Louella Parsons facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Louella Parsons
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Parsons in 1937
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| Born |
Louella Rose Oettinger
August 6, 1881 Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
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| Died | December 9, 1972 (aged 91) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
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| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1902–1965 |
| Spouse(s) |
John Dement Parsons
(m. 1905; div. 1914)John McCaffrey Jr.
(m. 1915; div. 1929)Harry W. Martin
(m. 1930; died 1951) |
| Children | Harriet Parsons |
Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She became a very important person in Hollywood. This happened because she supported Marion Davies, an actress who was a close friend of William Randolph Hearst. At her most popular, her newspaper columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers around the world.
She was known as the "Queen of Hollywood gossip" for a long time. This changed when Hedda Hopper arrived. Louella and Hedda became famous rivals and feuded for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Louella Parsons was born Louella Rose Oettinger in Freeport, Illinois. Her parents were Helen (Stine) and Joshua Oettinger. Her family attended an Episcopal church. She had two brothers, Edwin and Fred, and a sister, Rae. In 1890, her mother remarried John H. Edwards. They lived in Dixon, Illinois.
Louella decided she wanted to be a writer or reporter while in high school. At her graduation in 1901, she gave a speech called "Great Men." Her principal then said she would become a great writer.
After high school, Parsons took a teacher's course at a college in Dixon. She got her first newspaper job as a part-time writer for the Dixon Star. In 1902, she became the first female journalist in Dixon. She wrote about local social events, which was an early step toward her Hollywood career.
Starting a Family and Career
Louella and her first husband, John Parsons, moved to Burlington, Iowa. Their only child, Harriet (1906–1983), was born there. Harriet later became a film producer. In Burlington, Louella saw her first motion picture, The Great Train Robbery (1903).
When her marriage ended, Parsons moved to Chicago. In 1912, she started working in the movie industry. She was a scenario writer for George K. Spoor at the Essanay Company in Chicago. She sold her first script for $25. Her daughter, Harriet, appeared in some movies as "Baby Parsons." One of these was The Magic Wand (1912), which Louella wrote. Louella also wrote a book called How to Write for the Movies.
Career as a Columnist
Joining Hearst Corporation
In 1914, Parsons began writing the first movie gossip column in the United States. It was for the Chicago Record Herald newspaper. William Randolph Hearst bought that newspaper in 1918. Parsons then lost her job because Hearst did not yet see movies as important news.
Parsons moved to New York City and started writing a similar movie column for the New York Morning Telegraph. Hearst noticed her work after she interviewed his close friend, actress Marion Davies. Parsons had encouraged readers to "give this girl a chance." Most critics had not liked Davies. Parsons praised Davies a lot, which led to a friendship between the two women.
In 1923, Hearst offered Parsons a job as the motion-picture editor for his New York American. She earned $200 a week. Her constant praise of Davies became well-known. The phrase "Marion never looked lovelier" was often used in her column.
Becoming Syndicated
In 1925, Parsons became ill with tuberculosis. Doctors told her she might only live for six months. She spent a year in Palm Springs, California, which later became a popular place for movie stars. She then moved to Arizona for the dry weather, and finally to Los Angeles.
When she recovered, Hearst suggested she become a syndicated Hollywood columnist for his newspapers. Her column in the Los Angeles Examiner appeared in over 700 newspapers worldwide. More than 20 million people read it. Parsons slowly became one of the most powerful voices in the movie business.
Radio Program Host
Starting in 1928, Louella hosted a weekly radio show. It featured movie star interviews and was sponsored by SunKist. In 1934, she signed a contract with the Campbell's Soup Company. She began hosting a show called Hollywood Hotel. This program showed stars acting out scenes from their upcoming movies.
Stars appeared for free on her show. This did not please other broadcasters or all the stars. However, they usually did not complain, fearing it might hurt their careers. Her opening line, "My first exclusive of tonight is...", became famous. The show was canceled after the Screen Actors Guild asked for payment for its members.
"First Lady of Hollywood"
Parsons saw herself as Hollywood's social and moral guide. Many people feared her disapproval more than that of movie critics.
Parsons had many people who gave her information. These included people in movie studios, hair salons, and doctors' offices. Her husband, Harry Martin, was a doctor for Hollywood studios. People thought he shared information he learned from his job.
She worked from her home in Beverly Hills. Her team included a secretary, her assistant reviewer (Dorothy Manners), a "leg" man who gathered news, and a female reporter. She had three telephones in her office. She also paid former silent-movie stars to help them financially.
She thought her biggest news story was the divorce of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford. At that time, they were the most famous couple in Hollywood. Pickford herself told Parsons about the split. Parsons kept the story secret for six weeks, hoping they would get back together. She worried the news might harm the film industry. But she published it once she heard the Los Angeles Times also had the story.
Her unofficial title, "Queen of Hollywood," was challenged in 1938. This was when Hedda Hopper arrived. At first, they were friendly, but they soon became strong rivals.
Parsons also made many small appearances in movies. These included Without Reservations (1946) and Starlift (1951).
Writing Style
Louella Parsons' writing style was often described as "sweet" or "gooey." This was different from her rival Hedda Hopper, whose columns were often harsh. Parsons received criticism for her casual, chatty tone. She also sometimes made small errors with dates and places.
She said that the best gossip is informal. She also said that she had to write her daily column very quickly. This meant she did not have much time to rewrite or polish her work. She preferred to get the news out quickly rather than disappoint her readers.
She became known for acting a bit vague or silly. This helped people relax and share information without realizing she was listening for news.
Decline in Influence
After Hearst died in 1951, Parsons' influence lessened. Also, more stars began producing their own movies. She started to show signs of aging. When the Los Angeles Examiner closed in 1962, her column moved to the afternoon paper, the Los Angeles Herald-Express. This meant she lost an advantage to Hopper, whose columns appeared in the morning Los Angeles Times.
She continued her column until December 1965. Then, her assistant, Dorothy Manners, took over. Manners had already been writing the column for more than a year.
Rivalry with Hedda Hopper
When Hedda Hopper first came to Hollywood, she and Parsons helped each other. Hopper was an actress. If something happened on a movie set, Hedda would call Louella. In return, Hedda would get a few lines in Louella's popular column.
After her acting contract ended, Hopper struggled. She was offered a job as a Hollywood columnist. One of the first newspapers to publish "Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood" was the Los Angeles Times. This was a morning paper, like Louella's Examiner.
Hopper first publicly reported a big story before Parsons. It was about the divorce of the president's son, Jimmy Roosevelt. This story became front-page news across the country.
Citizen Kane Controversy
Rumors began that Orson Welles' first film, Citizen Kane, was based on Hearst's life. Parsons had lunch with Welles and believed his denials. Hopper saw an early screening of the film without being invited. She wrote a very negative review, calling it an "attack on a great man."
Hearst then sent Parsons a letter. He complained that he learned about Citizen Kane from Hopper, not her. Parsons then demanded a private screening of the film. She threatened RKO studio chief George Schaefer on Hearst's behalf. She warned of a lawsuit and other bad consequences for Hollywood.
On January 10, Parsons and two lawyers for Hearst saw the film. Louella was shocked. She quickly told Hearst, who sent a message: "Stop Citizen Kane." Parsons then called Schaefer and threatened RKO with a lawsuit if they released the movie. She also warned other studio heads that she would reveal private, scandalous information about people in the industry.
Schaefer had also been threatened by Hearst. He announced that Citizen Kane would premiere in February 1941. Parsons contacted the manager of Radio City Music Hall. She told him that showing the film would lead to a press blackout. The premiere was canceled. Other movie theaters were afraid of being sued by Hearst. They refused to show the film. Because of this, the film lost money overall. Parsons was not the only one against Citizen Kane, but Welles' career in Hollywood suffered afterward.
Public Reaction to the Rivalry
Some people thought Hopper saw their rivalry as funny and good for business. But Parsons took it very personally. She saw Hopper as a competitor in every way.
Some believe that Louis B. Mayer and other studio heads helped Hopper become a columnist. They wanted to balance Louella's strong power. Gossip columnist Liz Smith said, "The studios created both of them. And they thought they could control both of them. But they became Frankenstein monsters escaped from the labs." Hopper and Parsons together had 75 million readers in a country of 160 million people.
Memoirs
Parsons wrote a memoir called The Gay Illiterate (1944). It became a bestseller. She wrote a second book in 1961, Tell It to Louella.
Personal Life
Parsons was married three times. Her first marriage was to John Dement Parsons in 1905. They had one daughter, Harriet, born in 1906. Louella and John divorced in 1914.
A year later, in 1915, she married John McCaffrey Jr. They later divorced.
She enjoyed singing as a hobby. She took voice lessons from Estelle Liebling, who also taught Beverly Sills.
Her third marriage was in 1930 to Dr. Harry Martin. He was a surgeon in Los Angeles. He served in the Army Medical Corps during World War I and World War II. He became the chief medical officer for 20th Century Fox. They were married until Martin's death in 1951.
After Martin died, she dated songwriter Jimmy McHugh. He was also Catholic. He introduced her to many new teenage music stars, including Elvis Presley. They often attended parties, movie premieres, and nightclubs together.
Her daughter, Harriet Parsons, also loved writing. She became a writer for a popular California magazine. Harriet also became one of the few female producers in Hollywood. She still faced challenges in this role, even with her mother's influence.
Later Years and Death
After she retired, Parsons lived in a nursing home. She died on December 9, 1972, at age 91, from arteriosclerosis. People from the movie industry who were her true friends attended her funeral. She had converted to Roman Catholicism. She was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Parsons has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood. One is for motion pictures and the other for radio.
Cultural Legacy
- Parsons was shown as a cartoon character named "Louella Possums" in Frank Tashlin's cartoon The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos (1937).
- The character of gossip columnist Dora Bailey in the movie Singin' in the Rain (1952) is based on Parsons.
- On March 8, 1956, Parsons' life was shown in an episode of the TV series Climax!. Teresa Wright played Parsons in the show.
- Elizabeth Taylor played Parsons in the TV film Malice in Wonderland (1985). Jane Alexander played Hedda Hopper in the same film.
- Brenda Blethyn played Parsons in RKO 281 (also known as Citizen Welles), a 2000 movie about the making of Citizen Kane.
- Jennifer Tilly played Parsons in Peter Bogdanovich's film The Cat's Meow (2001). This movie was inspired by the mysterious death of film mogul Thomas H. Ince.
- Natalie Pinot played Parsons in the play Louella Persons (2013).
- Joanna Sanchez played Parsons in Frank & Ava (2018).
See also
In Spanish: Louella Parsons para niños
