Dick Purcell

Acting

Dick Purcell

Born — Died

1905-08-06 — 1944-04-10

Place of birth

Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

60 titles

Dick Purcell (born Richard Gerold Purcell, Jr.) was an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for playing Marvel Comics' Captain America in the 1944 film serial. The serial was released on February 5, and Purcell, age 38, died two months later, on 10 April 1944, the result of a fatal heart attack.

Known for

The Bank Dick poster
6.5

Egbert Sousé becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying. Now considered brave, Egbert is given a job as a bank guard. Soon, he is approached by charlatan J. Frothingham Waterbury about buying shares in a mining company. Egbert persuades teller Og Oggilby to lend him bank money, to be returned when the scheme pays off. Unfortunately, bank inspector Snoopington then makes a surprise appearance.

The Bank Dick

1940

Follow the Fleet poster
6.9

When the US Navy fleet docks at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's buddy Bilge Smith romances Sherry's sister, Connie. But it's not all smooth sailing—Bake has a habit of losing Sherry's jobs for her and, despite Connie's dreams, Bilge is not ready to settle down.

Follow the Fleet

1936

Tough Kid poster
6.5

Skipper Murphy is serving as trainer and inspiration for his brother Red Murphy training for a world championship title bout. Trouble comes for the Murphys when Red runs up against a gambling syndicate and is put on the spot to throw the fight.

Tough Kid

1938

Captain America poster
5.3

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Captain America

1944

Arise, My Love poster
6.5

A dashing pilot and a vivacious reporter have romantic and dramatic adventures in Europe as World War II begins.

Arise, My Love

1940

Bullets for O'Hara poster
5.0

A detective courts a gangster's ex-wife to lure him into a trap.

Bullets for O'Hara

1941

Film credits

1940s · 26 titles

The Bank Dick poster
6.5

Egbert Sousé becomes an unexpected hero when a bank robber falls over a bench he's occupying. Now considered brave, Egbert is given a job as a bank guard. Soon, he is approached by charlatan J. Frothingham Waterbury about buying shares in a mining company. Egbert persuades teller Og Oggilby to lend him bank money, to be returned when the scheme pays off. Unfortunately, bank inspector Snoopington then makes a surprise appearance.

The Bank Dick

1940

Captain America poster
5.3

Superhero Captain America battles the evil forces of the archvillain called The Scarab, who poisons his enemies and steals a secret device capable of destroying buildings by sound vibrations.

Captain America

1944

Arise, My Love poster
6.5

A dashing pilot and a vivacious reporter have romantic and dramatic adventures in Europe as World War II begins.

Arise, My Love

1940

Bullets for O'Hara poster
5.0

A detective courts a gangster's ex-wife to lure him into a trap.

Bullets for O'Hara

1941

X Marks the Spot poster
4.5

A private detective, soon to enlist in the army, is drawn into one final case when his police officer father is killed in the line of duty. Soon his prime suspect is murdered as well, and he finds himself framed for the crime. As more witnesses get murdered, he finds himself on the run from both the police and former Prohibition violators who seem to have found a new racket.

X Marks the Spot

1942

In Old California poster
5.3

Boston pharmacist Tom Craig comes to Sacramento, where he runs afoul of local political boss Britt Dawson, who exacts protection payment from the citizenry. Dawson frames Craig with poisoned medicine, but Craig redeems himself during a Gold Rush epidemic.

In Old California

1942

New Moon poster
6.9

A revolutionary leader romances a French aristocrat in Louisiana.

New Moon

1940

Outside the Three-Mile Limit poster
5.7

Government Agent Conway, posing as a crew member of a ship, is investigating the flood of counterfeit money that seemingly is originating for a gambling ship, moored off-shore beyond the three-mile limit and operated by gangster Dave Reeves.

Outside the Three-Mile Limit

1940

The Mystery of the 13th Guest poster
5.7

A woman of twenty-one opens her grandfather's will left to her thirteen years earlier, per his instructions. Murder soon follows.

The Mystery of the 13th Guest

1943

Flight Command poster
5.9

A rookie flyer, Ens. Alan Drake, joins the famous Hellcats Squadron right out of flight school in Pensacola. He doesn't make a great first impression when he is forced to ditch his airplane and parachute to safety when he arrives at the base but is unable to land due to heavy fog. On his first day on the job, his poor shooting skills results in the Hellcats losing an air combat competition. His fellow pilots accept him anyways but they think he's crossed the line when they erroneously conclude that while their CO Billy Gray is away, Drake has an affair with his wife Lorna. Drake is now an outcast and is prepared to resign from the Navy but his extreme heroism in saving Billy Gray's life turns things around.

Flight Command

1940

King of the Zombies poster
5.2

During World War II, a small plane somewhere over the Caribbean runs low on fuel and is blown off course by a storm. Guided by a faint radio signal, they crash-land on an island. The passenger, his manservant and the pilot take refuge in a mansion owned by a doctor. The quick-witted yet easily-frightened manservant soon becomes convinced the mansion is haunted by zombies and ghosts.

King of the Zombies

1941

No Hands on the Clock poster
5.6

A wise-cracking private detective's honeymoon is interrupted by a kidnapping case.

No Hands on the Clock

1941

Leave It to the Irish poster
4.4

Private Investigator Terry Moran, who is in love with Nora O'Brien the daughter of Police Detective Tim O'Brien, is hired by Mrs. Hamilton to solve the murder of her husband, a fur dealer.

Leave It to the Irish

1944

No Place for a Lady poster
6.0

A private detective and a blonde acquaintance whom he has rescued from a misdirected murder charge, discover a body in his beachside cottage; only it has disappeared by the time the police arrive, leaving him to be charged with hoaxing the police. With his license in jeopardy, his would-be fiancee and an inquiring reporter set out to investigate.

No Place for a Lady

1943

Phantom Killer poster
5.2

Well-known philanthropist and deaf-mute John G. Harrison is identified leaving the scene of several murders but evades successful prosecution as there are hundreds of witnesses who have also seen him emceeing benefits at the exact same time as the murders.

Phantom Killer

1942

Two in a Taxi poster
8.0

An ambitious but financially strapped taxi driver becomes involved with mobsters to obtain money to buy a gas station.

Two in a Taxi

1941

I Live on Danger poster
6.1

A cocky radio reporter sets out to prove an ex-convict is innocent in the murder of a mob boss.

I Live on Danger

1942

Idaho poster
6.2

A deputy sets out to prove that a respected judge, who had once been a criminal, is being framed for crimes committed by a crooked saloon owner.

Idaho

1943

Flying Blind poster
4.6

A spy steals a secret military device, then hijacks an airliner to get away. The airliner crashes in the wilderness & the survivors are threatened by a raging forest fire.

Flying Blind

1941

Aerial Gunner poster
5.0

Old rivals are pitted against each other in basic training and fight for the same woman.

Aerial Gunner

1943

Timber Queen poster
6.0

Russ Evans, A WWII veteran army pilot, decides to check up on the widow of an old war buddy of his, Elaine Graham. The logging company she inherited is doing poorly, but Elaine gets an order in for a huge shipment of lumber. Russ and his friend Squirrel volunteer to help her cut the timber for the shipment, along with her friends Smacksie Golden and his girlfriend Lil Boggs, who are not used to doing physical labor. Russ pilots the plane to deliver the lumber before the company falls to a slimy businessman.

Timber Queen

1944

Private Affairs poster
7.0

A girl decides to consult her natural father, whom she's never seen, for advice on her mixed-up love life.

Private Affairs

1940

Reveille with Beverly poster
7.5

Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the DJ for an early morning show before the soldiers at a nearby army camp assemble for reveille. Beverly, with her modern music, camp bulletins and chatter, is a hit with the soldiers. Beverly's younger brother and his two buddies are soldiers at the camp. The buddies vie for Beverly's attentions.

Reveille with Beverly

1943

Trocadero poster
5.1

A newspaper columnist and host of his own national network radio program, interviewing more film personalities on his show than any other commentator, is searching for a story for a Sunday column carried by newspaper from coast to coast. Hanging out in Hollywood's famed Trocadero restaurant and night-spot, he gets his story when "Troc" owner and band-leader Eddie LeBaron, relates to him the sage of the famed screenland nitery. And hears plenty of music furnished by four of the top name-bands in the land, including that of Bob Chester, who formed his own swing band in 1935 after being top saxophonist with the bands of Ben Pollack and Ben Bernie. Singer Ida James and the Chester band led off with "Shoo Shoo Baby" in their screen debut.

Trocadero

1944

High Explosive poster
6.2

Mike Douglas (Barry Sullivan), owner of a nitroglycerin concern hires his old friend "Buzz" Mitchell (Chester Morris), a race-driver of midget-auto cars who has been banned from racing, to go to work hauling nitro. "Buzz" makes a play for Connie Baker (Jean Parker), Mike's secretary and girlfriend, and also for Doris Lynch (Barbara Lynn), fiancée of Connie's younger brother, Jimmy ('Rand Brooks'), and gets Jimmy to replace him on a dangerous nitro haul and Jimmy, of course, has an accident and gets killed. But "Buzz" finds a way to redeem himself. The hard way.

High Explosive

1943

Torpedo Boat poster
7.5

Richard Arlen and Phil Terry star as Skimmer and Tommy, two lifelong buddies who've invented a lightweight, high-speed torpedo boat (hence the title). Their copacetic business relationship is strained when nightclub singer Grace Holman (Jean Parker), having been jilted by Skimmer, marries Tommy on the rebound.

Torpedo Boat

1942

1930s · 33 titles

Follow the Fleet poster
6.9

When the US Navy fleet docks at San Francisco, sailor Bake Baker tries to rekindle the flame with his old dancing partner, Sherry Martin, while Bake's buddy Bilge Smith romances Sherry's sister, Connie. But it's not all smooth sailing—Bake has a habit of losing Sherry's jobs for her and, despite Connie's dreams, Bilge is not ready to settle down.

Follow the Fleet

1936

Tough Kid poster
6.5

Skipper Murphy is serving as trainer and inspiration for his brother Red Murphy training for a world championship title bout. Trouble comes for the Murphys when Red runs up against a gambling syndicate and is put on the spot to throw the fight.

Tough Kid

1938

The Doorway to Hell poster
6.5

A vicious crime lord decides that he has had enough and much to the shock of his colleagues decides to give the business to his second in command and retire to Florida after marrying his moll. Unfortunately, he has no idea that she and the man are lovers.

The Doorway to Hell

1930

Bullets or Ballots poster
6.6

After Police Captain Dan McLaren becomes police commissioner, former detective Johnny Blake publicly punches him, convincing rackets boss Al Kruger that Blake is sincere in his effort to join the mob. "Bugs" Fenner, meanwhile, is certain that Blake is a police agent.

Bullets or Ballots

1936

Wine, Women and Horses poster
5.2

An ex-gambler hooks up with an old flame after his old habit resurfaces and drives off his wife.

Wine, Women and Horses

1937

Freshman Love poster
7.0

A star rower is forced to join a good school under a pseudonym because his wealthy dad doesn't like schools that have high academic standards.

Freshman Love

1936

Streets of New York poster
5.4

Jimmy, an idealistic and hard-working young man, has just arrived in New York City with dreams of making his fortune. Along the way he faces numerous obstacles, opportunities and temptations, but through it all, he considers the actions of his hero, Abraham Lincoln, for guidance. Will Jimmy see his dreams come true, or will he be another of the countless hopefuls chewed up and spit out by New York's mean streets?

Streets of New York

1939

Breakdowns of 1938 poster
5.8

Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1938.

Breakdowns of 1938

1938

Public Enemy's Wife poster
6.4

Judith has just been paroled for a crime which her vindictive, jealous, violent husband, Gene, fingered her for. Gene is in prison for life. She claims that she had no knowledge of Gene's criminal activity, but FBI agent Lee Laird doesn't buy it.

Public Enemy's Wife

1936

Broadway Musketeers poster
4.4

Three women who grew up in an orphanage cross paths later in life: one unhappily married with a young daughter, one an office secretary, and one a nightclub performer.

Broadway Musketeers

1938

Nancy Drew… Detective poster
6.5

After a wealthy dowager who has made a substantial donation to her alma mater suddenly disappears, Nancy Drew sets out to solve the mystery.

Nancy Drew… Detective

1938

The Captain's Kid poster
6.7

In this children's adventure, the children of a small town are enthralled by the tales of the town drunk.

The Captain's Kid

1936

Garden of the Moon poster
6.8

Don Vincente is determined to make a success of himself and his band. He gets his break by performing at the Garden of the Moon, which is broadcast over the radio. The problem is that John Quinn is the club's ruthless, scheming manager who will do anything to keep Vincente under his thumb. John's assistant, Toni Blake, falls for Vincente, complicating the escalating war.

Garden of the Moon

1938

King of Hockey poster
5.4

Gamblers try to pressure a star hockey player into throwing a game.

King of Hockey

1936

Jailbreak poster
6.7

A reporter gets himself sent to prison so he can solve a murder behind bars.

Jailbreak

1936

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 poster
4.0

Ice skating is the theme; at the Tropical Ice Garden, in Westwood Hills, are seen a flock of skating stars including Irene Dare and Phyllis Ann Thomoson, as well as Hollywood luminaries such as Franklyn Pangborn, Norma Shearer, Rita Hayworth, Mickey Rooney, Dick Purcell and Ann Sheridan.

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8

1939

Valley of the Giants poster
6.7

A lumberman takes on a sleezy corporate giant wanting to move in and do whatever it takes to drive everyone else out of business.

Valley of the Giants

1938

The Case of the Velvet Claws poster
7.2

Perry and Della are finally married by his old friend, Judge Mary. They plan to go on a honeymoon, but before it can start, Perry is retained by a woman with a gun and $5000.

The Case of the Velvet Claws

1936

Public Wedding poster
6.0

The operators of a bankrupt carnival sideshow hope to restore their fallen fortunes by staging a fake 'public wedding' in the mouth of their unprofitable giant whale. But the intended 'bridegroom' absconds with the proceeds, arranging a substitute. The bride, Flip Lane (Jane Wyman), much to her surprise, finds herself really married to a handsome stranger, whose career as an artist she decides to manage, much to his dismay.

Public Wedding

1937

Flight Into Nowhere poster
5.3

When headstrong pilot Bill Kellogg disobeys orders and takes a plane to photograph potential landing fields in uncharted Latin American country, he ends up running out of gas and crashing. The members of a nearby tribal village save Bill from the wreckage, but arent willing to help him get home.

Flight Into Nowhere

1938

The Law in Her Hands poster
6.0

A female lawyer sets up her own practice but only achieves success as an attorney for the mob.

The Law in Her Hands

1936

Ceiling Zero poster
5.9

War veteran pilots Dizzy Davis, Texas Clark and Jake Lee are working in an airline. Dizzy is fooling with one of the younger pilot's girl-friend and due to this he changes flights with Texas.

Ceiling Zero

1936

Snowed Under poster
7.4

Alan Tanner's new play opens in a week, but he just can't finish the third act. He's retreated to a snowbound cottage to work, but blonde neighbor Pat Quinn wants to play. Producer Arthur Layton sends Alice, Alan's first ex-wife, to help him stick to business. But then Daisy, his second ex-wife, shows up wanting her alimony. Stranded with two ex-wives, a girlfriend, and a jug of applejack, Alan still has to finish his play!

Snowed Under

1936

Penrod's Double Trouble poster
7.5

When a young boy disappears, a man desperate for the offered reward money turns up with an identical child.

Penrod's Double Trouble

1938

Alcatraz Island poster
5.1

A man who has been railroaded into prison is framed for the murder of a fellow inmate and must prove his innocence.

Alcatraz Island

1937

Mystery House poster
4.8

When a banker is found shot dead with a gun in his hand, his daughter refuses to believe it is a suicide. With the help of a detective, she hopes to get to the bottom of the case.

Mystery House

1938

Melody for Two poster
7.0

Tod Weaver finds his career on the skids and feels frustrated playing small-time venues. Tod is romantically tied to Gale Starr, an assistant conductor or singer who works in a top-notch club. Prompted by a helpful janitor named Exodus Johnson, Tod's band pivots to a fresh swing style featuring singer Lorna Wray. Tod's new sound skyrockets him to fame while Gale's career hits a rough patch, causing personal and romantic complications before a final reconciliation.

Melody for Two

1937

Brides Are Like That poster
6.1

Fred, the wealthy owner of apple groves, has sent his nephew to college, but the only job that his nephew has after graduating is the job of not working. Bill is a dreamer, a talker and a golf player and he has a lot of ideas, but still lives off Fred. When Hazel gets engaged to Doc Jenkins, it takes a while, but Bill talks her into marrying him instead. The only problem is that now, he needs to find a job.

Brides Are Like That

1936

Men in Exile poster
5.0

An ex-con takes flight after he's framed for a jewelry store robbery and murder.

Men in Exile

1937

Blackwell's Island poster
5.5

A reporter gets himself sent to prison to expose a mobster.

Blackwell's Island

1939

Navy Blues poster
6.0

A sailor bets his friends he can get a date with any woman they choose. They pick out a librarian with glasses and a bookish appearance. When he pursues her, he discovers that she is quite beautiful and that he has competition -- but his rival has more sinister intentions than anyone imagines.

Navy Blues

1937

Irish Luck poster
6.4

A spunky young bellhop investigates the murder of a hotel guest.

Irish Luck

1939

The Daredevil Drivers poster
6.0

To spite his girlfriend, the owner of a successful bus company, an auto racer goes to work for her rival.

The Daredevil Drivers

1938