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August 19, 2010



Today is the anniversary of the marriage between Dick Powell and June Allyson. They were married 65 years ago.

June Allyson wrote extensively in her autobiography about Dick. She said that she loved him and wanted to marry him, but he did not want to get married again since he had already been through two failed marriages. True to her good girl image, she decided that the relationship was not going any further without the exchange of wedding vows, and she told him she was not going to see him anymore.

That did the trick. Dick quickly proposed, and almost as quickly, the couple was married. June said she was so afraid the groom would change his mind, she rushed to plan the event, and instead of having a wedding dress made, she wore a simple grey suit.

Not everyone was supportive of the marriage. It occurred only a year after Dick's divorce from Joan Blondell, who did plenty of mudslinging at her rival. MGM, June's studio, was not happy about the relationship either. L. B. Mayer wanted June to date Peter Lawford and Van Johnson, and he did not approve of Dick Powell who was 12 years older than his starlet. As a result, he put June on suspension when she accepted Dick's proposal. She turned around and asked "Pop" Mayer to give her away at the wedding-- and he did.

The press loved the couple and often did feature stories on their domestic life together. The photographers showed them lounging around their various homes, lovingly grinning at each other. They liked to emphasize the cuteness of the Powells. Writers dropped pet names like "Monkeyface" into their stories and retold amusing anecdotes about the couple.

Ida Zeitlin wrote in the July 1946 issue of Modern Screen: "June hates to sign checks. Dick sat her down and stuck the pen in her fist. 'When I come back, I want your little John Henry on every one--'
When he came back, they were signed. A the sight of the last one, his face crinkled all up-- you know Dick's grin. On a blank check, over the signature WIFE, she'd written: 'I love you--'"

Another such story appeared in the July 1950 issue of Photoplay. Maxine Arnold wrote: "The silver mink came as a big surprise when Dick walked in with a big box and threw a line away, something about, 'Honey, I bought myself some shirts, see if you like them.' It seems June, recently torn between the desire for a silver mink and having her engagement ring reset, decided on the engagement ring and Dick wound up compromising, and giving her both. 'I really think he gave this to me because he wants to go fishing. He's so cute,' June grins."



In truth, they both worked a great deal. They tried to see each other as much as they could, so they made a point to visit each other's set whenever possible. Here they are on the set of Executive Suite. Sometimes they were able to work together, like in The Reformer and the Redhead or Right Cross, but as Dick transitioned into television work, the relationship became strained.

Dick worked hectic hours. While working on becoming a director, Dick had ambitions on becoming the head of RKO studios. He would receive 3 a.m. telephone calls from Howard Hughes, much to the chagrin of Allyson. When that opportunity fell through, Dick poured his energy into becoming a television mogul, resorting even to buying an airplane so he could fly himself to work in order to save the time it took him to drive there. He rarely saw his family, and June got lonely. She had an affair, and while the Powells tried to reconcile, June used divorce proceedings as a cry for help to her husband. Luckily, it worked, and the two never divorced. They fulfilled their wedding vows, and death parted them when Dick Powell passed away from cancer.

So why is this relevant now? After all, Dick and June are both gone now. They were certainly not the first famous couple that was celebrated in magazines all over the country and around the world. And they were not the last. But they were a beloved couple whose love burns brightly in the pages of June Allyson's book. Their love is evident in their two children, Pamela and Richard who have passed that love down through the family. In that way, it is a simple story that many families share, but its commonness makes it no less powerful.

Today we salute Dick Powell and June Allyson on the anniversary of their wedding.



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Dick Powell is one of the most underrated film stars of the golden age of Hollywood. He was at one time listed as one of the top ten favorite actors in Hollywood and he transcended several genres. His work in musicals cemented his fame-- literally. He entered his hand and footprints into the cement outside Sid Grauman's Chinese Theater with Joan Blondell in 1937. After a period of decline, Dick reinvented himself as a tough guy in film noir, and his performances are still impressive today. Never one to settle, he then tried his hand at directing and was successful. His business sense and film experience allowed him to start a television production company called Four Star; there he served as mentor to Aaron Spelling. His early death from cancer at age 58 was a heartbreaking blow to the industry, but his many works remain to be enjoyed today.

I am currently researching to write a book about Dick Powell. Please contact me if you have any information that you think might be helpful.

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This site was last updated on September 3, 2010.

ARCHIVES

August 1, 2010

Today I have been hard at work updating the website. There is now an entry for the Doctor and the Redhead episode of the June Allyson Show under the Television tab.

Also, I've been adding photos to some of the entries that were a little bare. There are a few behind-the-scenes photos that you shouldn't miss. They're often hard to find, and they're always interesting to look at, since they didn't have "Making Of" featurettes in the 30s and 40s, or DVD commentaries. (Which is quite a shame. It seems directors waited until the end of their lives to write their memoirs, and then only the really memorable stuff got in. Think of all of the fun stories we've lost!)

I have not been spending as much time working on the book as I would like, but I assure you that it is started, and I very much appreciate all of the support everyone has been giving me. Hearing your questions is great, because it lets me know just what people want to hear about. It also lets me know that there are indeed people out there who care about this incredible man.

Finally, here is your fortune for the day, courtesy of Dick Powell and Engrav-o-tints.



July 21, 2010



As I slowly begin my Dick Powell book, I pause to enjoy the weather. I hope you are enjoying the summer as much as Dick Powell did.

July 8, 2010

In the spirit of the recent holiday, it's time to shed some light on Dick Powell's involvement in patriotism through his work in the bond tours of WWII.

Dick escaped service twice, both times for his age. He was too young to enlist during WWI and too old to fight in WWII, so instead, he lended himself to the effort by raising money on bond tours.

This was a common practice for movie stars. Some of them made a bigger imprint in history for their work entertaining the troops than in movies (like Bob Hope). Dick was not as heavily involved as others, as he was busy reinventing himself on the screen in noir dramas, but he did do his part.



Here he is in a group photo with a lot of other celebrities. See if you can identify them. Among the crowd is Betty Hutton, who played in Star Spangled Rhythm, a patriotic film created to entertain troops overseas in which Dick Powell sings "Hit the Road to Dreamland" with Mary Martin.

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