Dick Powell
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- November 14, 1904
- Died
- January 2, 1963 (aged 58)
- Birthplace
- Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
Biography
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
Photos
Filmography
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Television: The First Fifty Years
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
American Experience
TV · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) · 1 ep
That's Dancing!
Movie
Going Hollywood: The '30s
Movie · as (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Movie · as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
It's Showtime
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Who Killed Julie Greer?
Movie · as Host / Inspector Amos Burke
Ricochet
Movie · as Self - Host
One Must Die
Movie
The DuPont Show of the Week
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Dick Powell Show
TV · as Self - Host · 60 eps
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
TV · as Paul Martin, Dr. Timothy McVey · 1 ep
The All-Star Christmas Show
Movie · as Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
TV · as Self - Host · 147 eps
Susan Slept Here
Movie · as Mark Christopher
Climax!
TV · as Philip Marlowe · 1 ep
The Bad and the Beautiful
Movie · as James Lee Bartlow
This Is Your Life
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Four Star Playhouse
TV · as Willie Dante, Eddie White, US Marshal Philip Dana, Burt Stroude, Graham, Paul, Mike Donegan, Dan Hodges, Dave Robinson, Fred, Chris, Jeff, Capt. Avery, Andrew, Will Sonnett, Fleet Mason, Grover Doane, Steve, Priest, Philip Benton, Dan Matson · 8 eps
Cry Danger
Movie · as Rocky Mulloy
The Tall Target
Movie · as John Kennedy
You Never Can Tell
Movie · as Rex Shepherd
The Reformer and the Redhead
Movie · as Andrew Hale
Right Cross
Movie · as Rick Garvey
Lux Video Theatre
TV · as Self - Intermission Guest · 1 ep
What's My Line?
TV · as Self · 5 eps
The Jack Benny Program
TV · as Dick Powell · 1 ep
Mrs. Mike
Movie · as Sgt. Mike Flannigan
The Emmy Awards
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Pitfall
Movie · as John Forbes
Station West
Movie · as Lt. John Martin Haven
To the Ends of the Earth
Movie · as Commissioner Michael Barrows
Rogues' Regiment
Movie · as Whit Corbett
The Ed Sullivan Show
TV · as Self · 2 eps
Johnny O'Clock
Movie · as Johnny O'Clock
Blow-Ups of 1947
Movie · as Self
Cornered
Movie · as Laurence Gerard
Murder, My Sweet
Movie · as Philip Marlowe
It Happened Tomorrow
Movie · as Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
Meet the People
Movie · as William 'Swanee' Swanson
Golden Globe Awards
TV · as Self - Host · 2 eps
Happy Go Lucky
Movie · as Pete Hamilton
Riding High
Movie · as Steve Baird
True to Life
Movie · as Link Ferris
Three Cheers for the Girls
Movie · as Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Spangled Rhythm
Movie · as Dick Powell
In the Navy
Movie · as Thomas Halstead
Model Wife
Movie · as Frederick "Fred" Chambers
Christmas in July
Movie · as Jimmy MacDonald
I Want a Divorce
Movie · as Alan MacNally
Naughty but Nice
Movie · as Professor Donald Hardwick
Hollywood Hobbies
Movie · as Self (uncredited)
Hollywood Hotel
Movie · as Ronnie Bowers
Going Places
Movie · as Peter Mason
Cowboy from Brooklyn
Movie · as Elly Jordan
Hard to Get
Movie · as Bill Davis
Breakdowns of 1938
Movie · as Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
On the Avenue
Movie · as Gary Blake
Varsity Show
Movie · as Charles 'Chuck' Daly
The Singing Marine
Movie · as Bob Brent
Breakdowns of 1937
Movie · as Self
Gold Diggers of 1937
Movie · as Rosmer Peck
Colleen
Movie · as Donald Ames
Hearts Divided
Movie · as Jerome Bonaparte
Stage Struck
Movie · as George Randall
One And One Is One
Movie · as Himself
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Movie · as Self
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
Movie
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
Movie
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
Movie
Broadway Gondolier
Movie · as Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
Gold Diggers of 1935
Movie · as Dick Curtis
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Movie · as Lysander
Thanks a Million
Movie · as Eric Land
Page Miss Glory
Movie · as Bingo Nelson
Shipmates Forever
Movie · as Richard 'Dick' Melville III
Things You Never See on the Screen
Movie · as Self
A Dream Comes True
Movie · as Himself (uncredited)
Dames
Movie · as Jimmy Higgens
Flirtation Walk
Movie · as Dick "Canary" Dorcy
Twenty Million Sweethearts
Movie · as Buddy Clayton
Happiness Ahead
Movie · as Bob Lane
Wonder Bar
Movie · as Tommy
Hollywood Newsreel
Movie · as Himself
And She Learned About Dames
Movie · as Himself
Studio Highlights
Movie · as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
Movie · as Self
42nd Street
Movie · as Billy Lawler
Gold Diggers of 1933
Movie · as Brad
Footlight Parade
Movie · as Scotty
The King's Vacation
Movie · as John Kent
College Coach
Movie · as Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
The Road Is Open Again
Movie · as The Songwriter
Just Around the Corner
Movie · as Jerry
Convention City
Movie · as Jerry Ford
Blessed Event
Movie · as Bunny Harmon
Too Busy to Work
Movie · as Dan Hardy
Big City Blues
Movie · as Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)