Song of the Thin Man

A charity benefit sponsored by David Thayar unfolds aboard Phil Brant's gambling ship, with a jazz band providing the entertainment. The event gathers socialites and guests, creating a festive but tense mood. The stage is set for money, music, and possible motives as the evening progresses.

Drake informs Brant that he is quitting, having secured a better booking elsewhere. He also reveals a $12,000 debt to gangster Al Amboy that he must pay back tonight. Brant refuses to advance that sum, and Drake, desperate, sneaks into Brant's office where he is shot from behind and killed.

Brant and socialite Janet Thayar decide to elope, drawing disapproval from her father, David Thayar, who scorns Brant's lower-class background. The elopement creates tension among the ship's passengers and foreshadows the collisions among the suspects. The next morning they appear at Nick and Nora's apartment seeking help.

The morning after the elopement, Brant is named the prime suspect in Drake's murder. A bullet narrowly misses Brant, prompting Nick to turn him in to the police for the sake of safety. Nick then begins his own investigation into the case.

Nick quietly starts unraveling the mystery aboard the Fortune, gathering impressions from crew and guests. He methodically pieces together alibis and potential motives while the suspects remain under scrutiny. His investigation widens beyond the obvious targets toward deeper entanglements.

Sneaking aboard the Fortune, Nick discovers on the back of a sheet of music a receipt signed by Amboy acknowledging that Drake's debt had been paid. The clue shifts focus away from Drake and toward Amboy as a key player in the financial web. It also implies a motive connected to the gangster’s influence.

Nick questions Drake's former band and learns the bandleader had many enemies, including Buddy Hollis. The tension within the group hints at possible grudges that could fuel violence. The scene broadens the pool of suspects beyond the obvious targets.

Clarence 'Clinker' Krause agrees to help Nick track Buddy down, hoping to untangle the vendettas. Despite earnest effort, they have little luck locating the elusive musician. The search highlights how many people had reasons to want Drake or Amboy out of the picture.

Nick and Nora visit Janet and learn that the fatal bullet likely came from an antique gun, tying the weapon to Mr. Thayar’s collection. Nick notes that one gun is missing from Thayar's collection, suggesting a possible motive or opportunity. This steers the inquiry toward the Thayar household.

The investigation leads to Fran's apartment, where Nick and Nora discover Fran's body, recently stabbed in the back. Janet claims Fran had called to sell information and that Janet arrived after the murder. The discovery widens the circle of suspects and deepens the mystery.

Nick uncovers a matchbook from a hotel in Poughkeepsie, which eventually leads them to Buddy Hollis at a sanitarium. Buddy is too shaken to answer questions, though Nora's presence seems to calm him. The clue confirms Buddy's involvement in the larger web of connections surrounding the crimes.

Nora returns later by herself, and Buddy becomes agitated, then confesses to the murder while pulling out an antique gun and missing Nora. Nick remains skeptical of the confession, recognizing that Drake's murder was a precise, well-aimed shot. The truth remains to be fully uncovered, but Buddy's admission narrows the field.

Nick gathers all suspects by arranging a party aboard the reopened Fortune and announces that Buddy has recovered and will reveal the murderer's identity that night. The social gathering becomes a tense stage for confrontation and final disclosures. The atmosphere brims with anticipation as the truth hangs in the balance.

Amboy's wife appears wearing a necklace that matches Phyllis's earrings, a visual hint that links the lovers to the scheme. The necklace reappears on Phyllis's neck, confirming a paid-off debt and deepening the deception. Mitchell confronts the evidence and Phyllis explains she used the necklace to settle Drake's debt with Amboy.

Mitchell confesses to both killings and pulls out a gun, prompting a violent confrontation. Phyllis shoots first, wounding him, and then fires again, finishing the job to end the threat. Nick pleads for restraint, but Phyllis completes the act, bringing the killer to justice by her own hand.