. She’s plenty charming here, but not as adorable as she once was.

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