<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $226,408 </Td> </Tr> <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>

When was the first thin man movie made