How do you get private detective Nick Charles to bring his son home from the park? Mix a martini, shaken not stirred, of course, and the sound alone will get him running. Of course, you also want to get him to stop reading the racing pages to Nick Jr., the cute 5 year old son of New York's most sophisticated husband and wife detective team. That sends Nick and Nora off to another murder case, this one at the racing track, and one that will bring out all the usual suspects, including some red herrings and pink elephants if Nick doesn't stop boozin' it up!
All the archetypes are there for Nick and Nora, those from the opposite side of the social spectrum mixing it up with the jet set, and filled with social climbers, gamblers, boozers and floozies. The great acting coach Stella Adler has one of her two movie roles as a true hard-boiled dame here, and is unforgettable, even though it is obvious she belonged to the stage. Dickie Hall is adorable as Nick Jr., a little firecracker with both a bit of mom and dad in him, which you know means a sense of fun. Asta is adorable as ever, especially when one of his hijinks results in a bar brawl. Powell keeps the comic aspects of Nick alive, taking a rousing ride on a children's merry-go-round (is it the carousel or some previous cocktail which has him spinning?) and Loy remains the most perfect wife of all times, still beautiful in the morning, not nagging, not scolding, and filled with that love for life that here even includes a brief conversation with a professional wrestler while he's still in the ring.
All the archetypes are there for Nick and Nora, those from the opposite side of the social spectrum mixing it up with the jet set, and filled with social climbers, gamblers, boozers and floozies. The great acting coach Stella Adler has one of her two movie roles as a true hard-boiled dame here, and is unforgettable, even though it is obvious she belonged to the stage. Dickie Hall is adorable as Nick Jr., a little firecracker with both a bit of mom and dad in him, which you know means a sense of fun. Asta is adorable as ever, especially when one of his hijinks results in a bar brawl. Powell keeps the comic aspects of Nick alive, taking a rousing ride on a children's merry-go-round (is it the carousel or some previous cocktail which has him spinning?) and Loy remains the most perfect wife of all times, still beautiful in the morning, not nagging, not scolding, and filled with that love for life that here even includes a brief conversation with a professional wrestler while he's still in the ring.