There are 4 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 7,653 times. The latest Post () was by ethanedwards.

Participate now!

Don’t have an account yet? Register yourself now and be a part of our community!

  • DICK POWELL
    Information from IMDb


    Date of Birth
    14 November 1904, Mountain View, Arkansas, USA


    Date of Death
    2 January 1963, West Los Angeles, California, USA (cancer of the lymph glands)


    Birth Name
    Richard Ewing Powell


    Height
    6' (1.83 m)
    Spouse
    June Allyson (19 August 1945 - 2 January 1963) (his death) 2 children
    Joan Blondell (19 September 1936 - 14 July 1944) (divorced) 1 child
    Maude Maund (1925 - 1927) (divorced)


    Trivia
    He was a vocalist with Charlie Davis's orchestra before entering film.


    Interred at Forest Lawn, Glendale, California, USA.


    Father of Ellen Powell, from his marriage to Joan Blondell. He adopted Joan's son, Norman S. Powell in February 1938.


    Died on the same day as Jack Carson. They had different forms of cancer.


    Father of Dick Powell Jr. from his marriage to June Allyson.


    His parents were Ewing and Sallie Rowena Thompson Powell.


    His brother Luther Powell was born October 30, 1906, and died August 15, 1996. His brother Howard Smith Powell was born October 13, 1899, and died in January, 1986.


    He was yet another casualty of the 1956 film The Conqueror (1956) filmed near a nuclear test site in Utah. Many of the people involved with the film, including Powell, who directed, eventually died of cancer, either caused by, or exacerbated by, working on it. Others included actors John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Ted de Corsia, and Agnes Moorehead.


    His daughter Pamela Powell was adopted during his marriage to June Allyson.


    As of early 2007, his birthplace in the small town of Mountain View, AR still stands on the north side of Main Street. It's a modest circa 1895 house (sadly in a state of benign neglect) with a wraparound porch with a small historical marker and a badly weathered display out in front that details his 1936 engagement to Joan Blondell, marriage to June Allyson and more recent death of his brother.


    His estate was reportedly valued at $10,000,000 at the time of his death.


    In the 1940s he sold his 55-foot yacht, Santana, to lifelong sailing enthusiast Humphrey Bogart. The vessel subsequently achieved celebrity status as "Bogie's Boat" due to his numerous seafaring expeditions, and Bogart even named his production company, Santana Productions, after it.


    In The Day of the Locust (1975), Powell was portrayed by his son Dick Powell Jr..


    Featured in "Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir" by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry (McFarland, 2003).


    He was awarded 3 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard, for Television at 6745 Hollywood Boulevard, and for Radio at 1560 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.


    He was a lifelong member of the Republican party.



    Mini Biography
    In the 1930s , Dick Powell was the juvenile lead in the Warner backstage musicals opposite such rising stars as Ruby Keeler and Joan Blondell. After his career in musicals, he was cast in private-eye roles and became a producer and director for both TV and movies.
    IMDb Mini Biography By: Stephan Eichenberg


    Personal Quotes
    The best thing about switching from being an actor to being a director is that you don't have to shave or hold your stomach in anymore.


    [observation, 1936] I'm not a kid anymore but I'm still playing boy scouts


    Filmography
    Director
    1959 Woman on the Run (TV movie)
    1958 The Hunters
    1957 The Enemy Below
    1956 You Can't Run Away from It
    1956 The Conqueror
    1953 Split Second


    Actor
    1962-1963 Ensign O'Toole (TV series)
    – Operation Contest (1963)
    – Operation: Benefit (1962) … Chief Richard E. Powell
    1962 The Dick Powell Show (TV series) – In Search of a Son (1962) … Alex Harper
    1961 The Law and Mr. Jones (TV series) – Everybody Versus Timmy Drayton (1961) … Colonel Drayton
    1957-1961 Zane Grey Theater (TV series)
    Ben Sanderson / Brenner / Col. Blackburn / …
    – The Silent Sentry (1961) … Rebel
    – Ambush (1961) … Col. Blackburn
    – Desert Flight (1960) … Brenner
    – A Small Town That Died (1960) … Dave Cameron
    – Death in a Wood (1959) … Lawrence
    In all 14 episodes
    1959-1960 The DuPont Show with June Allyson (TV series)
    Dr. Timothy McVey / Paul Martin
    – The Doctor and the Redhead (1960) … Dr. Timothy McVey
    – A Summer's Ending (1959) … Paul Martin
    1958 Mr. Adams and Eve (TV series) – Backwash (1958)
    1956 The Best in Mystery (TV series) -Willie Dante (1956)
    1952-1956 Four Star Theatre (TV series)
    Willie Dante / Andrew Ward / Bill 'Chris' Christopher / …
    – Success Story (1956) … Dan Matson
    – The Stacked Deck (1956) … Willie Dante
    – Watch the Sunset (1956) … Philip Benton
    – One Forty-Two (1956) … Father Gregory
    – A Long Way from Texas (1956) … Willie Dante
    In all 32 episodes »
    1954 The Jack Benny Program (TV series) – The Jam Session Show (1954) … Dick Powell
    1954 Climax! (TV series) – The Long Goodbye (1954) … Philip Marlowe
    1954 Susan Slept Here ...Mark Christopher
    1954 The Red Skelton Show (TV series) – Deadeye at the Golden Nugget (1954) … Cameo
    1952 The Bad and the Beautiful ...James Lee Bartlow
    1951 You Never Know ...Rex Shepherd
    1951 The Tall Target ...John Kennedy
    1951 Cry Danger ...Rocky
    1950 Right Cross ...Rick Garvey
    1950 The Reformer and the Redhead ...Andrew 'Andy' Rockton Hale
    1949 Mrs. Mike ...Sgt. Mike Flannigan
    1948 Rogues' Regiment ...Whit Corbett
    1948 Station West ...Lt. John Martin Haven
    1948 Pitfall ...John Forbes
    1948 To the Ends of the Earth ...Commissioner Michael Barrows
    1947 Johnny O'Clock ...Johnny O'Clock
    1945 Cornered ...Laurence Gerard
    1944 Farewell My Lovely ...Philip Marlowe
    1944 Meet the People ...William 'Swanee' Swanson
    1944 It Happened Tomorrow ...Lawrence 'Larry' Stevens
    1943 True to Life ...Link Ferris
    1943 Melody Inn ...Steve Baird
    1943 Happy Go Lucky ...Pete Hamilton
    1942 Star Spangled Rhythm ...Dick Powell - Hit the Road to Dreamland Number
    1941 In the Navy ...Thomas Halstead
    1941 Model Wife ...Fred Chambers
    1940 Christmas in July ...Jimmy MacDonald
    1940 The Tragedy of Divorce ...Alan MacNally
    1939 Naughty But Nice ...Professor Donald 'Don' Hardwick
    1938 Going Places ...Peter Mason
    1938 Hard to Get ...Bill Davis
    1938 Romance and Rhythm ...Elly Jordan, aka Wyoming Steve Gibson
    1937 Hollywood Hotel ...Ronnie Bowers
    1937 Varsity Show ...Charles 'Chuck' Daly
    1937 The Singing Marine ...Pfc. Robert 'Bob'/'Arkansas' Brent
    1937 On the Avenue ...Gary Blake
    1936 Gold Diggers of 1937 ...Rosmer 'Rossi' Peck
    1936 Stage Struck ...George Randall
    1936 Hearts Divided ...Captain Jerome Bonaparte
    1936 Colleen ...Donald Ames 3rd
    1935 Thanks a Million ...Eric Land
    1935 Shipmates Forever ...Richard John 'Dick' Melville III
    1935 A Midsummer Night's Dream ...Lysander, In love with Hermia
    1935 Page Miss Glory ...Bingo Nelson
    1935 Broadway Gondolier ...Richard 'Dick' Purcell, aka Ricardo Purcelli
    1935 Gold Diggers of 1935 ...Dick Curtis
    1934 Flirtation Walk ...Richard Palmer Grant 'Canary' / 'Dick' / 'Dickie Boy' Dorcy
    1934 Happiness Ahead ...Bob Lane
    1934 Dames... James 'Jimmy' Higgens
    1934 Twenty Million Sweethearts ...Buddy Clayton
    1934 Wonder Bar ...Tommy
    1933 Convention City ...Jerry Ford
    1933 Football Coach ...Philip 'Phil'/'Sarge' Sargeant
    1933 Footlight Parade ...Scott 'Scotty' Blair
    1933 Gold Diggers of 1933 ...Brad
    1933 42nd Street ...Billy Lawler
    1933 The King's Vacation ...John Kent
    1933 Just Around the Corner (short) ...Jerry
    1933 The Road Is Open Again (short) ...The Songwriter
    1932 Too Busy to Work ...Dan Hardy
    1932 Big City Blues ...Radio Announcer (voice) (uncredited)
    1932 Blessed Event ...Bunny Harmon

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 4 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Dare I say, 'thankfully. Dick Powell only directed 1 movie with Duke!!


    The Conqueror (1956)



    He also starred in a very early movie that included Duke as an Uncredited walk on.


    College Coach (1933) ...Philip 'Phil'/'Sarge' Sargeant


    The Conqueror.

    Quote

    The screenplay was written before John Wayne became involved in the project. The writer had Marlon Brando in mind for the role. According to Harry Medved and Michael Medved's 1984 book "The Hollywood Hall of Shame", Wayne's casting in this film came about during a conversation with director Dick Powell. Wayne was about the make the last film of a three-picture deal for RKO Radio and Powell had been assigned to direct. They were going over various scripts in Powell's office when the latter was called away for a few minutes. When Powell returned, he found Wayne enthusiastically looking over a script that Powell had intended throwing in the waste basket. It was the screenplay for "The Conqueror". Powell tried to talk him out of it, but Wayne insisted that this was the film he wanted to make. As Powell later summed it up, "Who am I to turn down John Wayne?"

    Quote

    John Wayne regretted playing Temujin in The Conqueror (1956) so much that he visibly shuddered whenever anyone mentioned the film's name. He once remarked that the moral of the film was "not to make an ass of yourself trying to play parts you're not suited for.

    Quote

    He was yet another casualty of the film, filmed near a nuclear test site in Utah. Many of the people involved with the film, including Powell, who directed, eventually died of cancer, either caused by, or exacerbated by, working on it. Others included actors John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Ted de Corsia, and Agnes Moorehead

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited 10 times, last by ethanedwards ().

  • Was Dick Powell a heavy smoker too? I'd be curious to know how many ( if any ) died
    of cancer who did not smoke.

  • I thought Dick Powell appeared in a film with John Wayne back in the 1930's?

    "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them" It may be time worn, but it's the best life-creed I know.

  • I thought Dick Powell appeared in a film with John Wayne back in the 1930's?


    Bob, you know I thought he did as well, and then forget to look.
    On his IMDb data they use the title Football Coach
    and it dawned on me, that we know it better as College Coach,
    which indeed did include Duke.
    Thanks for pointing this out and I have edited the opening post accordingly.

    Best Wishes
    Keith
    London- England

    Edited once, last by ethanedwards ().