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Article: Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity.
- Article from:
- St. Louis Journalism Review
- Article date:
- March 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 SJR St. Louis Journalism Review. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the 1930s and 1940s, it was said, about two-thirds of all Americans either read Walter Winchell's columns or listened to him on radio on Sunday nights. But ask a young person today if he recognizes the name Walter Winchell, as I did, and you get a blank stare.
In his heyday, at the peak of his power as one of America's most influential journalists, Winchell could make or break reputations, create celebrities or tear them down and even influence presidents, as he did with Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower.
But when he died 22 years ago, there was only one mourner at his funeral - his daughter, Wanda. But his influence carries on to this day.