from the Another Thin Man trailer (1939)

Asta (born Skippy) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier best known for his acting work in the 1934 detective comedy The Thin Man. He was trained by owners Henry East and Gale Henry East, and Frank Weatherwax. His other notable film performances include The Awful Truth (1937), as Mr. Smith, the subject of a custody dispute between Cary Grant and Irene Dunne; Bringing Up Baby (1938), as George, the bone-hiding pup belonging to Katharine Hepburn's aunt; and Topper Takes a Trip (1938), as Mr. Atlas. Due to the enormous popularity of Asta, interest in pet terriers skyrocketed. Look up asta in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Another Thin Man is a 1939 film, the third in the series of six Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles and based on the writings of Dashiell Hammett. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gumshoe redirects here. ... The word comedy has a classical meaning (comical theatre) and a popular one (the use of humor with an intent to provoke laughter in general). ... The Thin Man was the first of six comic detective films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a hard-drinking and flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they easily solve crimes. ... Frank Weatherwax (June 23, 1902 – December 17, 1991) was an American actor and animal trainer. ... The Awful Truth is a 1937 romantic comedy (also screwball comedy) film. ... This article is about the British actor. ... Irene Dunne (December 20, 1898 - September 4, 1990) was a five-time Academy Award-nominated American film actress and singer of the 1930s and 1940s. ... Bringing up Baby is a 1938 screwball comedy which tells the story of a scientist who winds up in various predicaments with a woman who has a unique sense of logic and a leopard named Baby. ... It has been suggested that Tom Hepburn be merged into this article or section. ...

As a character in the movie The Thin Man, Asta was the playful pet dog of Nick and Nora Charles, tugging them around town on his walks, hiding from danger, and sniffing out corpses. ("Asta, you're not a terrier, you're a police dog," Nick tells him.) The character later appeared in the sequels After the Thin Man, Another Thin Man, Shadow of the Thin Man, The Thin Man Goes Home, Song of the Thin Man, as well as the 1950s television show The Thin Man. Although Skippy played Asta in the first two Thin Man films, it is believed multiple terriers were used for subsequent films in the series, and he wasn't involved in the television show. It has been suggested that Residential pets be merged into this article or section. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy in the 1939 film Another Thin Man) Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. ... After the Thin Man is the 1936 sequel to the film The Thin Man. ... Another Thin Man is a 1939 film, the third in the series of six Thin Man movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles and based on the writings of Dashiell Hammett. ... Shadow of the Thin Man was the fourth of the six Thin Man movies. ... In The Thin Man Goes Home, Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) Charles (with their dog Asta) leave their kindergartner son at home in new York while they go visit Nicks parents in Sycamore Springs, the town where he grew up, and of course a murder mystery crops... Song of the Thin Man was a 1947 film, the last of the six Thin Man movies. ... The Thin Man was a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man (1933) by Dashiell Hammett. ...

Interestingly, the original character of Asta in Dashiell Hammett's book of the The Thin Man was not a male Wire-Haired Fox Terrier, but a female Schnauzer. Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. ... The Thin Man (1934) is a hardboiled detective novel by Dashiell Hammett. ... A Schnauzer is a German type of dog. ...

The American Magazine detailed Asta's professional life in an August 1938 profile of the East kennels, titled "A Dog's Life in Hollywood": 1917 issue The American Magazine was founded in June of 1906 stemming from failed publications that had been purchased a few years earlier from publishing mogul Miriam Leslie and operated between 1904 and August of 1905 as Leslies Magazine then until May of 1906 as the American Illustrated Magazine. ...

Movie actresses stroke Skippy lovingly. They coo at him and murmur endearing terms in his ears. He takes it all in his stride, because, what with contracts, options, and exacting work before the movie cameras, he hasn't much time for the attentions of Hollywood's most beautiful stars. But if he's paid for it and given the proper cue he will snuggle in the arms of the loveliest of stars, gaze into her limpid eyes, and, if necessary — howl.

Skippy, a smart little wire-haired terrier, is one of the leading stars in pictures. He leads a glamorous life — a dog's life de luxe. He is rated as one of the smartest dogs in the world, and when contracts are signed for his appearance in a picture he gets $200 a week for putting his paw-print on the dotted line. His trainer gets a mere $60.

His owner is Mrs. Gale Henry East [1], once a prominent movie comedienne. ... "When Skippy has to drink water in a scene, the first time he does it he really drinks, If there are retakes and he's had all the water he can drink, he'll go through the scene just as enthusiastically as though his throat were parched, but he'll fake it. If you watch closely you'll see he's just going through the motions of lapping and isn't really picking up water at all. And, because he has a sense of humor, he loves it when you laugh and tell him you've caught him faking but that it's all right with you.

"Treat a dog kindly and he'll do anything in the world for you."^[1]

Trivia

Asta is a frequent answer in The New York Times crossword puzzles (crosswordese), in response to clues such as "Thin Man Dog" or "Dog star." The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Crosswordese is a term generally used to describe words frequently found in crossword puzzles but seldom found in everyday conversation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Asta

• Asta at the Internet Movie Database
• I Love Asta fan site

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

Notes