The Thin Man (film) he almost takes the life of someone who knows too much. Cast notes: The film was based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett, released in January 1934. Hammett's novel drew on his experiences as a union-busting Pinkerton detective in Butte, Montana. Hammett based Nick and Nora's banter upon his rocky on-again, off-again relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. MGM paid Hammett $21,000 for the screen rights to the novel. The screenplay was written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich, who had been married for three years. Director W.S. Van Dyke encouraged them to use Hammett's writing as
Thin Man (nuclear bomb) need to be accelerated to a speed of at least —or else the fission reaction would begin before the assembly was complete, blowing the device apart prematurely. Thin Man was long, with wide tail and nose assemblies, and a midsection. The length was necessary for the plutonium "bullet" to pick up adequate speed before reaching the "target". Weight was around for the final weapon model. There were no aircraft in the Allied inventory that could carry a Thin Man without being modified. However, the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress could be modified to carry it by removing part of the bulkhead