American Masters

Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip

Meet the newspaper columnist, radio commentator and television personality who pioneered the fast-paced, gossip driven, politically charged journalism that dominates today. At his peak, his audience reached 50 million: two-thirds of American adults.

Walter Winchell Trailer

2m

Meet Walter Winchell, the newspaper columnist, radio commentator and television personality who pioneered the fast-paced, gossip-driven, politically charged journalism that dominates today. At his peak, his audience was 50 million. Stanley Tucci portrays Winchell in a new American Masters documentary.

Previews + Extras

  • The time Walter Winchell condemned an American Nazi rally: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The time Walter Winchell condemned an American Nazi rally

    S34 E5 - 2m 53s

    In 1939, 20,000 Nazi sympathizers staged a rally in Madison Square Garden in New York City with Nazi imagery displayed next to a portrait of George Washington. Walter Winchell couldn’t allow the event to go unnoticed by the American people and condemned it on his national radio program. Later, he criticized aviator Charles Lindbergh and the America First Committee for it's blatant anti-Semitism.

  • Walter Winchell and the "trial of the century": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Walter Winchell and the "trial of the century"

    S34 E5 - 2m 6s

    In 1932, a child was kidnapped and murdered. It was the son of Charles Lindbergh, an American hero for being the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. The resulting trial became one of the biggest stories of the century and Walter Winchell showed up every day. But he didn’t just cover the story, he became a part of it, pioneering the blending of news and entertainment that we see to this day.

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