Song of the Thin Man (1947)

Keenan Wynn: Clarence 'Clinker' Krause

Photos 

Quotes 

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : [utters impenetrable stream of jazz-cat hipster argot] 

  Nick Charles : Mrs. Charles always wears her mouth open with this outfit.

• Nick Charles : Where can I find this whacked-up character?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Oh, he's been boucin' around from place-to-place, lately. You'll probably dig him in one of the jam joints.

  Nick Charles : Come again?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Dig him in one of the jam joints! Where the boys go after closin' and really ride. Just for cats and intellectuals. The rooty-toots and bobbie soxers verboten. Solid.

  Nick Charles : Well, I don't wear bobbie soxes; but, would you say I'm a rooty-toot?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Strictly. But, I guess I can ace you in.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : It's Fran! Fran Page, Hollis' old flame.

  Nick Charles : Unless I got my photographs mixed, she had a fire left over for Mr. Drake too.

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Yeah, the 88 man grabbed her off and then he give her the Fuller.

  Nick Charles : The Fuller?

  Nora Charles : The brush. The brush.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : No, no, no, no, no. Swinging the classics is strictly off the cars.

  Nick Charles : Taxi!

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : A gate who knows his Dodge, takes his Beethoven and his Brahms straight. You know what I mean?

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : I want you to meet a couple of friends of mine. Mellow Man Magee and the Missus. Hottest pump man in Memphis.

  Nick Charles : Second hottest.

  Mitchell Talbin : Do you play an instrument too?

  Nora Charles : No, I'm a mud hen, eh, a bird, a canary.

  Mitchell Talbin : A canary?

  Nora Charles : Strictly from Tennessee!

• Nick Charles : The prettier the bait, the better the catch.

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Come again?

  Nick Charles : That's an old saying I just made up.

• Musician : That reed man is really whacked up tonight.

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : You'd be sportin' a whack job too if you was carryin' a torch like he's carryin' for little cookie over there.

• Nick Charles : Shall we go?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Go? Oh, oh, the dust don't start risin' till deuce of bells.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Penthouse, you know. These Talbin jams are the tops! But, it's like I told you, strictly for gates and gutbusters. Hey, I tell you what, you're a slush pump man.

  Nick Charles : Come again?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Da-da-da-da! Strictly from Memphis. And you, you're a canary. Strictly from Memphis.

  Nora Charles : Canary?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Well, I could say you pluck a hot harp.

  Nora Charles : If Mr. Charles doesn't find that receipt, he'll be plucking a harp.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Ooo, dig that music. It sends me outta this world!

  Nick Charles : It should have sent you a little sooner.

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Yeah!

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Hi ya, king pin. I see you got the old jewel flute. I heard ya breezin' it just now. Still head man, kid. Oh, come on, candy boy, don't you recognize me? This is the old Clinker. Remember how we used to belt it out at those jam sessions? Well, I just come up here to see how you feel. Well, thought there was maybe something you might want. A radio? A noisebox?

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Well, the first spot we hit is Mitch Talbin, Big band booker. Boy, they really flick the whiskers at his bakes. I, eh, brought along the old licorice stick. Of course if the reed man is already ridin', I'm nowheres.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Let's get going. They are really startin' to roll.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : My body need lift. Lay it on me, man. Lay it on me! I love it, love it!

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : I'm with the Nick Charles department tonight.

  Mitchell Talbin : Nick Charles - the detective?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Yeah.

  Mitchell Talbin : I thought you told us he was a pump man?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Oh, I didn't want you to think I was loadin' up your jams with a bunch of squares.

  Phyllis Talbin : They were the squarest couple of hipsters I've ever seen.

  Mitchell Talbin : What are they doing in a trap like this?

  Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : They're lookin' for the reed. He's disappeared.

• Clarence 'Clinker' Krause : Fran, this is Mr. and Mrs. Nick Charles.

  Nick Charles : How do you do? Well, you were a, you were very jivie, a hep warbler.

  Nora Charles : Mr. Charles is a bit of a shom.