I watch the Thin Man marathon on TCM every New Years. It's seriously impressive how well this series holds up.

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, most of the genre's tropes and conventions can be traced back to this series in particular. It was the first film noir series to successfully merge comedy and mystery together with a strong, plucky female protagonist on equal footing with the story's male lead.

While the films were shot in the forties, the spirit of the rapid-fire dialog between The Thin Man's Nick and Nora wouldn't be out of place in a film of today. It's especially noteworthy given that World War II lead to a dramatic rise in the machismo of male protagonists and the marginalization of woman across the same decade that these films were made.

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