William Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984)

For me he will always be the Thin Man. His career began on Broadway as far back as 1912… In 1922 he appeared in his first motion picture Sherlock Holmes. His other film credits include Outcast, The Bright Shawl, Time to Love, Paid to Love, She’s a Sheik, The Great Ziegfeld, Ziegfeld Follies and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid… Between 1929 and 1933 he played the detective Philo Vance in five different films. Between 1934 and 1947 he appeared as Nick Charles in six different films The Thin Man (1934), After the Thin Man (1936), Another Thin Man (1939), Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), The Thin Man Goes Home (1944) and Song of the Thin Man (1947). In these films, actress Myrna Loy played his wife Nora and after all was said and done Powell and Loy appeared in fourteen motion pictures together... On radio he appeared on shows like “Suspense” and reprised his role as Nick Charles for the “Lux Radio Theatre” version of The Thin Man… He shared a wonderful romance with actress Jean Harlow from 1935 until her sudden death in 1937. In 1955, at the age of 63, he retired after his appearance in the film Mister Roberts. He received several offers but remained in retirement until his death from a cardiac arrest at the age of 91... He is one of the very few actors that didn’t appear on television in his later years… He was honored by comedian Don Adams who claimed that the voice he used for his “Get Smart” character Maxwell Smart was an impression of Nick Charles… 25 years after his passing… In Memoriam Remembers: William Powell

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering the Cast of "Make Room for Daddy" / "The Danny Thomas Show" (583)

It was one of the longest running family sitcoms in television history.  Right there along side "I Love Lucy", "The Honeymooners", "Father Knows Best" and "My Little Margie" it was one of the most beloved programs of the day.  It began on ABC as "Make Room for Daddy" on September 29, 1953.  After 120 episodes the title changed to "The Danny Thomas Show" and in 1957 the program moved to CBS.  After a healthy eleven year run the show ended on April 27, 1964 after producing 351 episodes total.  In 1970 a majority of the cast returned for the show "Make Room for Granddaddy" which lasted from 1970 to 1971 producing 24 episodes.  The cast was headed up by Danny Thomas who played nightclub entertainer Danny Williams.  Jean Hagen played his wife Margaret, Rusty Hamer played his son Rusty and Sherry Jackson played his daughter Terry.  Jackson played Terry from 1953 to 1958 followed by Penny Parker who played the role from...
Read more

Doris Packer (May 30, 1904 - March 31, 1979)

She began in New York on Broadway and then started appearing on radio. Some of her radio credits include "Henry Aldrich" and "Mr. & Mrs. North." When she became a widow in 1953 she relocated to California where she began appearing on film and on television. Her first film was Meet Me at the Fair. She also appeared in The Perils of Pauline in 1967. She is best remembered as Mrs. Cornelia Rayburn, Beaver's Principal on "Leave it to Beaver." She also had a recurring role on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Her final film appearance was in Shampoo in 1975... Other Television Credits: "The Great Gildersleeve" "Jane Wyman Presents the Fireside Theatre" "The Bob Cummings Show" "The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show" "I Love Lucy" "Lux Video Theatre" "The Jack Benny Program" "The Thin Man" "Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse" "Maverick" ...
Read more