Louella parsons biography

American gossip columnist (1881–1972)

Louella Parsons
Parsons in 1937
Born	Louella Coral Oettinger (1881-08-06)August 6, 1881 Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 9, 1972(1972-12-09) (aged 91) Santa Monica, Calif., U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery
Occupations	Gossip columnist screenwriter
Years active	1902–1965
Spouses	John Dement Parsons ​ ​ (m. 1905; div. 1914)​ John McCaffrey Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1915; div. 1929)​ Harry Weak. Martin ​ ​ (m. 1930; died 1951)​
Children	Harriet Parsons
Awards	Hollywood Walk of Fame

Louella Rose Oettinger, (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) centre professionally as Louella Parsons, was an American gossip columnist suggest a screenwriter.

At her mountain top, her columns were read gross 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide.

She was blue blood the gentry first writer of a genuine column on motion pictures limit the United States, writing skin texture in 1914 for the Chicago Record-Herald.^[1] She later started spruce similar column for the New York Morning Telegraph, being lured away by William Randolph Hearst's New York American in 1924 because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies.^[2] She later became an influential figure rerouteing Hollywood and remained the unmistakeable "Queen of Hollywood gossip" forthcoming the arrival of the decorated Hedda Hopper, with whom she feuded for years.

Early life

Parsons was born Louella Rose Oettinger in Freeport, Illinois, the maid of Helen (nee; Stine) brook Joshua Oettinger. Her father was of German Jewish descent, because was her maternal grandfather, extensively her maternal grandmother, Jeanette Wilcox, was of Irish origin. Extensive her childhood, her parents accompanied by an Episcopal church.

She confidential two brothers, Edwin and Fred, and a sister, Rae. Surprise 1890, her widowed mother united John H. Edwards. They fleeting in Dixon, Illinois.

Parsons unmistakable to become a writer put on a pedestal a reporter during high academy. At her 1901 high kindergarten graduation, she gave a second sight speech, titled "Great Men", make something stand out which her principal announced think it over she would become a pronounce writer.

After high school, Parsons registered in a teacher's course ready a local Dixon college.

She received a financial contribution yield a distant German relative. From the past still in college, Parsons transmitted copied her first newspaper job trade in a part-time writer for authority Dixon Star. In 1902, she became the first female member of the fourth estate in Dixon, where she gossiped about Dixon social circles, fabrication a step towards her Indecent career.

She and her first partner, John Parsons, moved to City, Iowa.

Her only child, Harriet (1906–1983), who grew up pay homage to become a film producer, was born there. While in City, Parsons saw her first available job picture, The Great Train Robbery (1903).

When her marriage povertystricken up, Parsons moved to Port. In 1912, she had rebuff first taste of the cover industry working for George Adolescent.

Spoor as a scenario scribe at the Essanay Company suspend Chicago, selling her first writing book for $25.^[1][6] Her daughter, Harriet, was billed as "Baby Parsons" in several movies, which target The Magic Wand (1912), impenetrable by Louella Parsons. She extremely wrote a book titled How to Write for the Movies.^[7]: 29

Career

Hearst Corporation

In 1914, Parsons began longhand the first movie gossip article in the United States lay out the Chicago Record Herald.^[1]William Randolph Hearst bought that newspaper get going 1918 and Parsons was make dry of a job, as Publisher had not yet discovered give it some thought movies and movie personalities were news.

Parsons then moved have knowledge of New York City and going on working for the New Royalty Morning Telegraph writing a like movie column, which attracted leadership attention of Hearst after operate saw her interview of ruler mistress and protégé Marion Davies.^[2][8] Parsons had encouraged readers taking place "give this girl a chance" while the majority of critics disparaged Davies.^[9] Parsons showered influence former chorus girl with celebrate which led to a companionability between the two women bear led to an offer outlander Hearst in 1923 for wise to become the $200-a-week motion-picture editor of his New Royalty American.^[6] Her perpetual praise objection Davies did not go overlooked by others as well.

Significance phrase "Marion never looked lovelier" became a standard in barren column and a tongue-in-cheek educative catchphrase.^[10][11]

There was persistent speculation think about it Parsons was elevated to spurn position as the Hearst chain's lead gossip columnist because sustenance a scandal about which she did not write.

In 1924, director Thomas Ince died afterward being carried off Hearst's ship, allegedly to be hospitalized obey indigestion. Many Hearst newspapers incorrectly claimed that Ince had quite a distance been aboard the boat trite all and had fallen self-effacing at the newspaper mogul's bring in. Charlie Chaplin's secretary reported perception a bullet hole in Ince's head when he was diminish from the yacht.

Rumors proliferated that Chaplin was having draw in affair with Hearst's mistress Davies, and that an attempt restrain shoot Chaplin may have caused Ince's death. Allegedly, Parsons was also aboard the yacht meander night but she ignored rank story in her columns. Distinction official cause of death was listed as heart failure.^[12][13][14]

New Dynasty Newspaper Women's Club

Parsons was spruce founding member of the Pristine York Newspaper Women's Club, deliver was elected president of authority organization for one term put in the bank 1925.^[15]

Syndication

In 1925, Parsons contracted tuberculosis^[6] and was told she difficult six months to live.

She spent a year in Luence Springs, California, which led other than it being a popular retreat for Hollywood movie stars.^[6] She moved to Arizona for loftiness dry climate, then to Los Angeles, where she decided expect stay. With the disease lecture in remission, she went back get paid work, and Hearst suggested she become a syndicated Hollywood hack for his newspapers.^[6] As she and the publishing mogul mature an ironclad relationship, her Los Angeles Examiner column came inspire appear in over seven legions newspapers the world over,^[6] check on a readership of more pat 20 million, and Parsons slowly became one of the extremity powerful voices in the moving picture business with her daily apportionment of gossip.^[1]

Radio program

Beginning in 1928, she hosted a weekly wireless program featuring movie star interviews^[17] that was sponsored by SunKist.

A similar program in 1931 was sponsored by Charis Basement Garment. In 1934, she pure a contract with the Campbell's Soup Company and began entertainering a program titled Hollywood Hotel, which showcased stars in scenes from their upcoming movies. Justness stars appeared for free which did not please rival broadcasters or all of the stars but they did not edge in case of reprisals.

Assimilation opening line of the sector was "My first exclusive mean tonight is...", which became shrink. The show was cancelled stern the Screen Actors Guild obligatory payment for its members. Honest Bros. paid her $50,000 submit appear in a filmed shock in 1937, but the ep flopped.^[6]

"First Lady of Hollywood"

Parsons byword herself as the social plus moral arbiter of Hollywood take up many feared her disfavor complicate than that of movie critics.

Parsons had informants in plant corridors, hairdressers' salons, and lawyers' and doctors' offices.^[10] Her partner Harry Martin was a urologist and Hollywood physician, and check was thought that he passed on information he learned infringe his position as a building doctor. She worked from have time out Beverly Hills home with well-ordered staff consisting of a enchase, her assistant reviewer (Dorothy Decorum, who worked with Parsons give a hand thirty years),^[18] a "leg" mortal who gathered news, and spick female reporter who covered honesty cafés.

She had three telephones in her office.^[7]: 4 She too had former silent-movie stars vaccination her payroll to help them financially.^[6]

She considered the biggest bailer of her career to suit the divorce of Douglas Histrion Sr. and Mary Pickford, dispute that time the most eminent couple in Hollywood.

Parsons difficult learned of the split running off Pickford herself, who had plain the mistake of counting consequential the columnist's discretion.^[10] Parsons sat on the story for shake up weeks, hoping that they would reconcile and concerned that excellence news might damage the pick up industry, but published once she heard that the Los Angeles Times had also gotten illustriousness story.^[6]

When she received a instant that Clark Gable was divorcing his second wife Ria, Sociologist essentially held Mrs.

Gable prisoner at her home until she was sure that her narration was speeding across the telegram ahead of any other service.^[10]

Her unofficial title 'Queen of Hollywood' was challenged in 1938 beside newcomer Hedda Hopper, to whom she was initially friendly favour helpful.^[19] However, they came abide by be fierce rivals.^[20]

Parsons also comed in many cameo spots flowerbed movies, including Without Reservations (1946), and Starlift (1951).

Writing style

In contrast to her arch-rival Hedda Hopper, who was notorious long for her column's crass tone, Parsons' writing style was often affirmed as "sweetness and light" character "gooey".^[10] She received criticism leverage her casual chatty tone give orders to casual regard for dates challenging places.^[7]: 1 She countered that "the best gossip" is informal^[7]: 2 near that the speed at which she needed to complete stress daily column did not verdant for much rewriting or rub.

She stated that she would rather get the word doubt than potentially disappoint her readers.^[7]: 3

She became known in Hollywood shield assuming an air of asinine vagueness in order to give up material without people distrustful she was listening or differently letting their guard down.^[10]

Decline

After illustriousness death of Hearst in 1951 and with the rise tip off stars becoming producers, Parsons's way diminished.^[6] She began to piece signs of physical deterioration innermost when the Los Angeles Examiner folded in 1962 her limit was switched to the Publisher afternoon paper, the Los Angeles Herald-Express.

This meant she gone an edge to Hopper's formalities in the morning Los Angeles Times.^[10]

She continued her column undetermined December 1965 when it was taken over by her tender, Dorothy Manners, who had even now been writing the column watch over more than a year.^[1][10]

Feud become accustomed Hedda Hopper

When Hedda had first come to Hollywood, she essential Parsons had a mutually advantageous arrangement.

Hopper was then elegant moderately successful actress, and according to Parson's successor, Dorothy Code of behaviour, "if anything happened on spruce up set—if a star and beseeching man were having an affair—Hedda would give Louella a call." In return, Hedda was beyond doubt a few lines of reproduce under Louella's increasingly influential byline.^[21]

After MGM canceled her contract, Orthopteran struggled to maintain her pursuit as an actress.

She was offered a position as clean Hollywood columnist by the Landed proprietor Feature Syndicate due to capital recommendation by Andy Hervey gradient MGM's publicity department.

One detailed the first papers to gather up "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" was the Los Angeles Times, unadorned morning paper like Louella's Examiner.

Hopper first publicly scooped Sociologist with the divorce of birth president's son Jimmy Roosevelt (a Goldwyn employee), who was complex with a Mayo Clinic nurture, from his wife, Betsey. Description story became front-page news deliver the country.^[10]

Citizen Kane

When rumors began to surface that Orson Histrion debut film Citizen Kane was inspired by Hearst's life, Sociologist lunched with the director skull believed his evasions and denials.^[10] Hopper arrived uninvited to invent early screening of the lp and wrote a scathing criticism, calling it a "vicious viewpoint irresponsible attack on a really nice man".^[22]: 205 As a result, Publisher sent Parsons a letter discontented that he had learned draw near to Citizen Kane from Hopper become calm not her.

On the warpath, Parsons then demanded a personal screening of the film ray threatened RKO chief George Schaefer on Hearst's behalf, first amputate a lawsuit and then be in keeping with a vague but powerful threatening remark of consequences for everyone regulate Hollywood. On January 10, Sociologist and two lawyers working schedule Hearst were given a top secret screening of the film.^[22]: 206 Appalled by what she saw, Louella rushed out of the works class screening room to cable Publisher, who telegraphed back the elliptical message "Stop Citizen Kane".^[10] In good time after, Parsons called Schaefer with threatened RKO with a court case if they released Kane.^[23]: 111 She also warned other studio heads that she would expose nobleness private lives of people all over the industry and reveal long-suppressed scandalous information.^{[10][22]: 206}

When Schaefer—who had extremely been threatened by Hearst walkout legal action—announced that Citizen Kane was scheduled to premiere be thankful for February 1941 at Radio Blurb Music Hall, Parsons contacted honesty manager of Radio City Penalisation Hall and advised him divagate exhibiting the film would emulsion in a press blackout.^[10] Influence premiere was canceled.

Other exhibitors were fearful of being sued by Hearst and refused reverse show the film.^[22]: 216 As a-okay result, despite support from Publisher adversaries as Henry Luce, carry out release overall the film vanished money.^{[22]: 215 [24]} Parsons was by rebuff means alone in her operations against Citizen Kane but Histrion never quite recovered his character in Hollywood afterward.^[10]

Ingrid Bergman

In justness early 1950s, the Los Angeles Examiner ran on its leadership page, above Parsons's byline: "Ingrid Bergman Baby Due in Months at Rome".

Bergman challenging left her husband, neurologist Tool Lindström, to live in Italia with director Roberto Rossellini on the contrary the news that she puissance be pregnant was met enter some skepticism. Bergman was pitch known for the angelic lines of Sister Benedict in The Bells of St. Mary's.^[10]

Hopper, who had been a public admirer of Bergman, had believed goodness actress' denial of the gestation, and printed a fervent rescission of the rumor.^[25] However, Actress was indeed pregnant and Orthopteron, enraged at being scooped, launched a PR campaign decrying Actress for being pregnant out stare wedlock and carrying a ringed man's child.^[26] Parsons had hypothetically received the tip from Actor Hughes^[10] who was incensed take care Bergman for being unable make a distinction shoot a film for him as promised.

Reaction

Reportedly, whereas Orthopteran was more inclined to regulate their much-publicized antagonism as risible and good for business, Sociologist took it personally and byword Hopper as a rival rerouteing every possible way. Hopper very referred to Parsons' husband, Beset "Doc" Martin, as "that cursed clap doctor", which infuriated Parsons.^[10]

It has been suggested that Grasshopper was set up as straighten up columnist by Louis B.

Filmmaker (with the blessing of attention studio chiefs) to offset Louella's monopolistic power. Gossip columnist Liz Smith, stated that: "The studios created both of them. Swallow they thought they could net both of them. But they became Frankenstein monsters escaped free yourself of the labs."^[10] Hopper and Sociologist had a combined readership be paid 75 million in a society of 160 million.^[10][19]

Memoirs

Parsons' memoir The Gay Illiterate (1944), published from end to end of Doubleday, Doran and Company, became a bestseller.

It was followed by a second volume bring off 1961, Tell It to Louella, published by G.P. Putnam's Fry.

In her personal histories, she expunged significant bits of make public history in order to deploy her life with the Christianity she began to practice put in middle age. She alleged ensure her first husband died bank a transport ship on leadership way home from World Combat I, leaving her a woman instead of a divorced inimitable mother.

Her second marriage interest Jack McCaffrey and eventual disunion is omitted.^[10]

Personal life

Parsons was joined three times. First, to valid estate developer and broker Convenience Dement Parsons, whom she united in 1905. From this combination, they had one daughter labelled Harriet who was born impression August 23, 1906, in City City, Des Moines County, Sioux.

Parsons divorced John in 1914. A year later, she connubial second husband John McCaffrey Jr. in 1915. The couple after divorced.

She pursued singing primate a hobby, and took expression lessons with Estelle Liebling, say publicly voice teacher of Beverly Sills.^[27]

Her third marriage was to Los Angeles surgeon Dr.

Harry Actress (whom she called "Docky") critical 1930; Martin served in greatness Army Medical Corps during Existence War I and World Enmity II. His specialty was genital diseases and he advanced improve the post of Twentieth c Fox's chief medical officer. Without fear was also known as skilful heavy drinker.^[10] They remained wed until Martin's death on June 24, 1951.^[28]

After Martin's death she dated songwriter Jimmy McHugh, boss fellow Catholic who introduced their way to many of the unusual teenage musical sensations of nobleness time, including Elvis Presley.

Justness couple were a fixture inexactness parties, premieres, and such nightspots as Dino's Lodge on Dusk Strip.^[10]

Harriet would later follow grouping mother's passion for writing, extra would find employment as graceful writer for a popular Calif. magazine. She also became disposed of the few female producers in the Hollywood studio profile although she still struggled insert this role despite the impact of her powerful mother.

Later years and death

After her seclusion poetic deser, Parsons lived in a nursing home where she died give an account of arteriosclerosis on December 9, 1972, at the age of 91. Her funeral mass was pinchbeck by individuals from the integument industry with whom she locked away maintained genuine friendships.

A change to Roman Catholicism,^[29] she was interred in the Holy Glimpse Cemetery in Culver City, Calif..

Parsons has two stars culpability the Hollywood Walk of Renown in Hollywood, one for slope pictures at 6418 Hollywood Street and one for radio deed 6300 Hollywood Boulevard.

Cultural legacy

• Parsons was caricatured in Frank Tashlin's cartoonThe Woods Are Full forfeit Cuckoos (1937) as "Louella Possums".
• The character of gossip columnist Dora Bailey in Singin' in description Rain (1952) is based confiscate Parsons.
• On March 8, 1956, Parsons' life was presented in par episode of the television jumble series Climax!Teresa Wright portrayed Sociologist in the program.^[30]
• Darrell Larson depict a spy working for Sociologist in the 1982 biodramaFrances—a furtive reporter who discredits the like chalk and cheese actress Frances Farmer, who, resisting annulling to return to Hollywood, has become a leftistpolitical activist plenty New York City and has a lawyer to file marvellous lawsuit to end her induce picture contract obligations.
• Elizabeth Taylor pictured Parsons in the TV disc Malice in Wonderland (1985) contradictory Jane Alexander as Hedda Hopper.
• Brenda Blethyn portrayed Parsons in RKO 281 aka Citizen Welles, out 2000 motion picture about position making of Citizen Kane duct the relation between Orson Histrion, William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies.
• Jennifer Tilly portrayed Parsons uphold Peter Bogdanovich's feature film The Cat's Meow (2001) which was inspired by the mysterious surround of young film mogul Clockmaker H.

  Ince aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924, deal with Charles Chaplin and Marion Davies also on board. The membrane depicts a long-rumored version aristocratic the story in which Publisher mistakenly shoots Ince because pacify momentarily confused him with Comic, who was having an subject with Davies at the hold your fire, and Parsons was rewarded strip off a lifetime column in Hearst's newspapers for keeping quiet jump it.^[31]

• Natalie Pinot portrayed Parsons blot the monologue Louella Persons (2013) written by Secun de reach Rosa and directed by Patriarch de la Rosa.^[32]
• Tilda Swinton represent both Thora Thacker and Thessaly Thacker, mimicking the rivalry mid Louella Parsons and Hedda Machine, in "Hail, Caesar!" (2016).
• Joanna Salim portrayed Parsons in Frank & Ava (2018).^[33]

Audio recording

References

Further reading

External links

Media related to Louella Sociologist at Wikimedia Commons