This is one of my favorites in the series. This is number four of the six and, like the other sequels, doesn't so much focus on the mystery as it does the characters. Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) Charles are still very much happily married, living in California with their son, Nicky. Nick adjusts to fatherhood with relative ease, reading his son fairy tales culled from the local racing form. A trip to the track yields more than a winner, however, when a jockey who had previously thrown a race is found shot in the shower. Nick reluctantly investigates another death of a newspaper man named Whitey (Alan Baxter) when his friend Paul Clarke (Barry Nelson) is framed for it. To figure out how the two murders are related and clear his friend's name, Nick must wade through the dealings of a local crime syndicate operating out of a wrestling arena.
This was the last Thin Man movie made before Pearl Harbor so the costumes and sets aren't nearly as lavish as previous ones, as the US was undergoing rationing. I couldn't point to a specific thing in the movie that made it so appealing to me when I sat down and thought about it. Maybe because of the horse race angle. My mother always had horses and, even though I'm not terribly fond of the beasts themselves, I do appreciate all of the associated events. Especially when they involve my favorite married detectives.
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