On November 14, 1904, Richard Ewing Powell was born to Ewing and Sallie Powell in Mountain View, Arkansas. They already had one son, Howard, and in two years would complete the family with Luther.

Ewing was the head of the International Harvester Company and his job kept him moving around the state. After several years in Mountain View, the family migrated to Berryville, and finally settled in Little Rock.


The family was very close knit, and while Ewing instilled the importance of hard work and honesty in his sons, Sallie passed on her love of music. "My mother played the piano. She gave lessons to me and my brother, Howard," Dick said. "Howard was so much better than I that I got disgusted and quit, and started studying the clarinet, trumpet, and saxophone." These instruments would serve him well later in life.

His voice turned out to be his greatest asset; he started his singing career when the railroad station master in Berryville began paying him five cents a chorus to hear "Casey Jones."

Soon, Dick and Howard were encouraged by their father to sing for a profit. They frequented the local Synagogue, Episcopal Church, Methodist Church, and Scottish Rite Consistory.


After high school, Dick entered Little Rock College as a Liberal Arts major. In his spare time, he started the Peter Pan dance band which proved to be very popular.

It was around this time that he met Mildred Maund. She was a wealthy beauty who quickly charmed Dick. The two were secretly married on May 28, 1925. Dick said of the marriage, "She used to come visit some neighbors and I thought marriage was proof of my manhood." It wasn't until three days later that he told his family; perhaps his fear was indicative of his confidence in the union.

The couple quickly began having problems when Dick dropped out of school for a job in another dance band. Mildred expected to be a traditional housewife and she hated show business. Dick often traveled and was forced to leave his wife at home. "It was a terrible life for a girl. It wasn't fair. Yet Mildred realized as well as I that there was no turning back from this line of work now."



Dick was excited when he got a job as the lead vocalist in a dinner orchestra at the Kentucky Hotel in Louisville. There, he was heard over the radio on station WHAS and acquired many fans.

His strongest asset was his personality. By talking to his listeners, he made a personal connection with them.

His reputation caught the attention of Charlie Davis, who was conducting at the Ohio Theater in Indianapolis. This was a big opportunity for Powell, so he quickly accepted an offer in spite of its requirement that he play the banjo.

He proceeded to spend the month before arriving in Indianapolis learning to play. It was worth the effort; he met many notable stars in Indianapolis including Jean Harlow, Joe E. Brown, and Ginger Rogers.

Soon, he had his own band and emceed at the Enright Theater in Pittsburgh. He got his own radio show called the Pow Wow Club and baskets full of fan mail.



After a few years of continued success, Powell was offered a movie contract. Warner Brothers was planning to make a film called The Crooner and thought Dick would fit the part. He accepted, although the contract paid less money than his salary as an emcee.

When the studio brass saw his screen test, they decided to put him in Blessed Event instead. "Instead of staying home the night before and worrying about it, I went to a Hollywood nightclub and stayed out 'till three in the morning," Dick told one interviewer. His confidence showed and soon he was cast in picture after picture with increased success each time.



Fortune favored Dick Powell. He quickly found huge box office success when he was cast in 42nd Street, a musical that revolutionized the genre. It also marked the first teaming of Dick and Ruby Keeler.

The two had great chemistry together, probably because of their sweetness. It was this film that led them to star together in a series of musicals, many with Busby Berkeley as musical director. Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade, Dames, Flirtation Walk, Shipmates Forever, and Colleen made the two a favorite screen couple and cemented their fame.



Keeler wasn't the only frequent co-star for Powell. Warner Brothers' films tended to team casts from successful movies again and again. Over the years, Dick appeared in multiple films with Pat O'Brien, Ginger Rogers, New Sparks, Guy Kibbee, Ann Dvorak, Ross Alexander, Hugh Herbert, Marion Davies, and Joan Blondell. The last two women left important marks on Dick's life.

Marion Davies was a famous mistress to a wealthy newspaper tycoon named William Randolph Hearst. Although her devotion to Hearst was strong, she was not above liasons with actors, particularly co-stars.

When Powell and Davies appeared in Page Miss Glory together, they hit it off, and soon Dick was making frequent late night phone calls to Marion's private number.

At the same time, he was often seen having lunch with Joan Blondell in the studio commissary. Dick Powell was a logical man, and although he cared deeply for Marion, the relationship with Joan seemed more realistic. She was in the process of divorcing her first husband, whereas Marion had no intention of breaking off her relationship with Hearst.

On September 19, 1936, Dick Powell married Joan Blondell. Their honeymoon was very public, and after all of the autographs and photos, Dick went to bed with a cold and Joan cracked open her copy of Gone With the Wind that George Brent sent her as a joke gift.



Warner Brothers quickly made efforts to capitalize on the couple and entered them into films like Stage Struck and Gold Diggers of 1937. Unfortunately, little had changed in musicals since 42nd Street and audiences were tired of the formulaic plots.

The two tried a few romantic comedies, Model Wife and I Want a Divorce, to make some money on their fame, but being the shrewd businessman that he was, Dick saw that something had to change. At great risk to their careers, he got out of his and Joan's contracts at Warner Brothers. During this time, he began to resent being typecast as a crooner and refused to sing on screen.

Joan and Dick seemed to have an ideal domestic life. Dick quickly adopted Norman, Joan's son from her previous marriage. Joan said, "This is something we have fervently wanted. It makes us both more gloriously happy than ever before." Before long, along came daughter Ellen.

Dick made smart investments throughout his career and dabbled in real estate, and he spent some of his profits on his first yacht. He liked to take his family out on the sea.

However, large purchases were rare, and with his career waning, he knew how important it was that he provide for his family, so he accepted a few films that he otherwise wouldn't have. One such appearance was In the Navy with Abbott and Costello. He was relegated to third billing when he was used to receiving first.

His pride was hurt, but his subsequent actions were more indicative of his knowledge of the business. What he need to do was to change his screen type.

When Dick saw the script for Double Indemnity at RKO, he begged for the leading role. The casting office laughed; they couldn't imagine the singer in the role of a tough guy. The part went to Fred MacMurray, but Powell knew that such a role could revitalize his career, as Walter Neff did for MacMurray.

Then RKO bought the rights to Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely. Edward Dmytryk said, "...Koerner (who was head at RKO) said, 'Fellows, I wish you would consider using Dick Powell in this role,' and that was at first a little bit of a shock. But he said, 'We want to hire him as a singer, but he won't sign a contract until he can do a tough guy first.'"

Powell got his wish and was cast as Phillip Marlowe. He was a tremendous success and reviewers raved about the new Dick Powell.

He reinvented himself off screen too. The Powell-Blondell marriage had been in trouble for some time, and when Joan began seeing impresario Mike Todd, Dick knew that it wouldn't be long until he signed divorce papers. In the meantime, he began a relationship with upcoming actress June Allyson.

June had been smitten with Dick's on-screen image for years, and he loved acting as her protector. He gave her advice on her career and took her out on his yacht.

Before long, the subject of marriage arose, and Dick quickly shot it down. June issued an ultimatum; either he married her or she stopped seeing him. He reluctantly agreed, and on August 19, 1945, the two were married in an informal ceremony.

Powell told the press, "The wedding was like any other wedding, except for the fact that the bride was positive I wouldn't show up. I can't think of why. What guy would welsh on marrying a girl like June?"



Powell began making a string of tough-guy pictures for RKO while balancing his real estate hobby, his relationship with his children, and keeping a watchful eye on June's blooming career.

June was told she could never have children due to a childhood accident, so the couple decided to adopt a baby. Pamela Powell was brought home in 1948.

Two years later, the Powells planned to adopt a boy companion for Pamela, but just when they were ready to bring him home, June was shocked to learn that she was pregnant. Richard Jr. was born on Christmas Day 1950. June remembered how ecstatically happy her husband was, "I can't believe it. I'm forty years old and my wife has given me a son."

The children grew up quickly, and Dick tried to spend as much time with them as he could. "Richard seldom used a real name," June said. "Pammy answered to My Special Girl or Special Girl; Ricky was plain Speedy."

When he was unable to give them his time, he lavished them with extravagant gifts. One year he gave Dick Jr. his own baseball diamond and Pamela a riding ring for her horses.



Most of Powell's time was spent at work. At RKO, he made friends with mogul Howard Hughes who trusted him so much, he let Powell direct a film. Split Second was the first of several movies that Dick would direct, which helped him to reinvent himself yet again. He enjoyed working behind the camera so much, that he eventually gave up being an actor to focus on the behind the scenes projects.

In 1956, he took on The Conqueror, which starred John Wayne and Susan Hayward. It was the story of Ghengis Khan, and critics panned the film for its odd casting choices, but the film became legendary for its locations. The red sands of Utah were chosen as the perfect shooting site, but unknown to the filmmakers, nuclear testing was being done nearby. More than 1/3 of those involved died of cancer; this would play an important role in Dick's life.

After directing a few more movies including You Can't Run Away From It with June and The Enemy Below with Robert Mitchum, a compelling business venture was presented to Powell. His agent suggested that he revamp and old radio idea called "Four Star Theater" into a television production team.

With the help of Charles Boyer and David Niven, Dick ran with the idea and put "Four Star Playhouse" onto the airwaves. It was a series of dramatic programs with different stars each week.

The members of Four Star often appeared with up and coming actors. Dick wanted to be innovative. "...if we at Four Star can help some of these youngsters help themselves, then we've helped ourselves and the industry as well."

One of those youngsters was Aaron Spelling who began his career by writing for the series. "He always said, 'All I ask is that you don't leave the studio before me.' He never left any earlier than 7 PM, and even when he did, he'd say, 'I'm leaving now, Skinny. I'll look for your taillights behind me.'"

Dick also employed his son Norman as a production manager on another series. As Four Star became more successful, Dick began producing more and more television series including "Zane Grey Theater," "The Dick Powell Show," and "The Dupont Show with June Allyson."

Unfortunately, June began to feel neglected because of Dick's workaholic behavior. The couple had previously run into trouble when June began working on The McConnell Story and fell for her costar Alan Ladd.

They got through that bump in the road, but now June wanted change. When Dick came home less and less, June filed for divorce. The news hit all of the papers, and Dick found it impossible to avoid them.

"I still love June and I believe she still loves me," he said. "If people will only leave us alone, maybe we can work out our situation." In the courtroom, the judge granted a divorce after one year on the grounds of mental cruelty, but Dick stayed in the same house as June anyway. She was surprised to see him, but could not resist her deep love for him, so the two never got the divorce.



It wasn't long before disaster struck. The Powells went on a long boat trip to bring the family back together. Dick returned to work looking fit and healthy, but a visit to the doctor proved otherwise. He had throat cancer.

He maintained a positive attitude and told the press and friends that he would beat the disease. He said, "I've got this cancer licked. The very name of the disease terrifies people. The unreasoning fear of cancer must be dispelled."

For a while, the future looked bright, but after three months, Dick Powell died on January 2, 1963. Hundreds of friends, fans, and coworkers attended his funeral. He was cremated and entered in the Forest Lawn Cemetery.

"His death at fifty-eight was a tremendous loss to the industry, both as a creator and as a backbone," former director Busby Berkeley lamented. The loss shook June Allyson deeply, and she descended into a period of self destruction. Four Star was weakened without Powell's business sense.

It is tantalizing to wonder what he would have done with more time, but his boundless energy and canny eye left us with a full body of work to remember him by.