The Thin Man Goes Home (1944)

William Powell: Nick Charles

Photos 

Quotes 

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : The fact that the boy's dead doesn't seem to have made very much of an impression on you.

  Bill Burns : Why should it? Death hasn't endowed him with any new virtues, has it?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : That's a little brutal, but honest. Do you, eh... You know of anyone who might have had cause to kill him?

  Bill Burns : The way he was cutting throats at the plant, it might have been a number of people.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : What about you?

  Bill Burns : Mr. Charles, when you've got anything on me, you can serve your papers. But until that time, I figure my time is my own.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : A couple of weeks on this cider and I'll be a new man.

  Nora Charles : I sort of like the old one.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Why, darling, that's the nicest thing you've said to me since the time I got my head caught in that cuspidor at the Waldorf.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Right there was the little old schoolhouse.

  [laughs] 

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Once on Halloween I burned it down - slightly.

• Laurabelle Ronson : Poor Peter. At least he has outsoared the shadow of our night. Envy, pain and hate can touch him not. That's Shelly. I always turn to the poets for comfort, in all my sorrows.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Me too.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Thank you very much. Goodbye, now.

  Willie Crump : I beg your pardon?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I said goodbye, now.

  Willie Crump : Goodbye - now? There's no sense to that? Obviously, it's now. I mean, you wouldn't say goodbye, tomorrow. Or, goodbye, two hours ago.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : You've got ahold of something there, brother.

  Willie Crump : I've got ahold of some? I haven't got ahold of anything. And I'm not your brother!

• Nora Charles : Oh, Nicky, you're driving me crazy. This case is serious and all you do is fuddle around and guzzle cider.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I'll switch to prune juice.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Wait here.

  Nora Charles : Where are you going?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I want to do a little business with a blonde.

  Nora Charles : Do you think she'll give it to you?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Well, I can try darling. Anything for art.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Well, we're very much obliged to you. Buy yourself a little smoke.

  [presses a bill into the attendant's hand] 

  Baggage Attendant on Train : Thanks, but...

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Compliments of the pup.

  [motions to Asta] 

  Baggage Attendant on Train : Spitz?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : No, just growls.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Now, about Peter, I just wanted to ask you a few things about his friends, his family.

  Laurabelle Ronson : He was alone. He had - only me.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Oh, well, eh, he must have talked about his family though, his childhood.

  Laurabelle Ronson : He talked of nothing. Our souls and spirits communed. The words would have been empty, meaningless.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Yes. I can understand that.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Now you're going to get it! You're going to get it...

  Nora Charles : Oh, no Nick, not here in front of your parents!

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : [Nick bends Nora over and starts spanking her behind with a newspaper and starts quoting Nora's statement to the press]  But you can draw your own conclusions!

  Nora Charles : Ouch! Nicky!

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : This will teach you the power of the press!

  Nora Charles : Oh! A fine son you brought up. A wife-beater!

  Dr. Bertram Charles : A brave boy!

  [laughs] 

  Dr. Bertram Charles : I wanted to do that to mother for 40 years.

  Mrs. Charles : I dare you!

• Nora Charles : Nicky, do you really like cider?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Like it? I love it. Just the pure, natural juices of the apple. What could be better, for instance?

  Nora Charles : A dry martini, for instance.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : That horrible stuff. It almost took the lining off my stomach.

  Nora Charles : Why do you care? It didn't show.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I was just thinking about a little gal by the name of Alice Brody. We used to come out here often on hot summer nights and play on her banjo.

• Laurabelle Ronson : A cigar?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I rather lost interest in cigars.

  Laurabelle Ronson : Oh, father has some very good ones. A special brand he keeps all for himself.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Oh, a special brand.

  Laurabelle Ronson : Yes. Won't you try one?

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Cubana Perfecto. Well, yes, yes. This does interest me.

• Nora Charles : I'll be waiting for you, darling. Good luck.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : I'll need it, sister.

  Nora Charles : And don't call me sister.

• Tom's Wife : Why, I always said something would happen to that boy.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Yes? Why?

  Tom's Wife : Bad tempered and ornery. He had a fight the other night.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : A fight, huh? With whom?

  Tom's Wife : Don't know the name. The other fella ended up with two black eyes like a raccoon.

• Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Oh, Studs, let's have those other four paintings.

  Studs Lonnegan : Here they are Nick.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : And, eh, tell them where you got them.

  Studs Lonnegan : Why, where you told me. At Anthony Kroner's Art Gallery in New York.

  Nicholas 'Nick' Charles : Anthony Kroner, known to his intimates as Tony.