| The Dick Powell Show | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Dick Powell Theater |
| Format | Anthology |
| Starring | Dick Powell Robert Mitchum Frank Sinatra Gregory Peck Glenn Ford Charles Boyer Jackie Cooper Rock Hudson Milton Berle Jack Lemmon Dean Martin Robert Taylor Steve McQueen David Niven Danny Thomas Robert Wagner John Wayne |
| Composer(s) | Herschel Burke Gilbert |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 60 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Four Star Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | September 26, 1961 – April 30, 1963 |
The Dick Powell Show is an American anthology series that ran on NBC from 1961- 1963, primarily sponsored by the Reynolds Metals Company. It was hosted by longtime film star Dick Powell until his death from lymphatic cancer on January 2, 1963, then by a series of guest hosts (and retitled The Dick Powell Theater) until the series ended. The first of these was Gregory Peck, who began the January 8 program with a tribute to Powell, recognizing him as "a great and good friend to our industry."[1] Peck was followed by fellow actors such as Robert Mitchum, Frank Sinatra, 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.[2]
The series was an anthology of various dramas and comedies. It featured many future stars, producers and directors early in their careers, including Aaron Spelling, William Friedkin, and Bruce Geller. Blake Edwards wrote and directed a number of episodes including two featuring Robert Vaughn as an Ivy League private eye known as The Boston Terrier. Several episodes, including those featuring "The Boston Terrier", doubled as pilots for potential Four Star series, including an unsuccessful attempt to revive The Westerner in a modern-day setting, featuring Lee Marvin in Brian Keith's original role. The original pilot episode for Burke's Law ("Who Killed Julie Greer?"), starring Powell as "Amos Burke", appeared as the debut episode of this series, featuring Ronald Reagan as the killer.
Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater had run on CBS in the late 1950s, but he switched networks for his last series. The Dick Powell Show was one of the many productions of Four Star Television. The series' theme, "More Than Love" {aka "Theme from The Dick Powell Show"}, and the majority of musical compositions heard throughout the series, was the work of Herschel Burke Gilbert.