There is perhaps no movie duo more enduring or loveable than that of William Powell and Myrna Loy, made famous and best known as Nick and Nora Charles in the Thin Man series. There was an unsurpassable chemistry between them on-screen, and even off, that made them unforgettable to audiences of the 1930’s to today.
William Powell had begun his acting career in the silent film era, but it wasn’t until he was cast as the retired detective, and excessive drinker, Nick Charles in The Thin Man (1934) that he was able to display his talent for sophisticated wit and charm along with goofy charisma.
Myrna Loy, who had also begun in silent films in minor vixen roles, made a simultaneous breakthrough as Nora Charles, the perfect little wife in The Thin Man. With a flavor of snobbery, Loy portrayed a sweet, but adventure seeking rich girl who is eternally at her husband’s side, no matter how screwy or scary the circumstances.
The Thin Man was the second movie to star Powell and Loy, the first being Manhattan Melodrama (1934). It was also intended to be a B movie, but was a surprising success that would spawn five more Thin Man movies, as well as a sum of fourteen movies that paired Powell and Loy together.
While on screen, Powell and Loy could flawlessly portray people who are hopelessly in love and the best of friends as they could act out a dramatic scene fit for tears, or a gag of playful banter and witty one lines. By watching a mere two minute scene one can easily see why they were so successful as a team.
Of screen, they were very good friends. As far as a romantic relationship went, they were always involved with other people, any possible romance between the two is left to speculation. I believe (contrary to many others) that there is such thing as a friendship between a man and woman without romantic inclinations. But that’s just me.
Myrna Loy was once quoted as saying, “I never enjoyed my work more than when I worked with William Powell. He was a brilliant actor, a delightful companion, a great friend and, above all, a true gentleman.”
While the two were dynamite on the screen together, they were still successful and box-office magnets on their own. William Powell had received an Academy Award nomination for his role in My Man Godfrey (1936) where he played opposite to his ex-wife Carol Lombard, the two being on good terms. The same year, he starred in The Great Ziegfeld which won Best Picture, which also starred Myrna Loy in her portrayal as Billie Burke.
Though Myrna Loy was named “Queen of the Movies” in 1936, along side the “King” Clark Gable, she never won any Oscars. It wasn’t until the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in 1991 that she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award in her final public appearance.
The last film featuring the famous duo was 1947’s The Senator Was Indiscreet. Myrna Loy was unbilled as she only had a cameo in the movie that you can bet was a thrill to the audience.
William Powell passed away on March 5, 1984 at the ripe age of 91. Almost ten years later, Myrna Loy passed on December 14, 1993 at the age of 88. And now, seventy three years after their debut as Nick and Nora Charles, their happy-go-lucky screen personas and chemistry are timeless and unmatched.
William Powell and Myrna Loy Filmography:
1) Manhattan Melodrama (1934)
2) The Thin Man (1934)
3) Evelyn Prentice (1936)
4) The Great Ziegfeld (1936)
5) Libeled Lady (1936)
6) After The Thin Man (1936)
7) Double Wedding (1937)
8) Another Thin Man (1939)
9) I Love You Again (1940)
10) Love Crazy (1941)
11) Shadow of the Thin Man (1941)
12) The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)
13) Song of the Thin Man (1947)
14) The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947)
