November 14, 1904

Dick Powell was born in Mountain View (Stone County), the second of three sons of Sallie Thompson and Ewing Powell. His father was a machinery salesman sometimes credited with introducing the gasoline engine to north Arkansas. Powell’s mother encouraged her three sons’ interest in music. An ambitious man always pursuing new avenues for his creativity, Powell became a musician, actor, and director while experimenting with different media (radio, film, and television) at a time when not many did. The films of which he was a part ranged from 1930s comical musicals to 1940s films noir.