Shadow of the Thin Man

Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) is the fourth entry in MGM's beloved mystery-comedy series, and you can watch it online on iFILM. William Powell and Myrna Loy return as Nick and Nora Charles — high-society sleuths whose idea of a pleasant afternoon is somehow always interrupted by a corpse. This time the scene is the racetrack.

A jockey recently accused of throwing a race turns up dead, and Nick's old friend Lieutenant Abrams is on the case. That's all the invitation Nick needs to get involved. Major Sculley, who handles gambling investigations, adds a formal request: he's convinced a criminal syndicate ordered the hit. Nora watches her husband slide back into detective mode with the sort of resigned amusement that makes it clear she expected nothing else.

Director W.S. Van Dyke built the Thin Man series on the chemistry between Powell and Loy — two people who look like they actually enjoy each other's company on screen, which was rarer in 1940s Hollywood than it should have been. This installment keeps the plot lean and the banter sharp. Watch Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) online on iFILM.