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Just a man and his dog at a bar.

         - William Powell as Nick Charles (and Asta too !)

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Looking Back at THE THIN MAN’s Asta by Kim Luperi

Can you picture Asta as a schnauzer? Neither can I, but in Dashiell Hammett’s 1933 novel, Asta was indeed a female schnauzer. Director W.S. Van Dyke was particular in casting Nick and Nora Charles’ companion for the 1934 film: He wanted a debonair, buoyant pet that would serve the leads and action well, and he found exactly that in Skippy, a three-year-old male wire fox terrier.

Though never a lead like Rin Tin Tin or Lassie, Skippy’s supporting turns in THE THIN MAN series and other classic comedies such as THE AWFUL TRUTH (��37) and BRINGING UP BABY (’38), often stole the show. For proof, just look to his famous entrance in THE THIN MAN, tugging Nora (Myrna Loy) into another restaurant looking for Nick (William Powell). With that performance, Skippy won the hearts of audiences and critics alike, and through THE THIN MAN series, he shined in an assortment of recurring gags—from being taken where dogs normally aren’t allowed and his adorable antics as Nick’s sidekick, to his signature cowering comic relief. Asta’s adventures painted him as integral to the films’ plot and publicity as Nick and Nora.

According to a bio in the Fall 2009 issue of Films of the Golden Age, Skippy was born in 1931 and began his schooling at three months old. Before animals were designated as performers, Skippy’s owner Henry East worked with them in MGM’s special effects and props departments, cultivating an eye for talent. When one of Henry and wife Gale’s own pets stepped in to complete a canine scene for a shelved silent film, the couple found themselves a niche in the animal training world, eventually opening East Kennels. While all types of dogs were under their supervision, Skippy stood out as “an ideal foil for the human actors in fast-talking, quick-witted comedies” who seemed to understand chaos and could lend a paw to the mayhem. The Easts focused on acting on cue and hand signals as opposed to outright tricks, though Skippy was well-versed in both; his talent arsenal included backflips, uncovering hidden objects, hiding his eyes and more.

Just as THE THIN MAN cemented Powell and Loy as a charming screen team (it was their second pairing—1934’s MANHATTAN MELODRAMA came first), the comedy also made a star of its canine lead, who had only appeared in bit roles prior. A 1938 American Magazine article elaborated that Skippy “is [a] leading star in pictures [who] leads a glamorous life… 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.” Just like his human co-stars, the pup received hundreds of fan letters weekly and appeared on magazine covers, posing on September 1939’s Modern Screen with Loy and March 1942’s True Detective with Powell. But stardom came with pitfalls, too: Skippy became so conflated with his famous alter-ego by the late 1930s, that it was said he could no longer distinguish between the two personalities. Furthermore, though his role as Asta catapulted him to stardom, Skippy fell into typecasting during his career, just like Powell and Loy.

According to a chapter devoted to him in the 2014 book Cinematic Canines, Skippy held down the prestigious title of “the screen’s most famous canine star” between 1934 and the release of LASSIE COME HOME (’43). Though the character of Asta was featured in all THIN MAN films, during the early 1940s, Skippy slowed down, and it is believed that Asta Jr., blessed with his father’s looks and talent, took the reins around 1944, the year Skippy passed away. A 1947 article remarked that it took four wire fox terriers to fill Skippy/Asta’s shoes for the last picture of the series, SONG OF THE THIN MAN (’47). In a late 1940s Blytheville Courier News piece, Henry East both praised and mourned Skippy’s talents: “He did everything. When he was alive I didn’t have to bring a whole kennel to the studio every morning.” Though other dogs came close to his charm and ability, Skippy was truly irreplaceable as the lovable Asta.

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Asta the Pooch advertising,

             the six-sheet poster advertising

                                  The Thin Man, 1934.

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Asta the Pooch.

Nick and Nora’s first little one!!!

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The best thing about this lovely post is that someone marked it "Mature Content." What's up Tumblr?

~ Scrumptious ~

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Keep that stuff ice cold!

Photo from alicelascelles's book The Martini: The Ultimate Guide to a Cocktail Icon.

Source: x

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everyth1ng-is-everyth1ng

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Laundry room goals.

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Nick!, Nora!, your order is ready....

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Martini Cat!

source: loveyoustepan

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Myrna and Her Cat,  late 1940s