MYRNA LOY—MORE THAN A SLEUTH’S WIFE

I’VE OFTEN ENJOYED MYRNA LOY portraying Nora Charles, wife of sleuth Nick Charles. And I recently encountered her in other roles in two media: Turner Classic Movies and SiriusXM “Radio Classics.” Here are tidbits gleaned from these two, together with my usual Internet sleuthing. 

A Many-Faceted Career. Wikipedia recounts, “Although Loy was never nominated for an Academy Award, in March 1991 she received an Honorary Academy Award in recognition of her life’s work both onscreen and off, including serving as assistant to the director of military and naval welfare for the Red Cross during World War II, and a member-at-large of the U.S. Commission to UNESCO. In 2009, The Guardian named her one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.”

“Inspiration” in Fountain of Education. “In 1921,” Wikipedia describes, “Loy posed for Venice High School sculpture teacher Harry Fielding Winebrenner as ‘Inspiration’; the full-length figure was central in his allegorical sculpture group Fountain of Education. Completed in 1922, the sculpture group was installed in front of the campus outdoor pool in May 1923, where it stood for decades.”

Wikipedia continues, “Loy’s slender figure with her uplifted face and one arm extending skyward presented a ‘vision of purity, grace, youthful vigor, and aspiration’ that was singled out in a Los Angeles Times story that included a photo of the ‘Inspiration’ figure along with the model’s name—the first time her name appeared in a newspaper.”

Silents and Early Talkies. Myrna adopted the name Loy in lieu of her birth Williams in 1925, possibly inspired by the name of British poet Mina Loy. Wikipedia recounts, “Loy’s silent film roles were mainly as a vamp or femme fatale, and she frequently portrayed characters of Asian or Eurasian background…. In spite of this typecasting, Loy also obtained small roles in The Jazz Singer [1927] and a number of early lavish Technicolor musicals, including Show of Shows, [1929],  The Bride of the Regiment [1930], and Under a Texas Moon [1930].” 

My  Show of Shows Viewing. TMC’s broadcast of this second flick introduced me to Myrna Loy’s early work. Show of Shows was a sound Warner Bros. pre-Code musical revue. It displays its 1929 heritage in many ways, though it is the first Hollywood spectacular to feature large assemblies (perhaps 176 girls!) of choreography.

It’s not recorded whether Myrna Loy marched military fashion, but she starred in “A Chinese Fantasy,” and was one of the girls in “What’s Become of the Floradora Boys,” a parody of the Florodora Edwardian show.

None of the other dancers is familiar to me, but Myrna can be identified as one of the Floradora girls doing the asking. Wikipedia describes them as “a sextette of tall, gorgeous damsels, clad in pink walking costumes, black picture hats and carrying frilly parasols….” Indeed, Myrna was among the tallest at 5’6”.

An Elaborate Fantasy, Introduced by Another Film Star.  No less than Rin-Tin-Tin performed the introduction to a “Chinese Fantasy.”

The fantasy displayed Loy’s terpsichorean skills (and reminds me of her Fountain of Education modeling).

Not that there wasn’t Chinese Fantasy enhanced by her and the corps de ballet. 

Nick, Nora, and The Thin Man. I wonder if William Powell and Myrna Loy ever tired of explaining that the real, original, and only Thin Man was Clyde Wynant, one of Nick’s clients. Wynant’s disappearance prompts his daughter Dorothy to seek Nick and Nora’s help in The Thin Man.

Wikipedia recounts, “Her costar William Powell and she proved to be a popular screen couple and appeared in 14 films together, one of the most prolific pairings in Hollywood history. Loy later referred to The Thin Man as the film ‘that finally made me… after more than 80 films.'”

Exercising Her Chops in Radio Drama. My other recent meeting with Myrna came in a SiriusXM “Radio Classic” Suspense episode “Library Book,” first broadcast September 13, 1945. In this dramatic role, she portrays Prudence Roberts, a librarian who takes her bibliophilic responsibilities seriously indeed.

A Page Torn Out. In returning a loan of Gone With The Wind, a reader notes that page 931-932 is missing and she’ll never know if Scarlet goes to Melanie’s party. 

Prudence is challenged by why anyone would tear out this portion; indeed, she goes out and buys a replacement copy (for $1.49; it is 1945, of course). Comparing the page with scratches on adjacent pages of the library copy, she identifies words that have been cut out: cure, wait, poor, fifty, your, Melanie, her, grand, health, instruction. 

Prud wisely identifies a ransom message: “Your Melanie Poor Health/ Fifty Grand Cure Her/ Wait Instructions.” What’s more, using library lending files, she’s able to…. 

No. Prud’s adventure is too good to give it away here. Suffice it to say Myrna carries it off with elan, excitement, and romance that endear her to me. ds

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2026