Dick Powell
Known for: Acting
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.
Filmography
Series
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Host
1944
Series
American Experience
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1988
Series
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre
Self - Host
1956
Series
Climax!
Philip Marlowe
1954
Series
What's My Line?
Self
1950
Series
What's My Line?
Self - Panelist
1950
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Willie Dante
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Eddie White
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
US Marshal Philip Dana
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Burt Stroude
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Graham
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Mike Donegan
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Paul
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Dan
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Dan Hodges
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Dave Robinson
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Fred
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Chris
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Eddie
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Jeff
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Dave
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Capt. Avery
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Andrew
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Will Sonnett
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Fleet Mason
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Grover Doane
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Steve
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Priest
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Philip Benton
1952
Series
Four Star Playhouse
Dan Matson
1952
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self
1957
Series
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
1948
Series
The Jack Benny Program
Dick Powell
1950
Series
This Is Your Life
Self
1952
Series
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Paul Martin
1959
Series
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Dr. Timothy McVey
1959
Lux Video Theatre
Self - Intermission Guest
1950
Series
The Dick Powell Show
Self - Host
1961
Series
The Emmy Awards
Self
1949
Film
Footlight Parade
Scotty
1933
Film
The Bad and the Beautiful
James Lee Bartlow
1952
Television: The First Fifty Years
Self (archive footage)
1999
Film
42nd Street
Billy Lawler
1933
Series
The DuPont Show of the Week
Self
1961
Film
Susan Slept Here
Mark Christopher
1954
Film
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Lysander
1935
Film
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
2013
Film
Gold Diggers of 1933
Brad
1933
Film
It's Showtime
Self (archive footage)
1976
Hollywood Newsreel
Himself
1934
Film
Murder, My Sweet
Philip Marlowe
1944
Film
That's Dancing!
1985
Film
Pitfall
John Forbes
1948
Film
Cry Danger
Rocky Mulloy
1951
Film
Wonder Bar
Tommy
1934
Film
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Self (archive footage)
1975
Film
I Want a Divorce
Alan MacNally
1940
Film
Breakdowns of 1938
Elly Jordan (archive footage) (uncredited)
1938
Film
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
1983
Film
Convention City
Jerry Ford
1933
Film
Going Hollywood: The '30s
(archive footage)
1984
Film
Station West
Lt. John Martin Haven
1948
Film
Cornered
Laurence Gerard
1945
Film
Hard to Get
Bill Davis
1938
Film
Christmas in July
Jimmy MacDonald
1940
Film
Star Spangled Rhythm
Dick Powell
1942
Film
The Singing Marine
Bob Brent
1937
Film
The All-Star Christmas Show
Self
1958
Film
Hollywood on Parade No. B-10
Self
1934
Film
Model Wife
Frederick "Fred" Chambers
1941
Film
It Happened Tomorrow
Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
1944
Film
FDR
Self (archive footage)
1994
Film
The Tall Target
John Kennedy
1951
Film
The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout
Self (archive footage)
2024
Film
Johnny O'Clock
Johnny O'Clock
1947
Film
Going Places
Peter Mason
1938
Film
In the Navy
Thomas Halstead
1941
Film
Right Cross
Rick Garvey
1950
Film
Things You Never See on the Screen
Self
1935
Film
The Reformer and the Redhead
Andrew Hale
1950
Film
Dames
Jimmy Higgens
1934
Film
Happy Go Lucky
Pete Hamilton
1943
Film
The King's Vacation
John Kent
1933
Film
Screen Snapshots (Series 16, No. 1)
Self
1936
Film
Naughty but Nice
Professor Donald Hardwick
1939
Film
Hearts Divided
Jerome Bonaparte
1936
Film
And She Learned About Dames
Himself
1934
Film
Happiness Ahead
Bob Lane
1934
Film
Ricochet
Self - Host
1961
Film
A Dream Comes True
Himself (uncredited)
1935
Film
Breakdowns of 1937
Self
1937
Film
True to Life
Link Ferris
1943
Studio Highlights
Self (archive footage)
1934
Film
42nd Street: From Book to Screen to Stage
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
Rogues' Regiment
Whit Corbett
1948
Film
Just Around the Corner
Jerry
1933
Film
Fascination: Unauthorized Story of Marilyn Monroe
Self (archive footage)
2012
Film
Flirtation Walk
Dick "Canary" Dorcy
1934
Film
Gold Diggers of 1935
Dick Curtis
1935
Film
Big City Blues
Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
1932
Film
Meet the People
William 'Swanee' Swanson
1944
Film
College Coach
Phil "Sarge" Sargeant
1933
Film
Riding High
Steve Baird
1943
Film
Hollywood Hobbies
Self (uncredited)
1939
Film
Broadway Gondolier
Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
1935
Film
Page Miss Glory
Bingo Nelson
1935
Film
Colleen
Donald Ames
1936
Film
Gold Diggers of 1937
Rosmer Peck
1936
Film
Blessed Event
Bunny Harmon
1932
Film
You Never Can Tell
Rex Shepherd
1951
Film
The Road Is Open Again
The Songwriter
1933
Film
To the Ends of the Earth
Commissioner Michael Barrows
1948
Film
Mrs. Mike
Sgt. Mike Flannigan
1949
Film
Thanks a Million
Eric Land
1935
Film
Shipmates Forever
Richard 'Dick' Melville III
1935
Film
Twenty Million Sweethearts
Buddy Clayton
1934
Film
Too Busy to Work
Dan Hardy
1932
Film
Varsity Show
Charles 'Chuck' Daly
1937
Film
Three Cheers for the Girls
Singer (archive footage) (uncredited)
1943
Film
On the Avenue
Gary Blake
1937
Film
Cowboy from Brooklyn
Elly Jordan
1938
Film
Who Killed Julie Greer?
Host / Inspector Amos Burke
1961
Film
Blow-Ups of 1947
Self
1947
Film
Hollywood Hotel
Ronnie Bowers
1938
Film
One And One Is One
Himself
1936
Film
One Must Die
1961
Film
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 1, From beginning"
1936
Film
Gold Diggers: FDR'S New Deal... Broadway Bound
Self (archive footage)
2006
Film
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 3, Normie"
1936
Film
Stage Struck
George Randall
1936
Film
Dick Powell and Joan Blondell home movies: "No. 5"
1936