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TCM Schedule for Thursday, August 20, 2020 -- Summer Under The Stars: William Powell
Day twenty of Summer Under the Stars features William Powell. Tell us more, anonymous TCM biographer!The very picture of cinematic suavity, William Powell (1892-1984) was arguably the screen's most polished light comedian. Immaculate in dress and acting style, he perfected his man-about-town image in the Thin Man movies and evolved into a character actor most at home playing perfectly groomed lawyers and businessmen, with several sleek detectives thrown in for good measure. Powell's starchy screen presence found perfect outlets in his Oscar®-nominated roles as the debonair detective in The Thin Man (1934), the dignified faux butler of My Man Godfrey (1936) and the domineering but lovable patriarch of Life with Father (1947).
William Horatio Powell was born in Pittsburgh, the son of a public accountant, and briefly studied at the University of Kansas before heading for New York City and the stage. By 1920 he was acting in a successful Broadway production, Spanish Love, which led to an offer to play the villain opposite John Barrymore in a silent-film version of Sherlock Holmes (1922). Powell remained in films for the next four decades, appearing in close to 100 pictures.
Powell’s onscreen villainy continued in such films as Romola (1924), in which he was nasty to the Gish sisters, Lillian and Dorothy; and Dangerous Money (1924), in which he threatened Bebe Daniels. The latter film was made at Paramount, where Powell was awarded a seven-year contract. He was constantly busy throughout the rest of the 1920s, most often playing the bad guy and attracting particular attention as an arrogant film director in The Last Command (1928). But stardom did not arrive until he played detective Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Greene Murder Case (1929) and The Benson Murder Case (1930). Unlike many silent-film actors, Powell flourished after the advent of sound with his resonant, stage-trained voice. He developed into one of Paramount’s top romantic leading men, playing opposite such female stars as Kay Francis and Carole Lombard, who became his second wife in 1931 and remained a close friend even though they were divorced two years later.
In 1931 Powell switched to Warner Bros., where his pre-Code films included the drama The Road to Singapore and the crime caper Jewel Robbery in both of which he plays the suave seducer of other men’s wives. Kay Francis, who costarred in the latter film, had accompanied Powell to Warners and also acted opposite him in the romantic drama One Way Passage (1932), his biggest hit during this period. His Warners comedies of the period included High Pressure, in which he is a cheeky promoter pushing a new product, synthetic rubber; and Lawyer Man, in which he plays the dapper title role with Joan Blondell as his brassy secretary and unlikely love interest. At RKO Powell was a playboy in the romantic comedy Double Harness, one of a series of films from that studio that were considered “lost” until rediscovered and restored by TCM in recent years. Powell’s final film under his WB contract was The Kennel Murder Case (1933), in which he reprised the Philo Vance role.
Powell moved to MGM beginning with Manhattan Melodrama, in which Powell and Clark Gable play old friends on opposite sides of the law, with Myrna Loy as the woman both of them love. The director of that film, W.S. Van Dyke, recognized the romantic chemistry between Powell and Loy and cast them in The Thin Man (1934), a low-budget crime caper that became a surprise smash and elevated Powell’s stardom to a whole new level. Powell and Loy repeated their roles as the glamorous sleuthing couple Nick and Nora Charles in After the Thin Man and four more sequels. Altogether this witty and sophisticated pair appeared in 14 films together including The Great Ziegfeld (1936), an Oscar-winner as Best Picture; Libeled Lady, a star-heavy comic romp costarring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy; Double Wedding, another fun comedy whose making was shadowed by the death of Harlow, Powell’s lover and Loy’s close friend; I Love You Again, a farce in which Powell plays a mixed-up amnesiac with Loy as his confused wife; and Love Crazy, a screwball adventure in which they are a married couple beset by outlandish problems. Powell, who had costarred opposite Harlow in Reckless (1935), teamed with such other glamorous leading ladies as Rosalind Russell (Rendezvous, 1935), Ginger Rogers (Star of Midnight, 1935) and Jean Arthur (The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, 1936). In My Man Godfrey (1936), as the bum-turned-butler, he enjoyed a roaring success along with that Oscar® nomination, playing expertly opposite Carole Lombard (by now the ex-Mrs. Powell). Powell was cast opposite Hedy Lamarr in two MGM films, Crossroads, a mystery in which he has an unusually serious role as an amnesiac who may have been a thief in his former life; and The Heavenly Body (1944), a farce in which he returns to top comic form as an astronomer who’s jealous of his gorgeous wife.
Powell’s last star part in a top box-office hit came with Life with Father (1947), an adaptation of the Broadway success in which he played the crusty Father to Irene Dunne’s warm-hearted Mother. Critic Howard Barnes considered Powell’s performance “the greatest of a distinguished career.” After a few minor vehicles Powell then eased gracefully into character parts, playing Elizabeth Taylor’s attorney father in The Girl Who Had Everything and Lauren Bacall’s aging suitor in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). His final film role was that of “Doc,” the quick-witted ship’s doctor in Mister Roberts. Powell, who had a son with first wife Eileen Wilson, married his third wife, Diana Lewis, in 1940. He enjoyed three decades of retirement before his death.
William Horatio Powell was born in Pittsburgh, the son of a public accountant, and briefly studied at the University of Kansas before heading for New York City and the stage. By 1920 he was acting in a successful Broadway production, Spanish Love, which led to an offer to play the villain opposite John Barrymore in a silent-film version of Sherlock Holmes (1922). Powell remained in films for the next four decades, appearing in close to 100 pictures.
Powell’s onscreen villainy continued in such films as Romola (1924), in which he was nasty to the Gish sisters, Lillian and Dorothy; and Dangerous Money (1924), in which he threatened Bebe Daniels. The latter film was made at Paramount, where Powell was awarded a seven-year contract. He was constantly busy throughout the rest of the 1920s, most often playing the bad guy and attracting particular attention as an arrogant film director in The Last Command (1928). But stardom did not arrive until he played detective Philo Vance in The Canary Murder Case (1929), The Greene Murder Case (1929) and The Benson Murder Case (1930). Unlike many silent-film actors, Powell flourished after the advent of sound with his resonant, stage-trained voice. He developed into one of Paramount’s top romantic leading men, playing opposite such female stars as Kay Francis and Carole Lombard, who became his second wife in 1931 and remained a close friend even though they were divorced two years later.
In 1931 Powell switched to Warner Bros., where his pre-Code films included the drama The Road to Singapore and the crime caper Jewel Robbery in both of which he plays the suave seducer of other men’s wives. Kay Francis, who costarred in the latter film, had accompanied Powell to Warners and also acted opposite him in the romantic drama One Way Passage (1932), his biggest hit during this period. His Warners comedies of the period included High Pressure, in which he is a cheeky promoter pushing a new product, synthetic rubber; and Lawyer Man, in which he plays the dapper title role with Joan Blondell as his brassy secretary and unlikely love interest. At RKO Powell was a playboy in the romantic comedy Double Harness, one of a series of films from that studio that were considered “lost” until rediscovered and restored by TCM in recent years. Powell’s final film under his WB contract was The Kennel Murder Case (1933), in which he reprised the Philo Vance role.
Powell moved to MGM beginning with Manhattan Melodrama, in which Powell and Clark Gable play old friends on opposite sides of the law, with Myrna Loy as the woman both of them love. The director of that film, W.S. Van Dyke, recognized the romantic chemistry between Powell and Loy and cast them in The Thin Man (1934), a low-budget crime caper that became a surprise smash and elevated Powell’s stardom to a whole new level. Powell and Loy repeated their roles as the glamorous sleuthing couple Nick and Nora Charles in After the Thin Man and four more sequels. Altogether this witty and sophisticated pair appeared in 14 films together including The Great Ziegfeld (1936), an Oscar-winner as Best Picture; Libeled Lady, a star-heavy comic romp costarring Jean Harlow and Spencer Tracy; Double Wedding, another fun comedy whose making was shadowed by the death of Harlow, Powell’s lover and Loy’s close friend; I Love You Again, a farce in which Powell plays a mixed-up amnesiac with Loy as his confused wife; and Love Crazy, a screwball adventure in which they are a married couple beset by outlandish problems. Powell, who had costarred opposite Harlow in Reckless (1935), teamed with such other glamorous leading ladies as Rosalind Russell (Rendezvous, 1935), Ginger Rogers (Star of Midnight, 1935) and Jean Arthur (The Ex-Mrs. Bradford, 1936). In My Man Godfrey (1936), as the bum-turned-butler, he enjoyed a roaring success along with that Oscar® nomination, playing expertly opposite Carole Lombard (by now the ex-Mrs. Powell). Powell was cast opposite Hedy Lamarr in two MGM films, Crossroads, a mystery in which he has an unusually serious role as an amnesiac who may have been a thief in his former life; and The Heavenly Body (1944), a farce in which he returns to top comic form as an astronomer who’s jealous of his gorgeous wife.
Powell’s last star part in a top box-office hit came with Life with Father (1947), an adaptation of the Broadway success in which he played the crusty Father to Irene Dunne’s warm-hearted Mother. Critic Howard Barnes considered Powell’s performance “the greatest of a distinguished career.” After a few minor vehicles Powell then eased gracefully into character parts, playing Elizabeth Taylor’s attorney father in The Girl Who Had Everything and Lauren Bacall’s aging suitor in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). His final film role was that of “Doc,” the quick-witted ship’s doctor in Mister Roberts. Powell, who had a son with first wife Eileen Wilson, married his third wife, Diana Lewis, in 1940. He enjoyed three decades of retirement before his death.
Enjoy!
6:00 AM -- THE KEY (1934)
A British officer stationed in Ireland falls for the wife of an intelligence man.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: William Powell, Edna Best, Colin Clive
BW-71 mins, CC,
Re-titled High Peril when sold to television in the 1950s in order to avoid confusion with The Key (1958).
7:13 AM -- HOT DOG (1930)
A married dog is out on the town with her lover boyfriend, which leads to conflict when the husband shows up in this Dogville short.
Dir: Zion Myers
Cast: Zion Myers, Jules White
BW-15 mins,
Second of nine "Dogville Comedies" released by MGM from 1929 to 1931. These shorts generally spoofed popular films of the day and were hugely popular.
7:30 AM -- THE KENNEL MURDER CASE (1933)
Society sleuth Philo Vance investigates a murder tied to a Long Island dog show.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: William Powell, Mary Astor, Eugene Pallette
BW-73 mins, CC,
William Powell's last of five appearances as Philo Vance.
9:00 AM -- THE GREAT ZIEGFELD (1936)
Lavish biography of Flo Ziegfeld, the producer who became Broadway's biggest starmaker.
Dir: Robert Z. Leonard
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer
C-176 mins, CC,
Winner of Oscars for Best Actress in a Leading Role -- Luise Rainer, Best Dance Direction -- Seymour Felix for "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody", and Best Picture
Nominee for Oscars for Best Director -- Robert Z. Leonard, Best Writing, Original Story -- William Anthony McGuire, Best Art Direction -- Cedric Gibbons, Eddie Imazu and Edwin B. Willis, and Best Film Editing -- William S. Gray
William Powell was loaned by MGM to Universal for the film, but Universal sold the film to MGM when costs mounted. Powell made My Man Godfrey (1936) for Universal instead.
12:00 PM -- THE THIN MAN (1934)
A husband-and-wife detective team takes on the search for a missing inventor and almost get killed for their efforts.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan
BW-91 mins, CC,
Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- William Powell, Best Director -- W.S. Van Dyke, Best Writing, Adaptation -- Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, and Best Picture
William Powell spoke of how much he loved working with Myrna Loy because of her naturalness, her professionalism, and her lack of any kind of "diva" temperament. "When we did a scene together, we forgot about technique, camera angles, and microphones. We weren't acting. We were just two people in perfect harmony," he said. "Myrna, unlike some actresses who think only of themselves, has the happy faculty of being able to listen while the other fellow says his lines. She has the give and take of acting that brings out the best."
1:38 PM -- BABES IN THE GOODS (1934)
In this comedic short, two women are offered a job in a department store... and are locked in after hours.
Dir: Gus Meins
Cast: Patsy Kelly, Thelma Todd, Arthur Housman
BW-19 mins,
2:00 PM -- ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939)
Not even the joys of parenthood can stop married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles from investigating a murder on a Long Island estate.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke II
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Virginia Grey
BW-103 mins, CC,
Two tragedies befell William Powell prior to the making of this movie: the unexpected death of his fiancée, Jean Harlow, and a difficult battle with colon cancer that required colon bypass surgery and new radiation treatments. Production of this film was delayed as a result. Powell and Myrna Loy were given a standing ovation when he finally returned to join her on the set for filming.
4:00 PM -- I LOVE YOU AGAIN (1940)
A solid married man discovers he's forgotten a past existence as a con artist.
Dir: W. S. Van Dyke II
Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Frank McHugh
BW-99 mins, CC,
Myrna Loy had originally been scheduled to make "The Road to Rome" with Clark Gable, but its anti-war message would have made it a difficult movie to market with World War II going on in Europe. The film was shelved and Loy moved on to make this film instead. She did not mind the change, as she was a great friend of William Powell and loved working with him.
6:00 PM -- LIBELED LADY (1936)
When an heiress sues a newspaper, the editor hires a reporter to compromise her.
Dir: Jack Conway
Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Myrna Loy
BW-98 mins, CC,
Nominee for an Oscar for Best Picture
Reportedly, while shooting the movie, the four stars had become close friends, and William Powell even gave up his old habit of hiding out in his dressing room between scenes so he could join in the fun with the rest of the cast. One of the biggest jokes was a running gag Spencer Tracy played on Myrna Loy, claiming that she had broken his heart with her recent marriage to producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. He even set up an "I Hate Hornblow" table in the studio commissary, reserved for men who claimed to have been jilted by Loy.
7:49 PM -- ELECTION DAZE (1943)
In this comedic short, two members of a children's gang run for club president.
Dir: Herbert Glazer
Cast: Joan Blake, Buz Buckley, Richard Hall
BW-10 mins,
According to Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann in their 1992 "Little Rascals" book, "Election Daze" was released during the wartime presidential campaign between Thomas E. Dewey and Franklin D. Roosevelt (who, of course, would win his fourth term the following year).
TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: WILLIAM POWELL
8:00 PM -- THE SENATOR WAS INDISCREET (1947)
A crooked Southern senator, considered a dark horse for the Presidency, panics his party when his tell-all diary is stolen.
Dir: George S. Kaufman
Cast: William Powell, Ella Raines, Peter Lind Hayes
BW-75 mins, CC,
The final of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.
9:32 PM -- SO YOU'RE GOING TO BE A FATHER (1947)
In this comedic short, Joe McDoakes faces numerous anxieties in becoming a new father. Vitaphone Release 1552A.
Dir: Richard Bare
Cast: George O'Hanlon, Jack Mower, Creighton Hale
BW-11 mins,
9:45 PM -- LIFE WITH FATHER (1947)
A straitlaced turn-of-the-century father presides over a family of boys and the mother who really rules the roost.
Dir: Michael Curtiz
Cast: William Powell, Irene Dunne, Elizabeth Taylor
C-118 mins, CC,
Nominee for Oscars for Best Actor in a Leading Role -- William Powell, Best Cinematography, Color -- J. Peverell Marley and William V. Skall, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color -- Robert M. Haas and George James Hopkins, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture -- Max Steiner
Before filming began, the cast was taken to Perc Westmore's salon on a Sunday morning to have their hair dyed red. When it was time to rinse the dye, the beauticians discovered that the water had been turned off for the entire block because the street was being repaired. Because dyes were so strong then, leaving them on could have caused the cast to lose their hair. Luckily, someone suggested diluting the dye with cold cream.
12:00 AM -- ONE WAY PASSAGE (1932)
An ocean voyage leads to romance for a dying heiress and a condemned criminal.
Dir: Tay Garnett
Cast: William Powell, Kay Francis, Aline MacMahon
BW-67 mins, CC,
Winner of an Oscar for Best Writing, Original Story -- Robert Lord
One of seven films Kay Francis starred in with William Powell.
1:18 AM -- THE STORY OF "THE JONKER DIAMOND" (1936)
This short film presents a re-enactment of how the Jonker diamond was discovered in South Africa in 1905.
Dir: Jacques Tourneur
Cast: Louis Mason, John Hyams, Louis Natheaux
BW-10 mins,
The Jonker diamond was found in South Africa on 17 Jan 1934. At 726 carats, it was the 4th largest uncut diamond ever found at the time. There is speculation that it may be part of the Cullinan diamond discovered in 1905, the largest gem quality diamond ever found, at 3106.75 carats. The Jonker was cut into 13 diamonds, with the largest an Emerald cut diamond weighing 142.90 carats.
1:30 AM -- JEWEL ROBBERY (1932)
A jewel thief falls for a tycoon's wife in Vienna.
Dir: William Dieterle
Cast: William Powell, Kay Francis, Helen Vinson
BW-68 mins, CC,
Fifth of six films pairing William Powell and Kay Francis released from 1930 to 1932.
2:40 AM -- GYPSY NIGHT (1935)
In this short film, gypsies sing and dance around the fire while their children dream.
Dir: Harold Hecht
Cast: Ilia Khmara, Mary Jo Matthews, Joseph Mario
C-18 mins,
3:00 AM -- RECKLESS (1935)
A theatrical star gets in over her head when she marries a drunken millionaire.
Dir: Victor Fleming
Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot Tone
BW-97 mins, CC,
One of the last films to sneak through before the Production Code cracked down on Hollywood in 1935. Jean Harlow goes braless in most of her musical numbers, as she was wont to do, and there are pointed, lascivious remarks made by William Powell to her character, one of which alludes to the possibility of her having caught a venereal disease from Franchot Tone.
4:45 AM -- HIGH PRESSURE (1932)
A scheming promoter tries to get rich selling artificial rubber.
Dir: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: William Powell, Evelyn Brent, George Sidney
BW-73 mins, CC,
In 1932 Warners re-shot this same comedy with French-speaking actors (replacing the original performers), delivering all their dialog in French, at the same Hollywood studio, in the same sets, and using the same script (translated into French), under the French title "Le bluffeur" (The Bluffer). Subtitles weren't yet in vogue, so Warners gave French-speaking audiences a parallel version they could understand, played mostly by French actors. Powell's star part was played by Andre Luguet, Brent's by Lucienne Radisse, Sidney's by Torben Meyer, Kibbee's by Andre Cheron, McHugh's by Jacques Jou-Jerville, Middleton's by Georges Renavent, Beresford's by Christian Rub, and Littlefield's by Emile Chautard. Meyer, Renavent, Rub, and Chautard were already permanently ensconced in Hollywood, while most of the other French-speaking actors were imported from Paris just for these parallel French-language versions in the early 1930s. When subtitles and dubbing were soon "perfected", the US studios ceased making parallel versions like "Le bluffeur".