The Dick Powell Story (Paperback)

~ Tony Thomas (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Riverwood Pr; First Edition ~1st Printing edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880756021
• ISBN-13: 978-1880756027
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,294,866 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About time a book was done on Dick Powell, May 11, 2004

By A Customer

I was impressed with the amount of information that Mr. Thomas put in the book. It was not only a photo book but had lots of tid-bits of information.

4.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Actor, May 29, 2008

By	Samantha Kelley "Maliejandra" (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Dick Powell was an amazingly dynamic performer. He began his career as a singer and learned several instruments for his jazz band career. He was noticed by an executive from Warner Brothers and was signed to a contract which led to the making of films like 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933. His discontent with mediocre roles led him to pursue the leading role in Murder, My Sweet which transformed his image. A workaholic at heart, Dick reinvented himself again as a director and later a television mogul. His early death from cancer at age 58 shocked many, but he lived a full life with a wonderful career.

This book is more of a filmography than a biography. There is a short bio section in the front, but the only outstanding parts of this are the quotes. There is a photo of author Tony Thomas with Powell, and their meeting has provided the inclusion of quotes by Powell. Most noteworthy to collectors are the lists of Powell's television and radio appearances. There is even a listing of all of the records that Powell made during his life, including the rare 20s songs.

The book is not worth the high price for the average film enthusiast. Only Dick Powell fans should consider tracking it down. It suffers from an incomplete portrayal of the man outside of his career and many typographical errors. There are times that simple words are spelled incorrectly or that a line is skipped for no reason. The worst example of this is in the review of The Bad and the Beautiful which seems to be missing some information. Page 141 ends with "...Georgia Lorrison (Lana Turner), who falls in love with him and believes marriage" and page 143 beings with "under contract to Shields Studio." (Page 142 only has photos.) Thomas goes on to talk about Powell's character as if he has been previously addressed, but he hasn't.

The photos are great. There are many rare scenes from Powell on his yacht, in a nightclub, speaking on the radio, and working on a set. The photos make this book an excellent coffee table book for visitors to flip through.