If allowed to experience the career of just one movie star from the Golden Era of Hollywood, we might just choose to be William Powell, who made suavity and elegance seem accessible and fun.

In any case, Powell, whose 121st birthday we missed yesterday, ranks near the top of the list of our favorite stars of the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. A belated happy birthday, Bill; we’ll raise two toasts in your honor today.