From John Lahr’s “Bottom Feeders,” a review of the new Sweet Smell of Success musical, in the March 25 issue:
“…Winchell was wooed first by F.D.R., to advance his political agenda, and then by Herbert Hoover, as a conduit for nefarious right-wing disinformation.”
Who knew that Herbie was such a behind-the-scenes manipulator post-1932?
– Uke, who remembers the good old days, like, 1988, when the New York Times and the New Yorker didn’t make stupid mistakes in print
Um, you know that FDR had a political career before Hoover was elected president, right? Governor of New York, failed run for the Vice Presidency? Perhaps Lahr is writing that Winchell worked for FDR in his pre-prez days, then went on to help out Hoover in later years.
But then again, I haven’t read the article so I don’t know the context.
Oy, I know what that’s like. I have here an article from Métro newspaper about refugees in Italy. Its headline? “Madrid agrees to accomodate Kurdish refugees…”
Yup. Madrid, the capital of Italy. I’ve heard of European integration, but this is ridiculous.
Yeah, and Roosevelt was Secretary of the Navy, too.
Okay, it’s POSSIBLE that Lahr and his editors meant that Winchell was conniving with That Man Pre-White House, and then switched sympathies to President Hoover by 1928.
But I don’t really think so.
Saying “nefarious right-wing disinformation” and “Hoover” together in the same sentence does NOT conjure up thoughts of Herbert.
Gee, I remember the old days, when so much as a misplaced comma in “The New Yorker” would result in the entire copy staff being hanged from that temporary scaffold on 44th Street, right near the Algonquin.
Remember how they’d leave the bodies dangling for days, as a warning to participles?
Heh. Nice turn of phrase there, Eve.
Hoover was highly influential in Republican party politics for most of the 32 years he lived after losing to FDR in 1932. Though he never was seriously considered as a candidate after that date, he became an elder statesman whose views were taken with enormous respect by later generations of GOP politicians, particularly those on the right wing of the party.
– Polycarp, whose grandfather was a local Republican politico at the time
Remember the Hoover Commission, chaired by President (not FBI Director) Hoover. I think that Pres. Ike set it up as a quasi-official watchdog panel to bay at the moon when ever it saw “waste” of the taxpayer’s money. The thing seemed to go on forever. Old Herbert issued pronouncements from his apartment at the Walldorf-Astoria on a pretty regular basis. Generally they damn’d pinko-leftist social schemes like Medicare.
As far as FDR is concerned, it would not be surprising if That Man did ingratiate him self with Winchell when FDR was governor of New York State. As I remember Winchell became increasingly reactionary as time went on.
And, Eve–wonderful word play.
Oh, fer chrissake.
Winchell was born in 1898. I hardly think he was wielding sufficient Media Power during FDR’s governor years to have Roosevelt come chasing after him to “advance his political agenda,” which would be WHAT at that point, managing the Croton Resevoir and making sure the streets of Syracuse were free from snow and ice?
And this will all become moot when next weeks ish comes out with an embarrassed retraction in teeny tiny print.
And then I will come back here and laugh in ALL your faces, Hoo Hoo.
OH HA! We will see my fine questionable musical instrument yeclept friend. There was commercial radio in the Center of the Known Universe (a/k/a New York City) when FDR was gov of NY, wasn’t there?
Is anyone here concerned about the increased US military involvement in Columbia?
Oh, yes. Ever since they accidentally torpedoed that guy’s live-aboard yacht in the Georgia Straits. The Vancouver coast guard could barely get him to shore on time. I don’t think that the American military has any business in British Columbia.
…Oh.
Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast, and to all the ships at sea…let’s go to press.
Flash!
Walter Wenchell’s FBI file contains nearly 4,000 pages of correspondence between him and J. Edgar Hoover, the cross-dressing, Clyde Tolson-fellating FBI Director. Many of the pages have been heavily redacted to obscure the fact that Winchell regularly procurred French maid’s outfits for Hoover, size 48 short.
Flash!
Walter Winchell was played by short, Italian actor Stanley Tucci in a cable bio-pic. No mention is made of Winchell’s duties as personal shopper to Hoover, who he lovingly called “Louise.” Hoover’s reputation looms large as producers are reluctant to besmirch the reputation of the original G-Man. Tina Brown plans expose’ in Talk, but has to close magazine to pay for subscription to New Yorker.
Flash!
Pictures have recently been uncovered that show Hoover, Tolson, Winchell, and Eleanor Roosevelt in what can only be described as an oleo-covered orgy. Al Hircshfeld refuses to draw caricature of the photo, claiming that he’d have to hide 1,000 "Nina"s in the work to keep people from vomiting in horror!
More details as they develop…
Some background information about Walter Winchell, who was a nationally known U.S. commentator, back in the days when the furniture merely talked, and didn’t also display pictures. From Ben Gross’s 1954 book, I Looked and I Listened:
I’d just like to say “Thank You” to all of y’all for making me feel a lot younger today. This stuff was w-a-a-a-a-y-y before my time.
So Winchell was FDR’s running dog up through at least 1940, if not through the election of 1944. Is that right? He did not become the lapdog of the Right (which was a pretty non-radical and stogy group with the likes of Bob Taft and Everett Dirkson) until after FDR’s death and the succession and later election of H.S. Truman? If so, I can’t help but wonder if the change had something to do with Gov. Dewey who was a New Yorker and who Winchell would have known when he was the U.S. Attorney (al la Ruddy What his name). Makes sense to me.
Ha! Stick that in your diminutive guitar and smoke it, Ike. Incidentally, my March 25 New Yorker just came today. It is a pretty entertaining review.
I’m gonna have to lean with Polycarp on this one, Ike. Despite having lost re-election in a landslide, and being (wrongly) blamed for causing the Depression, from 1933 to 1952 Herbert Hoover was probably the most respected and influential Republican in the country. He remained a huge fundraiser, stump speaker, and advocate for the Republicans for that period, and I can see Winchell in his post-FDR, “Truman doesn’t give me the access I want so I’ll become a Republican to spite the SOB” days as having worked with Herbert Hoover to advance the right-wing cause Herbert was the leader of.
Food for thought indeed, my dear Corrado.
In fact, if plnnr and whiteho hadn’t already stopped by to furnish information and quotes that make Polycarp and Spavined Gelding (and now YOU!) look like pathetic dupes of New Yorker copyediting-department propaganda, I’d be inclined to think about possibly considering questioning my original statement.
Hmmm. I must admit, Uke, it’s certainly likely that’s you’re right, that they actually meant “J. Edgar”. After all, I’m much more willing to describe what J. Edgar was attempting to do (besides get into frilly chamoises) as a “nefarious right-wing disinformation” as opposed to Herbert’s more “government shouldn’t do anything” platform.
The question is, is the New Yorker one of those magazines- such as Salon- that considers “nefarious” a standard adjective for “right-wing”? If so, then it’s still possible that they’re talking about Herbert and his horrible, horrible suggestions that maybe welfare and Social Security weren’t working; if not, then I’ll accept whitetho’s evidence as suggesting that they really did mean J. Edgar.
Nah, not really. While they have their share of knee-jerkers, like Hendrik Hertzberg (who I love), they aren’t any more liberal than your average NYC resident, he said, trying to keep a straight face.
I think “nefarious” is one of those adjectives that just seems to spring to mind when you say the name “J. Edgar Hoover,” no matter what your personal politics.