A look inside Hollywood and the movies : GREAT MOMENTS IN PUBLICITY : MGM’s New Song of the Thin Man

OK, we know that in its 1930s and ‘40s heyday MGM distributed the popular “Thin Man” films about the crime-solving married couple Nick and Nora Charles, starring the dapper William Powell and stylish Myrna Loy.

And, thanks to a recent publicity letter from MGM, we now know that the studio will release a movie in September titled “Undercover Blues,” about a 1990s crime-solving married couple.

But beyond that we thought it was a little far-fetched--and risky business--to suggest that “Undercover Blues” stars Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner might be compared to Loy and Powell and their classic movies. But that’s exactly the comparison MGM made--and it sent along photos of the two couples, to boot.

“Now Turner and Quaid, two of today’s most popular screen stars, share an affectionate banter that recaptures the same on-screen chemistry in a thoroughly modern setting,” the letter boasts.

Is this what the screenwriter intended?

Said “Undercover Blues” screenwriter Ian Abrams: “I have to say, that when I was writing it, I was thinking as much of John Steed and Emma Peel (of TV’s “The Avengers” series) as Nick and Nora Charles.

“The basic similarity, of course, is that ‘Undercover Blues,’ like ‘The Thin Man,’ is centered on a smart, sharp, funny married couple who are tremendously good at what they do. And are usually at least as interested in entertaining each other as they are in solving their current mystery.”

Then again, as the photos reveal, there is a major dissimilarity. Powell and Loy had a sidekick dog named Asta. Quaid and Turner have a baby daughter.