Nick and Nora Charles go home to see his parents. Myrna Loy and William Powell were usually wonderful as the detective and his lovable wife. The script does them in in this film.Supported by the usually elderly looking Harry Davenport and his wife, veteran actress Lucile Watson add really nothing to the plot.Naturally, they have no vacation as they're soon thrown into investigating a murder that occurred at their parents' doorstep. We soon find an array of suspects to deal with. We have Crazy Mary who loves to knock people over the head with any object in her reach. The wonderful Anne Revere plays the part and says so little. She is dressed up as if she is Apple Annie from "Pocketful of Miracles" fame.Donald Meek, Edward Brophy, Leon Ames and a very young Gloria De Haven round out the fine cast.By the way, what was behind those paintings being sold? This is never fully explained and that might just be what's wrong with this picture.You'll laugh at the beginning when Nick and Nora are trying to move about in a very crowded corridor of the train. You will be reminded of the Marx Brothers in "Room Service." When a very fat man comes the opposite way, you will laugh heartily. Other than this, there is very little to smile to.

Everybody has at least one skeleton in their closet, and Nick Charles is the man who can bring them out into the daylight. The fifth film in the excellent 'Thin Man' series sees our favourite married detectives, Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy), visiting Nick's parents in the small town of Sycamore Springs, a sleepy locale where everybody knows everybody and crime is practically non-existent… or so they thought! The famous detective's arrival is greeted with a wave of controversy, despite his own insistence that the visit is merely a quiet vacation. With everybody under the impression that Nick is investigating an important case, long-forgotten skeletons begin to emerge from their hiding-places, a young artist is shot dead on the doorstep and an ordinary-looking painting of a windmill becomes a vital clue in identifying his murderer.'The Thin Man Goes Home' was the first film in the series not directed by W.S. Van Dyke, after he committed suicide in February 1943. Nonetheless, Richard Thorpe does a good job of recreating the mystery and good humour of the previous instalments, working off a script from Robert Riskin, Harry Kurnitz and Dwight Taylor. There are also a few notable adjustments to the usual formula: the action takes place in a small town rather than the city, and Nick Charles has gone completely teetotal {no doubt a consequence of the WWII liquor rationing}. Aside from obviously solving the mystery and apprehending the killer, the film has another important sub-plot concerning Nick and his disapproving father. Nora makes it her goal to convince Dr. Charles (Harry Davenport) that his son is, indeed, a detective genius, and fuels the rumours – in a not-so-subtle fashion – that he is here on a case. However, his father won't believe that Nick has gone off drinking, and various unfortunate moments of bad-timing do little to prove him otherwise.Of course, the main reason we watch 'The Thin Man' movies is to enjoy the witty banter and playful rivalry between husband and wife, and a lot of it is still here, even if it takes a back-seat to the murder mystery itself. Just like the audience, Nora believes that she understands Nick's mystery-solving tactics to the letter, and she enthusiastically narrates his technique to the attentive Dr. Charles, occasionally tossing in her own opinion of the identity of the killer. Of course, she's almost always wrong. This mystery is a muddled affair, with seemingly everyone guilty for at least something, but it's the killer's name that proves a real surprise.

Nick and Nora take a vacation to Sycamore Springs to visit Nick's parents, his disapproving father (HARRY DAVENPORT) and LUCILLE WATSON. But he can't get away from murder when a plot involving espionage at a local manufacturing plant comes to his attention. Goaded by Nora to prove himself to his father, he decides it's time to forget about the planned vacation and go about the business of solving a crime.WILLIAM POWELL and MYRNA LOY have more comic moments than usual in this outing, and that's probably a good thing because the mystery is not only rather uninteresting but rather slight. Neverthelss, there are the usual abundant suspects, including GLORIA deHAVEN, LEON AMES, ANNE REVERE (in a quirky role as "Crazy Mary"), HELEN VINSON, DONALD MEEK and LLOYD CORRIGAN.The material has worn a little thin by this time and this post-war entry had really only one major difference in the storyline--Nick is on the wagon and remains sober to solve the crime. Now that's something that probably shocked viewers of the first few "Thin Man" films.

It's 1945, the trains are packed with people, Asta doesn't remain hidden under Nora's fur coat so Nick, Nora and Asta end up in the baggage car as they travel to Nick's home town. And Nick is drinking only cider - his father never approved of drink. Thus begins, "The Thin Man Goes Home," made as the war was ending and a lot of people whose lives had changed were thinking about going home.Nick, it turns out, has an uneasy relationship with his doctor dad because he himself never became a doctor. When the inevitable mystery arises around a murder, Nora wants Nick to solve it to impress his dad.The fact is, the scripts of "The Thin Man" series never mattered. It was always the acting and interaction of William Powell and Myrna Loy, and here, as usual, they're great - loving, flippant, and funny. Since Nick is always falling on the floor or getting hit on the head, it's hard for anyone to believe he's sober. At a charity dance, in order to do some investigating, he gives his dance tickets to a sailor and Nora becomes his partner. The dance scene is hilarious as the sailor tosses Nora all over the place and swings her around with the kind of maneuvers you see in pair figure skating.The war is still on so the story involves espionage. A very young Gloria de Haven does nicely as a self-consciously over-dramatic young woman; Harry Davenport and Lucile Watson are great as Nick's parents; and the later blacklisted Anne Revere does a fine job as Crazy Mary.William Powell could read the phone book with class and humor; Loy looks beautiful and their teamwork has never been better. Highly recommended.