ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO HIS 1960 INTERVIEW OF RICHARD NIXON. This lot features a collection of correspondence, documents, telegrams, and newspaper clippings relating to gossip columnist Walter Winchell. Winchell made his name in the 1920s and 1930s as the first journalist to report regularly on the lives of celebrities—and continued throughout his career to blur the line between hard news and soft. Winchell starred on a popular radio show during the thirties and forties and made the transition to television in 1956. He left ABC in a dispute, but was wooed back in 1960 for another Sunday night news commentary program, which debuted on October 2, 1960. Winchell wanted his old pal J. Edgar Hoover as his first guest, but had to settle for Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon. The following week, Kennedy was scheduled to appear, but bowed out at the last moment as was replaced by a Democratic party official. Winchell’s show was not a blockbuster, but ABC still believed ratings could be improved. Just a few weeks in, however, Winchell notified the network that lingering health problems, including a staph infection in his gums, would prevent him from returning. This lot features a signed copy of Winchell’s 1960 ABC contract; transcripts of the October 2 and October 9 shows; inter-network correspondence regarding the show’s development, ratings, and Winchell’s health; letters from fellow journalists suggesting questions for both Kennedy and Nixon; and more. A second file contains clippings and correspondence relating to the “Confucious Say…” phenomenon sparked by Winchell’s newspaper column in the 1940s.
ARCHIVE OF CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO HIS 1960 INTERVIEW OF RICHARD NIXON. This lot features a collection of correspondence, documents, telegrams, and newspaper clippings relating to gossip columnist Walter Winchell. Winchell made his name in the 1920s and 1930s as the first journalist to report regularly on the lives of celebrities—and continued throughout his career to blur the line between hard news and soft. Winchell starred on a popular radio show during the thirties and forties and made the transition to television in 1956. He left ABC in a dispute, but was wooed back in 1960 for another Sunday night news commentary program, which debuted on October 2, 1960. Winchell wanted his old pal J. Edgar Hoover as his first guest, but had to settle for Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon. The following week, Kennedy was scheduled to appear, but bowed out at the last moment as was replaced by a Democratic party official. Winchell’s show was not a blockbuster, but ABC still believed ratings could be improved. Just a few weeks in, however, Winchell notified the network that lingering health problems, including a staph infection in his gums, would prevent him from returning. This lot features a signed copy of Winchell’s 1960 ABC contract; transcripts of the October 2 and October 9 shows; inter-network correspondence regarding the show’s development, ratings, and Winchell’s health; letters from fellow journalists suggesting questions for both Kennedy and Nixon; and more. A second file contains clippings and correspondence relating to the “Confucious Say…” phenomenon sparked by Winchell’s newspaper column in the 1940s.
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
