<Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $1,423,000 (worldwide est .) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Thin Man is a 1934 American Pre-Code comedy - mystery film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett . The film stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles; Nick is a hard - drinking, retired private detective, and Nora is a wealthy heiress . Their wire - haired fox terrier Asta is played by canine actor Skippy . </P> <P> The film's screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, a married couple . In 1934, the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture . The titular "Thin Man" is not Nick Charles, but the man Charles is initially hired to find--Clyde Wynant (part way through the film, Charles describes Wynant as a "thin man with white hair"). The "Thin Man" moniker was thought by many viewers to refer to Nick Charles and, after a time, it was used in the titles of sequels as if referring to Charles . </P> <P> Nick Charles (William Powell), a retired detective, and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) are attempting to settle down . They are based in San Francisco but decide to spend the Christmas holidays in New York . There Nick is pressed back into service by Dorothy Wynant (Maureen O'Sullivan), a young woman whose father was an old client of Nick's . The man, Clyde Wynant (the title's "thin man"), was supposed to be on a secret business trip and promised to be home before his daughter's wedding, but has mysteriously vanished . She convinces Nick to take the case, much to the amusement of his socialite wife . It starts out as a missing person case, but when Wynant's former secretary and love interest, Julia Wolf, is found dead, evidence points to Wynant as the prime suspect . Dorothy refuses to believe that her father is guilty . The detective uncovers clues and eventually solves the mystery of the disappearance . </P>

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