The Louella Parsons Show - Ethel Barrymore
Louella Parsons (August 6, 1881 –
December 9,
1972) was the first
American movie columnist. She was retained by
William Randolph Hearst, possibly because she had praised Hearst's mistress
Marion Davies, and her columns were read by 20 million people in 400 newspapers worldwide. She remained
Queen of
Hollywood until the arrival of flamboyant
Hedda Hopper, who displayed similar talents, and with whom she feuded viciously for years
She was born
Louella Rose Oettinger in
Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of
Joshua Oettinger and
Helen Stein, both of
German Jewish descent. She had two brothers,
Edwin and
Fred, and a sister, Rae. In 1890, her widowed mother married
John H. Edwards. They lived in
Dixon, Illinois, later hometown of
Ronald Reagan.In her teens, Louella was already a smart and intelligent young woman, but there were few literary outlets for her ambitions. It wasn't until high school that Louella decided to become a writer or a reporter. On June 4,
1901, at her high school graduation, Louella gave a foretelling speech, entitled “
Great Men,” after which her principal announced that she would become a great writer.
After high school,
Parsons enrolled in a teacher’s course at a local
Dixon college. She received a financial contribution from a distant
German relative. While still in college, Parsons obtained her first newspaper job as a part-time writer for the Dixon
Star. In 1902, she became the first female journalist in Dixon, where she gossiped about Dixon social circles, making a step towards her Hollywood career. She and her first husband,
John Parsons, moved to
Burlington, Iowa. Her only child,
Harriet (
1906–
1983), who grew up to become a film producer, was born there. While in
Burlington, Parsons saw her first motion picture,
The Great Train Robbery (1903). When her marriage broke up, Parsons moved to
Chicago. In 1912, she had her first taste of the movie industry by selling a script for $25 to the
Essanay Company,which would soon be employing
Charlie Chaplin. Her small daughter, Harriet, was billed as "
Baby Parsons" in several movies, which included The
Magic Wand (1912), written by Louella Parsons. She also wrote a book titled How to Write for the
Movies.
Beginning in 1928, she hosted a weekly radio program featuring movie star interviews that was sponsored by SunKist. A similar program in 1931 was sponsored by
Charis Foundation Garment. In 1934, she signed a contract with the
Campbell's Soup Company and began hosting a program titled
Hollywood Hotel, which showcased stars in scenes from their upcoming movies.
Tonight's
Show:
Ethel Barrymore
Original Air
Date:
December 5, 1948
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