Walter Winchell developed the modern gossip column, employing a brash, sensational style to deal more intimately with the personal affairs of celebrities than other journalists had ever dared. His breezy, racy style came from his vaudeville background, and his clever neologisms became popular slang. One of the most highly paid columnists of his time, he was also able to combine an urgent delivery and show-business presentation to become a leading radio newscaster in the 1930s and 1940s.

Changing public taste, the decline of Broadway, and Winchell's espousal of a far-right political position all contributed to the demise of his career in the 1950s and early 1960s. Vendettas carried on with screeching attacks in both columns and broadcasts and touting of stock and horse tips made communications executives increasingly wary of him. He found himself isolated from his associates and increasingly ignored by the media. In 1968, Winchell left New...