Nick and Nora Charles
(William Powell and Myrna Loy in the 1939 film Another Thin Man)

Nick and Nora Charles, or Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Charles (which is short for his Greek moniker "Charalambides"), are the characters created by Dashiell Hammett in his novel The Thin Man. Nick is a retired private detective and Nora a wealthy society woman whose snobbish family thinks she has married beneath herself; Hammett modeled her on his lover Lillian Hellman. Their banter provides comic relief of the type that would later be seen between John Steed and Emma Peel in The Avengers. The couple have a pet dog, Asta, who is a female schnauzer (but became a male wire fox terrier when the book was made into a film). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ... 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. ... Samuel Dashiell Hammett (May 27, 1894 – January 10, 1961) was an American author of hard-boiled detective novels and short stories. ... The Thin Man (1934) is a hardboiled detective novel by Dashiell Hammett. ... A private investigator, or PI, is a person who undertakes investigations. ... Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was a successful American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes. ... John Steed is a fictional character, played by Patrick Macnee, on the British series The Avengers and The New Avengers. ... Image:AvengersBook1. ... The Avengers is a British 1960s television series featuring secret agents in a fantasy 1960s Britain. ... Asta (born Skippy) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier best known for his acting work in the 1934 screwball comedy The Thin Man. ... A Schnauzer is a German type of dog. ... Common nickname Foxie Country of origin England Classification and breed standards The Wire Fox Terrier is a breed of dog, one of many terrier breeds. ...

The film adaptation of The Thin Man was a resounding success, and although Hammett never wrote another novel with Nick and Nora Charles, five movie sequels were produced. In the novel, Nick Charles is overweight and out of shape; the "thin man" is in fact a murder victim. However, Nick Charles was portrayed by the slim actor William Powell, naturally confusing the audience into thinking Nick was the title character. The movie producers capitalized on this confusion, and inserted "Thin Man" in the titles of the sequels to indicate Nick and Nora stories. Nora is portrayed by Myrna Loy in the films. William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 - March 5, 1984) was an American actor, noted for his sophisticated, cynical roles. ... Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American motion picture actress. ...

A radio show based on the characters ran from 1941-1950. In 1957, a TV show based on the characters ran two seasons in 1957-1959, starring Peter Lawford and Phyllis Kirk as Nick and Nora. The Thin Man was a half-hour weekly television series based on the mystery novel The Thin Man (1933) by Dashiell Hammett. ... The Rat Pack. ... Phyllis Kirk (born 18 September 1929) is an American actress born in Syracuse, New York. ...

In 1991, the "Thin Man" motion pictures were adapted into an unsuccessful Broadway musical, Nick & Nora. It opened on December 8, 1991 and ran for just nine performances before closing on December 15. Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in history Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... Nick & Nora is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. ...

Nick and Nora were the inspirations for two comic book couples: the adoptive parents of Mary Marvel, Nick and Nora Bromfield, as well as the relationship between Ralph and Sue Dibny. They also lend their names to the main characters of a 2006 young adult novel by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Mary Marvel is a fictional character, a superhero derived from the DC Comics (formerly Fawcett Comics) character Captain Marvel. ... The Elongated Man is a fictional comic book superhero in the DC universe. ... Susan Sue Dearbon Dibny is a fictional character from DC comics. ... David Levithan is an American author. ...

Trivia

• There is a reference to Nick and Nora in an episode of the Gilmore Girls, Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy.
• In the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode As You Were, Xander makes a reference to Riley Finn and his wife as "Nick and Nora Fury", invoking both the Charlses, and Marvel Comics superspy Nick Fury.
• In an issue of Plastic Man the title character turns into Nick Charles and says "I adore witty banter, Nora. You should attempt some," to his companion, Agent Morgan. Morgan has no idea who he is imitating, possibly because Nick and Nora are two real but ordinary people (see above) in DC Comics continuity.
• Neil Simon's 1976 movie Murder by Death parodied Nick and Nora as Dick and Dora Charleston.
• The title characters of the 2006 young-adult novel Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist allude to Nick and Nora.
• In the March 6, 2007 episode of General Hospital, Tracey Quartermaine referred to Lulu & Dillon as "Nick & Nora" regarding their continuing investigation into Rick Weber's murder.
• In an episode of Bionic Six, The Case of the Baker Street Bionics, I.Q. and Karate-1 are invited to participate in a game of mystery based on a number of Sherlock Holmes mysteries, along with pastiches of famous fictional detectives, including Nick and Nora.