Nick and Nora Charles the bantering, romantically involved detective duo has become a well-used trope in literature, stage, screen, and television ever since. The characters first appear in Dashiell Hammett's best-selling last novel "The Thin Man" (1934). Nick is an alcoholic former private detective who retired when he married Nora, a wealthy Nob Hill heiress. Hammett reportedly modeled Nora on his longtime partner Lillian Hellman, and the characters' boozy, flippant dialogue on their relationship. (The novel also mentions that Nick was once a Pinkerton detective, as was Hammett.) The novel is considered one of the seminal texts of the hard-boiled subgenre of mystery novels,
Fatty Arbuckle's Fatty Arbuckle's Fatty Arbuckle's American Diners was an American-themed restaurant chain in the UK. The Manchester-based business was founded by Pete Shotton – an associate of The Beatles – in 1983. It focused on large portions at cheap prices. The name refers to Hollywood director and silent movie star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. The chain, which saw two-thirds of all restaurants operated by franchisees, had grown to more than 30 outlets since its first franchise opened in 1991. Its flagship diner was in London's West End, with other outlets at Tottenham, Harrow and Islington in north London, Feltham in West London,