The Dick Powell Show

Did You Know?

• The Navy Motion Picture Service made The Dick Powell Show available for viewing aboard ships in 1964.
• Episodes were packaged with episodes of The Untouchables in 108-minute programs on 16-millimeter film.

Overview

This anthology series mixed dramas and comedies, originally introduced by veteran film actor Dick Powell. After Powell died of lung cancer on January 2, 1963, the program was renamed The Dick Powell Theatre and continued with a rotating lineup of guest hosts. Gregory Peck was the first, opening the January 8 episode with a tribute that called Powell "a great and good friend to our industry." Subsequent hosts included Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Glenn Ford, Charles Boyer, Jackie Cooper, Rock Hudson, Milton Berle, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin, Robert Taylor, Steve McQueen, David Niven, Danny Thomas, Robert Wagner, and John Wayne. The show gave early breaks to future stars, producers, and directors like Aaron Spelling, Sam Peckinpah, and Bruce Geller. Blake Edwards wrote and directed several episodes, among them two that featured Robert Vaughn as an Ivy League private detective nicknamed "The Boston Terrier." Those episodes, along with others, served as pilots for potential Four Star Television series. One such attempt tried to revive The Westerner in a modern setting, with Lee Marvin taking over Brian Keith's original role. The debut episode of the series was the original pilot for Burke's Law, titled "Who Killed Julie Greer?," in which Powell played Amos Burke. The Dick Powell Show was a Four Star Television production. The theme music, "More Than Love" (also called "Theme from The Dick Powell Show"), and most of the show's other musical pieces were composed by Herschel Burke Gilbert.