Dick Powell Biography
Richard Ewing Powell, 14 November 1904, Mountain View, Arkansas, USA, d. 3 January 1963, Hollywood, California, USA. Powell was an extremely popular singing star of major 30s film musicals, with an appealing tenor voice, and "matinee-idol" looks. He sang firstly as a boy soprano, and later, tenor, in school and church choirs, and learnt to play several musical instruments including the cornet, saxophone and banjo. In his late teens he was a member of the Royal Peacock Orchestra in Kentucky, and in the late 20s sang and played for Charlie Davis, with whom he made some early recordings, and other mid-west bands. In the early 30s he worked as a Master of Ceremonies and singer at the Circle Theatre, Indianapolis, and the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, where he was discovered by a Warner Brothers talent scout, and signed to a film contract. He made his film debut in Blessed Event (1932), before making an enormous impact, along with another young newcomer, Ruby Keeler, in the spectacular Busby Berkeley back-stage musical 42nd Street (1933). The film's score, by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, included the title song; "Shuffle Off To Buffalo", "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me" and "Young And Healthy". Co-starring with Keeler, his wife Joan Blondell, and several more glamorous leading ladies, Powell embarked on a series of, mostly, lavish movie musicals for Warners, 20th Century-Fox, and other studios, through to the mid-40s. Containing some of the classic popular songs of the time, the films included Gold Diggers Of 1933 (1933), ("We're In The Money", "Shadow Waltz", "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song" and "Pettin' In The Park"); Footlight Parade (1933), ("By A Waterfall"); Twenty Million Sweethearts (1934), ("I'll String Along With You"); Dames (1934), (the title song and "I Only Have Eyes For You"); Gold Diggers Of 1935 (1935), ("Lullaby Of Broadway" and "The Words Are In My Heart"); Broadway Gondolier (1935), ("Lulu's Back In Town" and "The Rose In Her Hair"); Gold Diggers Of 1937 (1936), ("With Plenty Of Money And You" and "All's Fair In Love And War"); On The Avenue (1937), ("The Girl On The Police Gazette', This Year's Kisses", "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm', Slumming On Park Avenue" and "You're Laughing At Me"); Varsity Show (1937), ("Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?") and Going Places (1938), ("Jeepers Creepers"). During this period, Powell was also very active on US radio, with programmes such as the Old Gold show with the Ted Fio Rito Band (1934), Hollywood Hotel (1934-37, with Frances Langford), Your Hollywood Party (1938, the show that gave Bob Hope's career a big boost), Tuesday Night Party (1939), American Cruise (1941) and Dick Powell Serenade (1942-43). He also had several hit records, mostly with songs from his films. During the early 40s Powell concentrated more and more on comedy and dramatic film roles. In 1944, a year before he married actress June Allyson, he confirmed his change of direction when he appeared as private-eye Philip Marlowe in the highly-acclaimed movie Farewell My Lovely (aka Murder My Sweet). From then on, singing was abandoned, as he undertook a series of "tough guy" roles in crime and detective movies, becoming just as popular as he had been in the musicals of the 30s. He was also a pioneer of early US television drama in the 50s, directing and producing, as well as performing. From 1959-61, he presented the popular television series Dick Powell Theatre. Despite some pressure, he never went back to singing, but was still working up to his death from cancer in 1963.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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