William Powell: The Life and Films

by Roger Bryant

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.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 21, 2006

Reviews

[Nancy Loe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unworthy of the subject. If you want to read marginal plot descriptions of Powell movies, then this will be right up your alley.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mainly about the film career of William Powell aka Nick Charles(The Thin Man). Powell never wrote an autobiography but this gives you basics of his life. Many quotes from Powell are from various Interviews he did during his career. An interesting read about one of great actors of the 20th century.

[JoeK · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a digital copy of this book, so it was difficult to get an idea of how log it was (it wasn't). By the time I was 57%, William Powell's career was it decline. It turns out about 40% of the book consists of footnotes and an extensive filmography, which was a bit disappointing since this book was mostly filmography.

I wish this were more obvious from the books description, before I bought it as this is now the second book I've read about Powell this year that told me little more than I can glean from his Wikipedia entry. To be fair, that author warns in the introduction that this is the case, citing a recent book about Powell's personal life to be the reason that this one concentrates on his career. Unfortunately he doesn't mention the title of that book, which is probably the book I wanted to read. Not that I want a tell-all, but it would have been nice to know a bit more about his friends and behind-the-scenes details about the production of his films. In this case I learned that Ronald Colman and Richard Barthelmess were his best friends and he spent quite a bit of time relaxing on Colman's boat.

[Scott Ratner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vastly superior to the Charles Francisco biography, both in style and substance. Admittedly it places primary emphasis on his film career, but that is presumably the key source of interest for most readers. Bryant's assessments of Powell's films and performances are thoughtful and not just a reiteration of common "wisdom."

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caveat emptor: Bryant adds very little new bio information (Charles Francisco remains the definitive biographer), and wastes his wordcount by recounting Powell's myriad film plots. Thus the subtitle.

[Shawn Ritenour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding work on the cinematic career of William Powell. Any future Powell scholar must read this book.