The Rise of Gossip On Old Time Radio

It is absolutely crazy when you think of how famous some of these gossip columnists are and how their names are still recognizable today. Usually people who talk about others and spread rumors are shunned in society.

Walter Winchell

Walter Winchell

Walter Winchell was probably the first famous gossip columnists. He became very popular for writing the first syndicated newspaper column, which was called, On Broadway. He had many connections in the government, as well as, in the entertainment industry. He would find out embarrassing or exciting information about well-known people and expose them in his column. He became very powerful and feared and he often used this information to attack the people he didn't like.

In the 1930's, he had his own radio show and became very famous when he covered the Lindburgh kidnapping. Because he backed Senator McCarthy in his anti-communism campaign, he also lost favor with the American public as McCarthyism was exposed. He died a lonely man at the age of 74 and supposedly, the only one to attend his funeral was his daughter.

Louella Parsons 

Louella Parsons

Louella Parsons was the very first movie columnist in America. Her columns were syndicated to over 400 newspapers throughout the world and read by over 20 million people. 

She began her literary career as a writer for the Dixon Star in 1902. She wrote about the goings on of the Dixon area social elite. In 1914, Parsons began a gossip column dealing with the actors in the new media of films and movies for the Chicago Record Herald. In 1923, she join the New York American, which was owned by William Randolph Hearst. She remained the "Queen of Hollywood" untile Hedda Hopper arrived. She helped Hedda get her start and the two soon became rivals and feuded for years.

Hedda Hopper 

Hedda Hopper

Hedda Hopper came into the world as Elda Furry in the small town of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. When she was a young girl, she ran away from home and landed in New York City on a chorus line on Broadway. She was not successful in this venture and ended up in the theater company of DeWolf Hopper. The two eventually married with Elda being his fifth wife. The previous four wives all had names similar to Elda, which were, Ella, Ida, Edna and Nella. She was tired of her husband calling her the wrong name so she paid 10 dollars to have a numerologist choose a new name for her and that name was Hedda.


Hedda appeared in many movies from 1915 to the mid 1930's, playing small roles, usually as a beautiful and distinguished society woman. As her movie career was coming to a close, she was looking for ways to earn a living and began writing a gossip column in the Los Angeles Times, entitled, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood. Because she had many connections in Hollywood, she had the juiciest gossip and she was very sadistic in her naming of names. She became quite famous for her large, often flamboyant hats; so much so that a song was even written about her in the film Breakfast in Hollywood, which was written by Spike Jones.


She began her career in radio with the old time radio show, The Hedda Hopper Show in 1939. Although she changed networks a few times, she had some form of radio show up until 1951.

Jimmie Fidler

Jimmie Fidler

Jimmie Fidler was even more feared by the studios that both Hedda Harper and Louella Parsons. A bad box-office review by Fidler meant lost dollars for the film. He started out as a Hollywood publicist and later wrote a syndicated gossip column called Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, which was printed in 187 newspapers. 

In 1933, he began a 15 minute radio show on NBC, called Hollywood on the Air. By 1950, his show was broadcast on 486 radio stations and heard by over 40 million people.

Ed Sullivan

Ed Sullivan

Ed Sullivan is most famous for the variety show that turned on teenagers to Elvis Presley and The Beatles. However, he began his career as a sportswriter for the newspaper, The New York Evening Graphic. When Walter Winchell left the newspaper, Ed Sullivan took over Winchell's role as theatre columnist.

He soon became a starmaker in the entertainment business and became one of Walter Winchell's biggest rivals. He soon began doing radio broadcasts of show business news until 1948, when he began the Ed Sullivan Show on CBS. The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the longest running shows on American television, spanning 23 years.

Tex and Jinx 

Tex and Jinx

Tex and Jinx were a duo made up of Eugenia Lincoln "Jinx" Falkenburg, one fo the very first of the "supermodels," and journalist and publicist, Tex McCrary, who were married to each other. This couple was the first to come up with the popular, talk-show format. The interviewed a series of celebrities during the 1940's and 50's, discussing the important topics and news of the day.

The couple had their first radio show, which was aired in the mornings, five days a week on the New York station, WEAF. Hi, Jinx was the name of the show and as its popularity grew, McCrary taught Falkenburg how to interview.

As you know, people still love getting the dirt on famous people. It may be because the public holds these celebrities to a higher standard or it could be jealousy, which makes people happy to see that even the rich and famous have problems. As long as there have been celebrities, there have been others who have ridden on their coattails, either for good or bad, as their claim to fame.