Jan. 3, 1963 - Hollywood’s movie and television industries are mourning today the loss of Dick Powell, who died last night at his Los Angeles apartment of cancer at the age of 58. Apart from having been a movie and television star, Mr. Powell became the head of Four Star, one of the most important producers of television shows in the world. His death was made particularly poignant since it followed so closely on the death of Jack Carson earlier in the day, also of cancer. The gloom was even more intense since it followed the recent deaths of Charles Laughton and Thomas Mitchell. While other stars quickly faded in show business’s successive revolutions, Mr. Powell stayed on top, passing nimbly from movie-house master of ceremonies to juvenile crooner to “tough guy” private eye to radio and then television star and director and producer. “I started out with two assets,” he once said, “a voice that didn’t drive audiences into the streets and a determination to make money. I’ve always worked like a dog. If you don’t keep working hard in this business, you’re dead.” Jack Gould, television critic for The New York Times, said of one of Mr. Powell’s productions in 1961: “There’s one thing that can always be said for Dick Powell: he’s a pro.”
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