Friends of mine

If I could pick one character from a classic film to be my real life friend, it would definitely be Nick Charles (played by William Powell in The Thin Man films). Here's a guy who seems to know absolutely everyone who's ever lived. He's fun, he knows how to give a good dinner party, he's quick with a comeback and he loves his wife Nora (don't we all?). And, if I ever found myself entangled in a murder mystery, I would just pick up the phone, call Nick, and he'd solve the case for me!

If you could pick one character from a classic film to be YOUR real life friend, who would you choose?

Here's a list of my runners-up:

• Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep)
• Joe Ross (Gene Kelly in Summer Stock)
• Esther Smith (Judy Garland in Meet Me In St. Louis)
• Sugarpuss O'Shea (Barbara Stanwyck in Ball Of Fire)

Here's a clip of Nick Charles in action (at yet another lively dinner party!):