Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity Paperback – Picture Book, 26 September 1995

I had come across a number of references to Walter Winchell in other reading and became interested in learning more about the man and his influence. I couldn't have found a better source then this highly readable and thorough biography. I learned so much about the man and the times he lived. The book provides remarkable details and many pertinent anecdotes. I doubt there's much more I could discover about Walter Winchell. I highly recommend this book.

a wonderful insight into a time when newspapers and journalists mattered and democracy was all the better for it.

An excellent biography of Winchell and the beginning of celebrity journalism. A fascinating study. The author does a great job of objectively dealing with Winchell's politics. I am somewhat familiar with Gabler's politics from other venues, but he doesn't let them seep into his work. I found his biography of Walt Disney to be excellent, too.

A terrific in depth study of Winchell and he created what became infotainment.The book also contains a great deal of insight into Winchell as how he became what he became.Anyone interested in the history of journalism and media of the 20th century will love this book!

Next time you see an item about Brangelina, Brittany or the Gosselins, you might take a minute to remember Walter Winchell, who all but invented the modern culture of celebrity. Though he is virtually forgotten today, Winchell's column was once syndicated in more than 2000 newspapers daily, and 20 million listeners tuned in every Sunday night for the high-pitched, staccato delivery of his trademark opening: "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea. Let's go to press!"Mr. Gabler deftly traces Winchell's rise from a second-rate vaudeville performer to one of the most famous and powerful men in the country, and his decline which paralleled that of his chosen media, newspapers and radio. By the time of his death in 1972, this man who once had the ear of Presidents was an obscure anachronism: poetic justice perhaps for a man ruthlessly obsessed with his own fame. The book is exhaustive in its coverage of Winchell's long career and tragedy-marred personal life; yet, even at 681 pages, it seldom flags. Mr. Winchell led a very interesting life.