Walter Winchell papers, 1920s-1960s

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Winchell, Walter, 1897-1972
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.
Extent:
3.5 linear ft. (7 boxes, 1 flat box.)
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Walter Winchell papers (Collection 1904). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Acquisition information:
Gift of David Shneidman.
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.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Walter Winchell papers (Collection 1904). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
Website