Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity by Neal Gabler

From Barnes & Noble

Despised by some, admired by others, journalist Walter Winchell was the first person to bring unabashed, sometimes malicious gossip into the public press. Reaching 50 million out of 75 million adult Americans, kingmaker Winchell created and destroyed celebrities with a mere mention in his daily column or his weekly radio broadcast. This brilliant biography recaptures Winchell's life and times and examines the very face of fame--how it is achieved and lost, what one gains from it, the terrible price it exacts, and why Americans are so obsessed with it. B&W photos.

From the Publisher

Hailed as the most important and entertaining biography in recent memory, Gabler's account of the life of fast-talking gossip columnist and radio broadcaster Walter Winchell "fuses meticulous research with a deft grasp of the cultural nuances of an era when virtually everyone who mattered paid homage to Winchell" (Time). of photos.

Publishers Weekly

Inventor of the modern gossip column in the 1920s, pioneer in the mass culture of celebrity and a political opportunist who turned from populism to Red-baiting with the prevailing winds, Walter Winchell (1897-1972) changed 20th-century journalism and society, asserts Gabler (An Empire of Their Own). His thorough biography stylishly tells of Winchell's tortured personal life and high-flying career. Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in Harlem, Winchell drew on deprivation for his drive, which took him from vaudeville to writing Broadway gossip with a jaunty slang that matched ``the syncopated rhythm of the twenties.'' By the 1930s, he had become a ``journalistic entertainer'' on radio, on the stage and in movies; he helped establish the new, glamorous caf society. In 1934, he injected himself into the trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who was eventually convicted of the kidnap-murder of the Lindbergh baby; he became a prominent New Deal supporter and a mouthpiece for the Roosevelt administration. After the war, however, Winchell foundered in both family and professional life; he fought his enemies in public feuds, and proved too hot for the ``cool'' medium of television. His radio broadcasts ended in 1959; his column, after 38 years of association with Hearst, in 1967. Winchell's legacy, Gabler notes, is today's mania for gossip. Photos. Film option to Martin Scorsese. (Nov.)

Library Journal

In the 1930s and 1940s, Walter Winchell was recognized as one of the most famous American journalists, while today his name stirs only vague memories. His life stands as a parable for the celebrity-conscious world of gossip that he helped create. In this fascinating biography, Gabler (An Empire of Their Own, LJ 11/1/88) intertwines Winchell's personal life, his professional development, and the growth of mass communication. Born in 1897, Winchell began his vaudeville career when he was 13. His early love of gossip about his fellow performers helped launch his journalism career. His gossip column became a key feature of the Hearst newspaper chain, and his radio program was listened to by millions, giving him enormous personal power. Winchell's fame was fleeting, like that of those he covered, and the power of gossip that he unleashed was turned on him. Gabler offers a reappraisal of Winchell's role in creating the celebrity culture that permeates American journalism today. His book belongs in most library collections. [Optioned by director Martin Scorsese.-Ed.]-Judy Solberg, Univ. of Maryland Libs., College Park

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