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The Thin Man (TV series)

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The Thin Man
Phyllis Kirk, Peter Lawford, and Asta the dog, 1957.
GenreComedy
Drama
Based onThe Thin Man
by Dashiell Hammett
Written byBen Starr
StarringPeter Lawford
Phyllis Kirk
Theme music composerJohnny Green (Season 1)
Pete Rugolo (Season 2)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes72
Production
Running time1/2 hour (25:33 minutes)
Production companiesClarington Productions
MGM Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 20, 1957 (1957-09-20) –
August 28, 1959 (1959-08-28)

The Thin Man is a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man (1933) by Dashiell Hammett. The 72 episodes were produced by MGM Television and broadcast by NBC for two seasons from 1957–1959 on Friday evening.[citation needed] It was the first TV series produced by MGM.[1]

Overview

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The series starred Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora Charles. The dog, Asta, was played by three identical wire-hair terriers.[1] Jack Albertson, Patricia Donahue, and Nita Talbot had recurring roles during the show's second season. Albertson played Lieutenant Harry Evans of the New York Police Department. Donahue played Hazel, Nick and Nora's neighbor. Talbot played Beatrice Dane, alias Blondie Collins, a criminal who dragged Nick and Nora into her schemes. Both Hazel and Beatrice made attempts to seduce Nick. Nora's jealousy fueled her sarcasm on these occasions.

A newspaper columnist wrote that Nora Charles's role was different from that of other female leads in detective programs on television. Kirk commented:

We were the first of the sophisticated detective dramas, and from the scripts it was simple to see that the part of Nora Charles was that of a leading lady who made more than token appearances. Since then some of the new shows just use girls as part of the scenery.[2]

Among the series guest stars was Billy Gray, who appeared at the same time he was cast as James "Bud" Anderson, Jr., in Father Knows Best. Ann McCrea was cast as Billie in the 1958 episode, "The Lost Last Chapter". Of note is the "guest star" in the episode "Robot Client": the original Robby the Robot from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet. This episode is available as an extra on the Forbidden Planet DVD.

Ben Starr was the program's writer, while Sam Marx was the executive producer.[1] Episodes were shot back to back across the two seasons.[3] In May 1959, Kirk revealed that she and Lawford were contractually attached to the series until August.[4]

The series began airing on Sony's GetTV in March 2016.[5]

Episode list

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Season 1: 1957–58

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Ep Title Directed by Written by Original air date
11"The Dollar Doodle"UnknownUnknownSeptember 20, 1957 (1957-09-20)
22"Duke of Sing Sing"UnknownUnknownSeptember 27, 1957 (1957-09-27)
33"The Angel Biz"UnknownUnknownOctober 4, 1957 (1957-10-04)
44"Come Back Darling Asta"John Meredyth LucasStory by : Herman Groves
Teleplay by : Dean Riesner & Martin Ragaway
October 11, 1957 (1957-10-11)
55"Paris Pendant"UnknownUnknownOctober 18, 1957 (1957-10-18)
66"That's the Spirit"UnknownUnknownOctober 25, 1957 (1957-10-25)
77"Acrostic Murder"UnknownUnknownNovember 1, 1957 (1957-11-01)
88"Dead Duck"UnknownUnknownNovember 8, 1957 (1957-11-08)
99"Fatal Cliche"UnknownUnknownNovember 15, 1957 (1957-11-15)
1010"Ring Around Rosie"UnknownUnknownNovember 22, 1957 (1957-11-22)
1111"Angels in Paradise"UnknownUnknownNovember 29, 1957 (1957-11-29)
1212"The Fashion Showdown"UnknownUnknownDecember 6, 1957 (1957-12-06)
1313"Dead Giveaway"UnknownUnknownDecember 13, 1957 (1957-12-13)
1414"Unwelcome Alibi"UnknownUnknownDecember 27, 1957 (1957-12-27)
1515"Asta Day"UnknownUnknownJanuary 3, 1958 (1958-01-03)
1616"The Scene Stealer"UnknownUnknownJanuary 10, 1958 (1958-01-10)
1717"Damone Dilemma"UnknownUnknownJanuary 17, 1958 (1958-01-17)
1818"Unlucky Lucky Number"UnknownUnknownJanuary 24, 1958 (1958-01-24)
1919"Man on the Bridge"UnknownUnknownJanuary 31, 1958 (1958-01-31)
2020"Pre-Incan Caper"UnknownUnknownFebruary 7, 1958 (1958-02-07)
2121"Murder Is Where You Find It"UnknownUnknownFebruary 14, 1958 (1958-02-14)
2222"Ship Shakedown"UnknownUnknownFebruary 21, 1958 (1958-02-21)
2323"Robot Client"Oscar RudolphDevery FreemanFebruary 28, 1958 (1958-02-28)
2424"The Mystery of the Missing Murders"UnknownUnknownMarch 7, 1958 (1958-03-07)
2525"Double Jeopardy"UnknownUnknownMarch 14, 1958 (1958-03-14)
2626"Bookworms"UnknownUnknownMarch 21, 1958 (1958-03-21)
2727"Jittery Juror"Bretaigne WindustPhil Davis & Charles HoffmanMarch 28, 1958 (1958-03-28)
2828"The Departed Doctor"UnknownUnknownApril 4, 1958 (1958-04-04)
2929"The Tennis Champ"UnknownUnknownApril 11, 1958 (1958-04-11)
3030"The Delinquent"UnknownUnknownApril 18, 1958 (1958-04-18)
3131"The Painted Witnesses"UnknownUnknownMay 2, 1958 (1958-05-02)
3232"The Saucer People"UnknownUnknownMay 9, 1958 (1958-05-09)
3333"The Carstadt Man"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 1958 (1958-05-16)
3434"The Art of Murder"UnknownUnknownMay 23, 1958 (1958-05-23)
3535"Kappa Kappa Kaper"UnknownUnknownMay 30, 1958 (1958-05-30)
3636"The Valley Forger"UnknownUnknownJune 6, 1958 (1958-06-06)
3737"The Screaming Doll"UnknownUnknownJune 13, 1958 (1958-06-13)

Season 2: 1958–59

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Ep Title Original air date
381"Scene of the Crime"October 24, 1958 (1958-10-24)
392"Housewarming"October 31, 1958 (1958-10-31)
403"Pack My Gat, Beulah"November 7, 1958 (1958-11-07)
414"Lost Last Chapter"November 14, 1958 (1958-11-14)
425"I Loathe You, Darling"November 21, 1958 (1958-11-21)
436"Human Bomb"November 28, 1958 (1958-11-28)
447"Plague of Pigeons"December 5, 1958 (1958-12-05)
458"Design for Murder"December 12, 1958 (1958-12-12)
469"Murder in Mink"December 19, 1958 (1958-12-19)
4710"Lady on the Lam"December 26, 1958 (1958-12-26)
4811"Beauty and the Bath"January 2, 1959 (1959-01-02)
4912"The Case of the Baggy Pants"January 9, 1959 (1959-01-09)
5013"Maine Thing"January 23, 1959 (1959-01-23)
5114"Outrageous"January 30, 1959 (1959-01-30)
5215"The Big Holdout"February 6, 1959 (1959-02-06)
5316"Perfect Servant"February 13, 1959 (1959-02-13)
5417"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Morgue"February 20, 1959 (1959-02-20)
5518"Black Wind and Lightning"February 27, 1959 (1959-02-27)
5619"Holiday for Hazel"March 6, 1959 (1959-03-06)
5720"Lady Frankenstein"March 13, 1959 (1959-03-13)
5821"Mayhem to Music"March 20, 1959 (1959-03-20)
5922"La Sabre Invecta Est?"March 27, 1959 (1959-03-27)
6023"Gory Road"April 3, 1959 (1959-04-03)
6124"Anonymity Anyone?"April 10, 1959 (1959-04-10)
6225"That's Gratitude"April 17, 1959 (1959-04-17)
6326"The Cat Kicker"April 24, 1959 (1959-04-24)
6427"Bronze Bonze"May 1, 1959 (1959-05-01)
6528"Requiem for a Recluse"May 8, 1959 (1959-05-08)
6629"Nora Goes Over the Wall"May 15, 1959 (1959-05-15)
6730"Hamilton Hollered Help"May 22, 1959 (1959-05-22)
6831"Dear Dead Days"May 29, 1959 (1959-05-29)
6932"Cold Cargo"June 12, 1959 (1959-06-12)
7033"Bat McKidderick Esq."June 12, 1959 (1959-06-12)
7134"Cherchez La Sexpot"June 19, 1959 (1959-06-19)
7235"Paradise Discovered"June 26, 1959 (1959-06-26)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Hollywood Today". Eureka Humboldt Standard. July 3, 1957. p. 2. Retrieved April 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ Scott, Vernon (April 24, 1959). "Phylliss Kirk's Brain Power Keeps Her Flying on Series". The Daily Inter Lake. p. 10. Retrieved April 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Rich, Allen (February 26, 1959). "Listening Post and TV Review". Valley Times. p. 26. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Torre, Marie (May 29, 1959). "Out of the Air". The Evening Review. p. 10. Retrieved January 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "GetTV Announces New Blocks of Classic Retro TV Shows". Cinema Retro. April 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
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