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