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Walter Winchell papers, 1920s-1960s
1904
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Title: Walter Winchell papers
Collection number: 1904
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.5 linear ft.
(7 boxes, 1 flat box.)
Date (inclusive): 1920s-1960s
Abstract: Walter Winchell gained acclaim as a journalist through newspaper, radio, and television. Most associated with his career are
his gossip columns and political commentary. The collection consists of correspondence, clippings and/or written pieces by
and/or about Winchell, and a small amount of publicity stills and photographs. Additionally there is documentation regarding
his television show,
The Walter Winchell File.
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections
for paging information.
Creator:
Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.
Restrictions on Use and Reproduction
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the
creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright
owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of David Shneidman.
[Identification of item], Walter Winchell papers (Collection 1904). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, UCLA.
UCLA Catalog Record ID:
6831694
Walter Winchell was born on April 7, 1897 in New York City, NY. In 1910, Winchell launched a career in vaudeville and spent
several years as part of the Newsboys Sextet. In 1915, Winchell teamed with Rita Greene in a song and dance act and they toured
until he enlisted in the Navy in 1917. Winchell officially started his journalism career in 1922, working for the
Vaudeville News. In 1924, he went to work for the
Evening Graphic, as dramatic critic and was given a Broadway column. By 1929, he was with the
New York Daily Mirror, where he contributed a gossip column to until 1963. He made his radio debut in 1930 on CBS's
Saks on Broadway, a 15-minute program devoted to show business news. In 1932, he began hosting
The Jergens Journal, a show that mixed entertainment news with matters of national importance.
Winchell gained fame as an American journalist and was the subject of frequent analysis, comment, and controversy. Despite
this, his entertainment news reports and his weekly radio program brought him a huge audience and great influence from the
1930s to the 1950s. He was frequently censored for expressing his hatred of the Nazi Party in Germany and unfavorable remarks
of certain Congressmen. After World War II, he was concerned with the spread of Communism and supported Senator Joseph McCarthy
and the "Red Scare" investigations. Winchell also hosted
The Walter Winchell Show (ABC, 1952-1960),
The Walter Winchell Show (NBC, 1956), and
The Walter Winchell File (1957-1958), which featured crime stories that Winchell had covered while working with the New York City Police Department.
He was also the unseen narrator of the television drama series
The Untouchables. Winchell died in Los Angeles, CA on February 20, 1972.
The collection consists of materials related to the career of journalist, Walter Winchell. The bulk of the files comprise
correspondence, much of it incoming letters from a variety of individuals. Additionally, there are clippings and /or written
pieces by and/or about Winchell, and a small amount of publicity stills and photographs and documentation regarding his television
show,
The Walter Winchell File.
The files were purchased by the donor and are original files from Walter Winchell that were auctioned at Butterfields. Most
of the file titles have been maintained; a small number of file titles were supplied by the processor.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972--Archives
Journalists--United States--Archival resources.