Winchell (1998)

The true story of the influential and controversial columnist, Walter Winchell.

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Writers:

Herman Klurfeld (book), Scott Abbott (teleplay)

Stars:

Stanley Tucci, Glenne Headly, Paul Giamatti

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stanley Tucci	...	Walter Winchell
Glenne Headly	...	Dallas Wayne
Paul Giamatti	...	Herman Kurfeld
Christopher Plummer	...	Franklin D. Roosevelt
Xander Berkeley	...	Gavreau
Kevin Tighe	...	William Randolph Hearst
Frank Medrano	...	Melvin Diamond
Vic Polizos	...	Sam Hague
John F. O'Donohue	...	Harry the Doorman (as John O'Donohue)
Michael Greene	...	Bellamy
Rod McCary	...	Emcee
Victoria Gabrielle Platt	...	Josephine Baker
Jonathan Aaron	...	Rabbi (as Rabbi Jonathan Aaron)
Pat Asanti	...	Vaudeville Magician
Sean Michael Allen	...	Mirror Reporter (as Sean Barnes)

Storyline

Biopic of the controversial muckraking journalist Walter Winchell. After spending 12 years in vaudeville, Winchell began writing a column in the New York Mirror. Part gossip, part half-truths, the reporting focused on well-known or prominent individuals and their dalliances. Winchell grew in popularity, particularly when he started his weekly Sunday night radio show. His reporting became more political in the late 1930s when he railed against Hitler. His star began to fall in the 1950s when Josephine Baker was refused service at the Stork Club and Winchell allegedly refused to do anything about it. The end came with his support of Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his own rabid anti-communism. Following McCarthy's style, Winchell accused anyone who stood in his way of being a communist. Soon, he found himself facing lawsuits, a failed attempt at a television show and eventually, the cancellation of his radio show.

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Plot Keywords:

columnist | radio | writing | career | 1950s | 

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Taglines:

He didn't report the news ... he made it.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of strong sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Poder da Notícia

Filming Locations:

Mount St. Mary's College, Doheny Mansion - 10 Chester Pl, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, Fried Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Dallas Wayne is a fictionalized version of real-life Winchell confidante and speakeasy owner Texas Guinan.

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Goofs

Near the end of the film there is a shot of two newspaper headlines: one saying Winchell lost his radio show and the other that the Stork Club was closing. The articles under the headlines do not refer to either subject, and most of the wording in one article is repeated exactly in the other.

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Quotes

Walter Winchell: Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all the ships at sea! Let's go to press!

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Crazy Credits

Richard Kent Green was Stanley Tucci's stand-in for both the Central Park scenes in New York and the photo shoot for the poster.

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Connections

Featured in The 56th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1999)

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Soundtracks

Last Call
Written by David Wilson
Performed by David Wilson

User Reviews

The Power of the Information

In the 20's, the controversial New Yorker journalist Walter Winchell (Stanley Tucci) begins his career writing gossips about his acquaintances. He is hired by the New York Daily Mirror and using inside information from informers, he becomes the first American gossip columnist. He becomes successful and is invited to host a successful broadcast show in the radio. In the 30's, he attacks Adolf Hitler and befriends President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Christopher Plummer). After the World War II, Winchell attacks the communists and becomes a collaborator of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Winchell is not able to adapt his show to the audience of television and when McCarthy is censured by the Senate, Winchell becomes unpopular and his career virtually ends.

"Winchell" is a good HBO movie about the polemic columnist Walter Winchell, who was feared by the powerful and famous in the 30's and 40's. Along the years, Winchell hires a ghost-writer, Herman Kurfeld (Paul Giamatti), who admires him and has a lover, the showgirl Mary Louise "Dallas" Wayne (Glenne Headly) that likes him. Winchell is shown as a manipulative man that uses his personal dossier to force people to provide inside information for his column and his radio show; a man that neglects his family and has a wrong move supporting the McCarthyism and denouncing people. In the end, he pays a high price for his mistakes, and is forgotten by the public opinion He ends his life alone, without family or friends, and his son commits suicide. The last scene with his mentally disturbed daughter attending his funeral alone is one of the saddest conclusions of a film (and a life) that I have seen. Stanley Tucci gives one of his best performances in the role of Winchell. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Poder da Notícia" ("The Power of the News")