Shadow Of The Thin Man (1941)

When a jockey who threw a race is found murdered at the track, a police Lieutenant (Sam Levene) requests the help of retired detective Nick Charles (William Powell). But two more murders will occur before the case is solved. This is the fourth entry in the Thin Man franchise with Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. It's also the weakest or least interesting of the seven Thin Man films. It seems like forever for the film to actually start, we get a lot of foreplay, and when it does, it's routine. Powell and Loy banter back and forth and they're a treasure but they're spinning in a vacuum. Fortunately, the gathered suspects in a room finale is wonderful but by then the movie is just about over. The acting is good and we get to see the legendary acting teacher Stella Adler in a rare film role (she only did three movies) as a blonde floozy. Directed by W.S. Van Dyke. The cast includes Donna Reed, Barry Nelson, Alan Baxter, Louise Beavers and the scene stealing Asta.