Dick Powell

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: Acting
Birthday: 1904-11-14
Place of Birth: Mountain View, Arkansas, USA
Also Known As: Richard Ewing Powell, Дик Пауэлл, Richard Ewing "Dick" Powell

Movies List of Dick Powell

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42nd Street

1933 Movie
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Murder, My Sweet

1944 Movie
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It Happened Tomorrow

1944 Movie
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Gold Diggers of 1933

1933 Movie
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Pitfall

1948 Movie
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Cry Danger

1951 Movie
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In the Navy

1941 Movie
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The Tall Target

1951 Movie
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Christmas in July

1940 Movie
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Footlight Parade

1933 Movie
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Cornered

1945 Movie
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Station West

1948 Movie
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Blessed Event

1932 Movie
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Broadway Gondolier

1935 Movie
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Hollywood Hotel

1938 Movie
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Gold Diggers of 1935

1935 Movie
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Dames

1934 Movie
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Going Places

1938 Movie
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Johnny O'Clock

1947 Movie
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Susan Slept Here

1954 Movie
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Flirtation Walk

1934 Movie
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Gold Diggers of 1937

1936 Movie
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Meet the People

1944 Movie
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On the Avenue

1937 Movie
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Star Spangled Rhythm

1942 Movie
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Thanks a Million

1935 Movie
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Colleen

1936 Movie
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You Never Can Tell

1951 Movie
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Happiness Ahead

1934 Movie
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Wonder Bar

1934 Movie
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The King's Vacation

1933 Movie
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Varsity Show

1937 Movie
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Cowboy from Brooklyn

1938 Movie
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College Coach

1933 Movie
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Happy Go Lucky

1943 Movie
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Hearts Divided

1936 Movie
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Page Miss Glory

1935 Movie
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Shipmates Forever

1935 Movie
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Right Cross

1950 Movie
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Stage Struck

1936 Movie
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Riding High

1943 Movie
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I Want a Divorce

1940 Movie
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Naughty But Nice

1939 Movie
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The Singing Marine

1937 Movie
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Hard to Get

1938 Movie
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True to Life

1943 Movie
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Rogues' Regiment

1948 Movie
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Convention City

1933 Movie
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Hollywood Hobbies

1939 Movie
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Model Wife

1941 Movie
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Too Busy to Work

1932 Movie
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Ricochet

1961 Movie
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Hollywood Newsreel

1934 Movie
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Mrs. Mike

1949 Movie
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One And One Is One

1936 Movie
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Big City Blues

1932 Movie
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Breakdowns of 1938

1938 Movie
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A Dream Comes True

1935 Movie
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Breakdowns of 1937

1937 Movie
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Blow-Ups of 1947

1947 Movie
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The Love Goddesses

1965 Movie
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It's Showtime

1976 Movie
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That's Dancing!

1985 Movie
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Studio Highlights

1934 Movie