I often talk about the working origins of terrier breeds. Many historically have not spent much time being “house pets.” If you live with or know what I like to call a “full-strength” terrier, this history explains a lot. So what changed in the last 100 years to popularize such dogs? I believe that one dog in particular was given a chance to show his stuff as an unlikely cinematic canine companion, and he alone had an astounding impact on the future of his kind.
… And his name was Asta.
above: Asta in his classic stealth detective’s assistant pose
below: Mr. Charles confers with his wingman over a drink
In 1934, the popular book
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett was adapted into a series of films, which became wildly popular. To this day these films are considered iconic, and continue to
receive near-perfect ratings from critics and viewers. These movies are forever on my list of favorites.
If you are looking for a quality viewing material this holiday season, look no further. In
The Thin Man series, actor William Powell plays retired bad-boy detective Nick Charles, and actress Myrna Loy plays his beautiful and sarcastic socialite wife Nora Charles. These two were the pinnacle of stardom in their time. Loy was and is unbelievably glamourous, and Powell equally handsome and suave. Each film revolves around a situation where Nick is lured back from retirement to solve a dangerous crime, but not without the help of his clever – although inexperienced – wife Nora, and their trusted – although unruly – dog Asta. Highlights of this series are the sharp witty banter between husband and wife, and Asta’s scene-stealing antics. Although a seasoned crime-solving pro, clearly Nick would have be lost without Nora and Asta!
above: Nick (William Powell) Asta (Skippy) and Nora (Myrna Loy)
below: actor William Powell was known to be a great dog lover
In the original novel, Asta was a female Miniature Schnauzer. For the Hollywood film adaptation, a male Wire Fox terrier named Skippy was chosen to portray Asta. Skippy’s interpretation was so well-recieved, that Asta as a Wire Fox terrier stuck, and Skippy landed many roles in Hollywood films. At a time when most canine actors eared under $20 dollars for week’s work, Skippy took home an average of $250, which was a very impressive paycheque at the time for anyone. When Skippy retired after a fruitful acting career, his Thin Man role was carried on by several other Wire Fox terriers.
Asta is an interesting dog character historically in film, because true to the terrier spirit, he is shown as being highly perceptive and intelligent, but also mischievous and more often than not, quite unruly. Asta’s rambunctiousness is what made him stand out at the time, and what continues to makes him timelessly irresistible. In these early “talkie” films, having such a scrappy rough-and-tumble dog in the frame was a sharp contrast to the impeccable appearance and amazing fashions of the day’s stars. Not only that, Asta was shown to be a completely respected family member and detective’s assistant, and his instincts are valued by his family. He travels everywhere with Nick and Nora, frequently accompanying them to fancy hotels and restaurants. This was at a time when most dogs including family pets were left strictly outdoors! When Nick and Nora welcome a son to their family, Asta remains just as prominent a family member and character. It is safe to say that Skippy and Astra changed history for their kind by bringing attention to the greater appeal of wild wiry terriers, beyond that of an already treasured working class of dogs.
“Treat a dog kindly and he’ll do anything in the world for you.”
– Skippy (the original Asta)’s owner & trainer Gale Henry East, 1938
Closing note: A driving force behind this website is to educate prospective and current owners of the differences of these breeds. Their sudden rise to popularity in the past century has had its substantial downsides. Since coming into popularity many of these dogs have been bred irresponsibly for the sake of human profit, and have been sold readily to people unaware of their needs. I’d like to urge people to remember that the very characteristics that make dogs like Skippy and Asta so appealingly different are simultaneously what make them unique creatures with very particular needs. These days there are a select group of good breeders out there who are working diligently to preserve and improve bloodlines. Please urge others to research unique breeds before purchasing, and to choose responsible breeders.
Article Copyright © 2012 Miles & Emma
Thank you for the history lesson in Canines in Films 🙂
You are most welcome Anth! What a great compliment from a guy who works in the current film industry!
Tehehe you're very welcome, Emma! I think I might use the name 'Asta' whenever I get another Airegirl or a Welshiegirl 🙂
I remember watching some of these movies with my Mom – classics indeed, and Asta is SOO cute! What an interesting back history that I never thought about before!
The Thin Man series (and of course Asta) are one of my all time favorites. Asta also made an appearance in the iconic "Bringing Up Baby" with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, reputedly stealing the dinosaur bone and refusing to reveal its resting place! Good to see you mention the effects that Asta had on dog breeding also. Asta's popularity at the time spurred huge demand for Wire Fox Terriers and there was a surge in irresponsible breeding which has taken 50 or more years to recover from.
Glad you all enjoyed the article on Asta/Skippy.
Mark, you have great taste. And yes, I felt it was very important to mention the impact it had on the dogs, most notably Wire Fox terriers, but also on a smaller level similar terriers, like Welsh. Very sad indeed.
…Oh and Skippy the actor was in Bringing up Baby, after his portrayal of Asta in The Thin Man became so well-loved. Gotta give credit to Mr. Skippy, the most famous wiry terrier of all time! The dog behind Asta 🙂
Such a cool piece of history, love this post 🙂
Have been an avid fan of the "Thin Man" series and watch at least once a month one of these forever classics. The unabashed bantering Nick and Nora had wouldn't have been as perfect without their Asta making it a sleuthing threesome.
Asta also starred as 'Mr. Smith' in 'The Awful Truth' (1937) with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.
There’s a scene w/Mr. Grant play wrestling w/Mr. Smith where he slips up and calls him Skippy?
I would love to know if Powell and Loy had a relationship with Asta off screen? Did Asta favor anyone in the cast? My husband and I have watched Thin Man movies for 40 years together and will watch them as long as they are on. Absolutly wonderful characters and story lines. And Asta!
?watching Shadow of the Thin Man now….Myrna Loy is as gorgeous as ever…and Skippy…what a HANDSOME boy!!????
WHEN DID ASTA PASS ON
I love Asta, and Sykes also from Midsummer murders
Thanks for writing this
As a huge fan of the “Thin Man” series and a dog lover, I enjoyed your article immensely. We lost our two dogs, who were rescues, to cancer in 2020, one in July, and one in November; I haven’t been able to bring myself to adopting again, but these two dogs (both female) were wonderful, and we will adopt rescues again. I consider the Thin Man movies to be Christmas movies, particularly the first one, and have them in my library of movies. TCM showed all of them on 31 December, which was a treat for anyone who took the time to indulge. Asta was so memorable and I hope future generations will keep this dog in their memory. I try to pass it on to younger people!
Enjoying The Thin Man on New Years Eve. Thanks for the insights on Asta.
I watched The Thin Man + Bringing Up Baby growing up and now as an adult, have an 8-year-old schnauzer/terrier mix I adopted when she was 2-3 months old, that I of course named Asta! Thank you for this article!
My Dad taught me how to box when I was three tears of age and we kept it up until I was a lad of 14 when I walked to the East Liberty YMCA or Lawrenceville Bous Club As the days and years rolled by/ I thanked my Dad for the lessons which came in very handy because Pittsburgh was a tough city in those days
In addition to boxing my Dad drilled me with baseball basketball and football He was a natural athlete but never ever showed off Dad was an outstanding ice skater/ice skater but as hard as he tried I failed at hockey and swimming forget about it
My Dad opened my eyes via the movies In those days it was 25 cents for a double feature and that is how I met William Powell/Philo Vance .Nick Charles etc I was hooked,
Powell was born in Pittsburgh {AN OUTSTANDING BIG CITY IN THOSE DAYS} but the Powells moved West and Hollywood became home to Bill Mt Powell lit up the screen for decades until he retired to sunny Palm Springs
I am a retired businessman who has recently rediscovered William Powell films where ever I can find them They bring back the memories Also there is not a moment that goes by when I do not think of my beloved Dad Dad was Errol Fltnn with some William Powell thrown in
Since age 40 I have been divorced but NEVER have I been without a German Shepherd Dog On at a time The intelligence of each one of them is and has been startling
I choose not to nix with friends for long I prefer being alone with my GSD walking/tennis ball tricks/hiding items. frisbee but my last sole companion was an unusually large 110 pounds lean
highly intelligent all black Czech Working line GSD He was indeed large with a big head as well However I would become annoyed when wonen would stop us on the street and say what a pretty girl??? Yes he was pretty He was exceptional l but he was also an alarmingly vicious high priced dog
By age 9 Enzo understood PERFECTLY over 50 commands some in German some Slavic some English Enzo was murdered 3 days shy of his 10th birthday I BLAME MYSELF They said it was a heart attack Most Vets of today are untrustworthy
I have been looking for a terrior like ASTA but yhe breed requires a high energy master Well I am 77 now and What can I say???
Where did the name “Asta” come from?
Dogs and any pets should be treated kindly and with love
Probably should check some of your facts. The Thin Man was made in 1934 so couldn’t possibly have come from a 1943 novel.
Nice to see a 12 year old post is getting some love. You are correct, I mixed up the “3” and “4.” The book and first movie came out in 1934.
Where did the name Asta come from?
After my husband passed I dearly needed a “companion”dog. I chose a miniature schnauzer. She has been the perfect little lady for me. We did DNA because she has blue eyes and is white with liver brown spots and nose. She is 100% miniature schnauzer. We went through the puppy stages which were challenging but she just turned 2 and is calmer now. She has been a blessing. I think my grief journey would have been harder without her. My husband would have dearly loved her too. She argues with me at times, grumbles and growls (but I do too). She is stubborn but smart. No doggy odor at all- no shedding either. And her coat is curly and minky soft. She is feisty and playful but also calms down for cuddles. Sleeps with me and is ever watchful of noises at night. She is scared of sudden noises but she is small and vulnerable. I want her to have more confidence. I should have named her Asta! But she is named after a character in Dark Shadows- Josette. She has some show dogs as half siblings.
Thanks for this article. Slight correction. In Dashiell Hammett’s novel, Asta was a female Standard Schnauzer. A medium breed one rarely sees today, between the miniature and giant varieties in size. I’ve never met one. Schnauzers in general don’t appear in films often, and probably there just weren’t any who were trained well enough to be in a movie, unless they would be on a leash the whole time.
Asta makes the film! He is a great well trained animal of the cinema!!! Better than. Lassie!!.
I had a female wire haired terrier named Buffy. Asta reminds me of Buffy. I remember my neighbor working in his backyard. Buffy would grab his screwdriver and run around with it. Sometimes she would hide some of his other tools. The neighbor loved Buffy and at times would drive her to McDonald’s and buy her a hamburger.
We had another neighbor who had a Great Dane. Buffy would tease the Great Dane by picking up a piece of paper and placing the paper just out of the reach of the huge dog. As soon as the Great Dane made the slightest movement toward the paper Buffy would quickly snatch the paper in her mouth and would proceed to run circles around the big fellow.
So the actions of Asta in the Thin Man movies were exactly like the personality of our dog.
Watching the Thin Man series again brings back the good memories of Buffy.
I had a female wire haired terrier named Buffy. Asta reminds me of Buffy. I remember my neighbor working in his backyard. Buffy would grab his screwdriver and run around with it. Sometimes she would hide some of his other tools. The neighbor loved Buffy and at times would drive her to McDonald’s and buy her a hamburger.
We had another neighbor who had a Great Dane. Buffy would tease the Great Dane by picking up a piece of paper and placing the paper just out of the reach of the huge dog. As soon as the Great Dane made the slightest movement toward the paper Buffy would quickly snatch the paper in her mouth and would proceed to run circles around the big fellow.
So the actions of Asta in the Thin Man movies were exactly like the personality of our dog.
Watching the Thin Man series again brings back the good memories of Buffy.
I watch the thin man movies every time they come around watching the chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy is very funny. Watching asta and all the antics the dogs gets into are eye catching the dog is well trained. I also like watching libeled lady with both Powell and Loy. They were one of the best teams in movies. I never get tired of rewatching their movies.