Dick Powell
Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American singer, actor, producer, director and studio boss. Born in Mountain View, the seat of Stone County in northern Arkansas, Powell attended the former Little Rock College in the state capital, before he started his entertainment career as a singer with the Charlie Davis Orchestra, based in the midwest. He recorded a number of records with Davis and on his own, for the Vocalion label in the late 1920s. Powell moved to Pittsburgh, where he found great local success as the Master of Ceremonies at the Enright Theater and the Stanley Theater. In April 1930, Warner Bros. bought up Brunswick Records which at that time owned Vocalion. Warner Bros. was sufficiently impressed by Powell's singing and stage presence to offer him a film contract in 1932. He made his film debut as a singing bandleader in Blessed Event. He went on to star as a boyish crooner in movie musicals such as 42nd Street, Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, Flirtation Walk, and On the Avenue, often appearing opposite Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell. Powell desperately wanted to expand his range but Warner Bros. wouldn't allow him to do so, although they did (mis)cast him in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) as Lysander. This was to be Powell's only Shakespearean role and one he did not want to play, feeling that he was completely wrong for the part. Finally, reaching his forties and knowing that his young romantic leading man days were behind him he lobbied to play the lead in Double Indemnity. He lost out to Fred MacMurray, another Hollywood nice guy. MacMurray’s success, however, fueled Powell’s resolve to pursue projects with greater range and in 1944, he was cast in the first of a series of films noir, as private detective Philip Marlowe in Murder, My Sweet, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film was a big hit and Powell had successfully reinvented himself as a dramatic actor. The following year Dmytryk and Powell re-teamed to make Cornered, a gripping, post-WWII thriller that helped define the film noir style. He became a popular "tough guy" lead appearing in movies such as Johnny O'Clock and Cry Danger. But 1948 saw him step out of the brutish type when he starred in Pitfall, a film noir that sees a bored insurance company worker fall for an innocent but dangerous femme fatale, played by Lizabeth Scott. Even when he appeared in lighter fare such as The Reformer and the Redhead and Susan Slept Here (1954) he never sang in his later roles. The latter, his final onscreen appearance in a feature film, did include a dance number with costar Debbie Reynolds. From 1949-1953, Powell played the lead role in the National Broadcasting Company radio theater production Richard Diamond, Private Detective. His character in the 30-minute weekly was a likable private detective with a quick wit. When Richard Diamond came to television in 1957, the lead role was portrayed by David Janssen.
Known For
Credits
- 2024 · The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout as Self (archive footage)
- 2013 · Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · 42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage as Self (archive footage)
- 2006 · Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound as Self (archive footage)
- 1999 · Television: The First Fifty Years as Self (archive footage)
- 1985 · That's Dancing! as
- 1984 · Going Hollywood: The '30s as (archive footage)
- 1983 · Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1976 · It's Showtime as Self (archive footage)
- 1975 · Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? as Self (archive footage)
- 1965 · The Love Goddesses as (archive footage)
- 1961 · Ricochet as Self - Host
- 1961 · The Dick Powell Show as Self - Host
- 1961 · Who Killed Julie Greer? as Host / Inspector Amos Burke
- 1961 · The DuPont Show of the Week as Self
- 1959 · The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Paul Martin
- 1959 · The DuPont Show with June Allyson as Dr. Timothy McVey
- 1957 · Tonight Starring Jack Paar as Self
- 1956 · Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre as Self - Host
- 1954 · Climax! as Philip Marlowe
- 1954 · Susan Slept Here as Mark Christopher
- 1952 · The Bad and the Beautiful as James Lee Bartlow
- 1952 · This Is Your Life as Self
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Willie Dante
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Eddie White
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as US Marshal Philip Dana
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Burt Stroude
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Graham
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Paul
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Mike Donegan
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Dan
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Dan Hodges
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Dave Robinson
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Fred
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Chris
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Eddie
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Jeff
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Dave
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Capt. Avery
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Andrew
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Will Sonnett
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Fleet Mason
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Grover Doane
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Steve
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Priest
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Philip Benton
- 1952 · Four Star Playhouse as Dan Matson
- 1951 · You Never Can Tell as Rex Shepherd
- 1951 · The Tall Target as John Kennedy
- 1951 · Cry Danger as Rocky Mulloy
- 1950 · Right Cross as Rick Garvey
- 1950 · Lux Video Theatre as Self - Intermission Guest
- 1950 · The Reformer and the Redhead as Andrew Hale
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Mystery Guest
- 1950 · What's My Line? as Self - Panelist
- 1949 · Mrs. Mike as Sgt. Mike Flannigan
- 1949 · The Emmy Awards as Self
- 1948 · Rogues' Regiment as Whit Corbett
- 1948 · Station West as Lt. John Martin Haven
- 1948 · Pitfall as John Forbes
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self
- 1948 · The Ed Sullivan Show as Self - Guest Host
- 1948 · To the Ends of the Earth as Commissioner Michael Barrows
- 1947 · Blow-Ups of 1947 as Self
- 1947 · Johnny O'Clock as Johnny O'Clock
- 1945 · Cornered as Laurence Gerard
- 1944 · Murder, My Sweet as Philip Marlowe
- 1944 · Meet the People as William 'Swanee' Swanson
- 1944 · It Happened Tomorrow as Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
- 1943 · True to Life as Link Ferris
- 1943 · Riding High as Steve Baird
- 1943 · Three Cheers for the Girls as Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1943 · Happy Go Lucky as Pete Hamilton
- 1942 · Star Spangled Rhythm as Dick Powell
- 1941 · In the Navy as Thomas Halstead
- 1941 · Model Wife as Frederick "Fred" Chambers
- 1940 · Christmas in July as Jimmy McDonald
- 1940 · I Want a Divorce as Alan MacNally
- 1939 · Naughty But Nice as Professor Donald Hardwick
- 1939 · Hollywood Hobbies as Self (uncredited)
- 1938 · Breakdowns of 1938 as Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 1938 · Going Places as Peter Mason
- 1938 · Hard to Get as Bill Davis
- 1938 · Cowboy from Brooklyn as Elly Jordan
- 1938 · Hollywood Hotel as Ronnie Bowers
- 1937 · Breakdowns of 1937 as Self
- 1937 · Varsity Show as Charles 'Chuck' Daly
- 1937 · The Singing Marine as Bob Brent
- 1937 · On the Avenue as Gary Blake
- 1936 · Gold Diggers of 1937 as Rosmer Peck
- 1936 · Stage Struck as George Randall
- 1936 · Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1) as Self
- 1936 · Hearts Divided as Jerome Bonaparte
- 1936 · Colleen as Donald Ames
- 1936 · One And One Is One as Himself
- 1935 · A Dream Comes True as Himself (uncredited)
- 1935 · Things You Never See on the Screen as Self
- 1935 · Thanks a Million as Eric Land
- 1935 · Shipmates Forever as Richard 'Dick' Melville III
- 1935 · A Midsummer Night's Dream as Lysander
- 1935 · Page Miss Glory as Bingo Nelson
- 1935 · Broadway Gondolier as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
- 1935 · Gold Diggers of 1935 as Dick Curtis
- 1934 · Flirtation Walk as Dick "Canary" Dorcy
- 1934 · Happiness Ahead as Bob Lane
- 1934 · Dames as Jimmy Higgens
- 1934 · Studio Highlights as Self (archive footage)
- 1934 · Twenty Million Sweethearts as Buddy Clayton
- 1934 · Wonder Bar as Tommy
- 1934 · And She Learned About Dames as Himself
- 1934 · Hollywood Newsreel as Himself
- 1933 · Convention City as Jerry Ford
- 1933 · College Coach as Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
- 1933 · Footlight Parade as Scotty Blair
- 1933 · Gold Diggers of 1933 as Brad Roberts
- 1933 · 42nd Street as Billy Lawler
- 1933 · The King's Vacation as John Kent
- 1933 · The Road Is Open Again as The Songwriter
- 1933 · Just Around the Corner as Jerry
- 1932 · Too Busy to Work as Dan Hardy
- 1932 · Big City Blues as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
- 1932 · Blessed Event as Bunny Harmon