The Thin Man Goes Home (1945)

A detective (William Powell) and his wife (Myrna Loy) are visiting his parents (Lucile Watson, Harry Davenport) in a small New England town. All the townspeople are sure he's working on a case which he isn't. But when a young man (Ralph Brooke) is shot on his parents' doorstep, he's expected to solve the crime. This may be my favorite of the THIN MAN sequels. It was a smart move to transfer the action from a large metropolis like New York or San Francisco (where previous entries in the franchise were set) and set it up in a small town. The lack of sophistication of the townspeople contrasts nicely to the urban worldliness of Nick and Nora Charles. Though an unpleasant sequence of Powell spanking Loy dates the film, their chemistry is unparalleled and it's a true pleasure to see them play off each other. Directed by Richard Thorpe taking over the directorial reins from W.S. Van Dyke (who passed since the last THIN MAN film in 1941). With Gloria DeHaven, Anne Revere, Leon Ames, Helen Vinson, Donald Meek, Lloyd Corrigan and, of course, the great Asta.