Actor William Powell is perhaps best known for his roles as charming Nick in The Thin Man films and blustery Clarence Day in Life with Father. As diverse as those characters are, they don't begin to reveal the full scope of talent demonstrated by one of Hollywood's most intelligent leading men. Elegant, witty and dignified, Powell created accessible and human characters in a great variety of roles. His talent was such that Powell has a large and growing fan base 50 years after his last film was released, evidenced by the popularity of DVD rereleases and the frequent appearance of his films on cable television. The focus of this book is Powell's work in more than 90 films, from the silent era to the age of CinemaScope, woven into the dramatic and touching story of the actor's life. It begins by leaping into how Powell and actress Myrna Loy were launched to stardom as husband and wife Nick and Nora Charles in The Thin Man. The next chapter sets the stage for the baby Powell's entry into the world in 1892 and details his childhood and upbringing. Following chapters trace Powell's journey into the film industry, his early career as a popular villain, and his transition to talkies in the late 1920s aided by his stage training. The book details his work at Warner Bros., which turned him into a leading man, and his years of stardom at MGM. The book describes turning points in Powell's life--the death of lover Jean Harlow, a 21-month hiatus from films while the actor battled cancer, and a new leap to the top in Life with Father. Concluding chapters detail another flurry of films and the actor's retirement. A filmography lists Powell's films from 1922 to 1955, including those believed to be lost.
William Powell: The Life and Films
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Valuable." --Mystery Scene
About the Author
Roger Bryant lives in Midland, Michigan, where he is a freelance writer and business intelligence analyst.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent History of William Powell's Early Life and Film Career
November 22, 2006
Format:Paperback
Bryant's book is an outstanding contribution to the literature about classic Hollywood cinema. The author provides an engaging telling of Powell's early life and early stage career. He then embarks on a detailed biographical filmography of one of Hollywood's most beloved stars. It is THE outstanding introduction to the film career of William Powell. Bryant provides insightful and intelligent commentary in his evaluation and critique of Powell's entire film output, including his early silent films. The book is all the more valuable due to the paucity of literature devoted to Powell. An added bonus is the inclusion of several rare photos, including a sweet portrait of Powell taken when he was a mere four years old; a photo that my three-year old daughter is especially taken with. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in classic Hollywood film in general and in the life and work of William Powell in particular.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Thank goodness, we are finally getting a new book on the life and career of one of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s greatest stars. There are too few books out about William Powell who made acting look effortless. I loved him in The Thin Man series, My Man Godfrey, Life with Father, The Great Ziefield, Mr. Roberts, and in anything with Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, & Clark Gable. They just don't make them like they used to!!! This is a great book to learn not only about his films, but also about his personal life. If you are interested in the Golden Age of film, don't miss this book!
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This author definitely did his homework on William Powell's films, and he is a fairly good writer. But if you buy this book expecting a biography, you will be disappointed. There is some information about Powell in the book, but the majority of the book is spent recapping the plots of his many films, one by one. I found that very tedious. Having someone explain a movie plot to you is never ideal, but in this case it was also a bit infuriating. In a $35 book (soft cover!), I was expecting much more. I'm sorry to be so negative, but I would never recommend this book to anyone but a film archivist. The author's hard work is admirable, but it is extremely misleading to call this a biography.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Avid Reader
Format:Paperback
This book was a well written & informative filmography of William Powell, one of my favorite actors. Unfortunately, I was looking for a biography. The longest biographical sections cover his early life and his life after he retired from the screen. Information about his life in between is sketchy. His courtship, marriage and divorce from Carole Lombard is covered in a total of seven paragraphs. However, as stated, this is an excellent book for those only interested in the films of William Powell.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At long last, a really insightful, nuanced book about one of my favorite actors. Bryant has an istinctive feel for his subject, one of the great film actors from Hollywood's golden age. Powell so deserves a book like this--one that does justice to his real impact on the screen. Bryant has it exactly right: Powell is "captivating good company."
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
William Powell: The Life and Films by Roger Bryant is an elegantly written, intensely researched volume. Bryant painstakingly recounts the production of each and every Powell film (including the "lost" silents), providing a plot summary of each. His engaging text is intelligent, and includes pertinent and informative comments regarding Powell's co-workers, family, and friends without interrupting the flow of narrative.
Bryant is quick to point out that this volume is not a biography, but more a study of Powell's career with some biographical data included to put things into context. It is kind of a cross between Charles Francisco's 1985 Powell biography and Lawrence Quirk's Citadel "Films Of..." effort; less a biography than the former and with fewer photos than the latter.
All told, this well-written, intensely researched volume is right up there with the very best of the genre and definitely worth it's rather hefty cover price.
Bryant is quick to point out that this volume is not a biography, but more a study of Powell's career with some biographical data included to put things into context. It is kind of a cross between Charles Francisco's 1985 Powell biography and Lawrence Quirk's Citadel "Films Of..." effort; less a biography than the former and with fewer photos than the latter.
All told, this well-written, intensely researched volume is right up there with the very best of the genre and definitely worth it's rather hefty cover price.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
In reality it is not so much a biography as the title implies, as it is an analysis of Powell's career with its emphasis placed on his films (both existing and the early lost films). While the book delved into Powell's early life and education (primarily in Kansas City), it really didn't say much about his first marriage to Eileen Wilson, his second short lived marriage to screen beauty Carole Lombard, his relationship with actress/comedienne Jean Harlow, or his relationship with his only child David.
The thrust of this book is Powell's film career and the author goes into great detail regarding the films plots, Powell's performances, critical opinions, and how they all fit into the mosaic of Powell's success as a film actor.
If I hadn't recently picked up a copy of the out-of-print FILMS OF WILLIAM POWELL, I probably would have enjoyed this book more. However, it was apparent that both books covered essentially the same territory. After I finished this book, I realized that I really didn't walk away with much new information re: Powell.
If you know little about Powell's film career, this is a nice book. However, it really isn't a biography. There was much about Powell's personal life that wasn't included in this book, and there is much information that is readily available which was passed over or just minimally looked at.
The thrust of this book is Powell's film career and the author goes into great detail regarding the films plots, Powell's performances, critical opinions, and how they all fit into the mosaic of Powell's success as a film actor.
If I hadn't recently picked up a copy of the out-of-print FILMS OF WILLIAM POWELL, I probably would have enjoyed this book more. However, it was apparent that both books covered essentially the same territory. After I finished this book, I realized that I really didn't walk away with much new information re: Powell.
If you know little about Powell's film career, this is a nice book. However, it really isn't a biography. There was much about Powell's personal life that wasn't included in this book, and there is much information that is readily available which was passed over or just minimally looked at.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
William Powell: The Life and Films
If you want to know about the film's William Powell did it is a good book. However, this is not the book you want to read if you want to know about the man.
Published 26 days ago by Chris Langford
2.0 out of 5 stars
I didn't care for it
I'm a big movie fan and a big movie biography fan. I didn't care for this. It provided little background information about the man and had rather boring, overly detailed... Read more
Published 2 months ago by BBF
5.0 out of 5 stars
An actor and a gentleman....
Until a few years ago, I had only ever associated William Powell with the 'Thin Man' movies, the first of which he was nominated for an Oscar. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stephen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost exactly what I was looking for.
I set out to learn as much about William Powell as I could and this book delivered the goods. It was easy to read and the author had obviously done his homework.
Published 8 months ago by Terry R. Barca
2.0 out of 5 stars
William Powell Bio
I have always been fascinated with William Powell - the consummate actor. However, the biographer, Roger Bryant, almost put me to sleep. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Louise Miller
1.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Read
This bio certainly is a quick read because much of the content can be scanned or just ignored. It does not really address William Powell's personal life. Read more
Published on April 12, 2010 by Dorothy Cook
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book! Everyone loves William Powell.
Bryant does a very good job of balancing Powell's work in films with the story of his life. I'm a big fan of William Powell but have never read a biography of him. Read more
Published on August 31, 2008 by Treading Lightly
