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106-542: Louella Rose Oettinger , (August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) known professionally as Louella Parsons , was an American gossip columnist and a screenwriter. At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 700 newspapers worldwide. She was the first writer of a dedicated column on motion pictures in the United States, writing one in 1914 for the Chicago Record-Herald . She later started

212-539: A "vicious and irresponsible attack on a great man". As a result, Hearst sent Parsons a letter complaining that he had learned about Citizen Kane from Hopper and not her. On the warpath, Parsons then demanded a private screening of the film and threatened RKO chief George Schaefer on Hearst's behalf, first with a lawsuit and then with a vague but powerful threat of consequences for everyone in Hollywood. On January 10, Parsons and two lawyers working for Hearst were given

318-414: A $ 132,000 loan. Thus was formed Thomas H. Ince Studios, which operated from 1919 to 1924. (The area later known as RKO Forty Acres was southeast of the studio.) Ince Studios was to be another Culver City historic landmark. When Ince conceived the idea of building his own studio, he was determined to have it different from the others. Plans submitted to him by architects Meyer & Holler , included having

424-541: A bestseller. It was followed by a second volume in 1961, Tell It to Louella , published by G.P. Putnam's Sons. In her personal histories, she expunged significant bits of her history in order to align her life with the Catholicism she began to practice in middle age. She alleged that her first husband died on a transport ship on the way home from World War I, leaving her a widow instead of a divorced single mother. Her second marriage to Jack McCaffrey and eventual divorce

530-440: A bit of Switzerland, a Puritan settlement, a Japanese village ... beyond the breakers, an ancient brigantine weighed anchor, cutlassed men swarming over the sides of the ship, while on the shore performing cowboys galloped about, twirling their lassos in pursuit of errant cattle ... The main herds were kept in the hills, where Ince also raised feed and garden produce. Supplies of every sort were needed to house and feed

636-569: A chance encounter in New York City with an employee from his old acting troupe, William S. Hart . Ince found his first film work as an actor for the Biograph Company , directed by his future partner, D.W. Griffith . Griffith was impressed enough with Ince to hire him as a production coordinator at Biograph. This led to more work coordinating productions at Carl Laemmle 's Independent Motion Pictures Co. (IMP). That same year,

742-404: A chance" while the majority of critics disparaged Davies. Parsons showered the former chorus girl with praise which led to a friendship between the two women and led to an offer from Hearst in 1923 for her to become the $ 200-a-week motion-picture editor of his New York American . Her perpetual praise of Davies did not go unnoticed by others as well. The phrase "Marion never looked lovelier" became

848-402: A director at IMP was unable to complete work on a small feature film, so in a moment of bravado, Ince suggested that Laemmle hire him as a full-time director to complete the film. Impressed with the young man, Laemmle sent him to Cuba to make one-reel shorts with his new stars, Mary Pickford and Owen Moore , out of the reach of Thomas Edison 's Motion Picture Patents Company -—the trust that

954-645: A director was Civilization (1916), an epic plea for peace and American neutrality set in a mythical country and dedicated to the mothers of those who died in World War I . The film competed with Griffith's famous epic, Intolerance and beat it at the box office . Civilization was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Ince added

1060-502: A director-general. In 1913 alone, he made over 150 two-reeler movies, mostly Westerns, thereby anchoring the popularity of the genre for decades. While many of Ince's films were praised in Europe , many American critics did not share this high opinion. One such picture was The Battle of Gettysburg (1913) which was five reels long. The picture helped bring into vogue the idea of the feature-length film. Another important early movie for Ince

1166-402: A distinct shock, but I kept cool and concealed my excitement. I tried to convey the impression that he would have to raise the ante a trifle if he wanted me. That also worked, and I signed a contract for three months at $ 150 a week. Very soon after that, with Mrs. Ince, my cameraman, property man and Ethel Grandin , my leading woman, I turned my face westward. Together with his young wife and

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1272-488: A few stages and an administration building to Triangle Studios before selling his shares to Griffith and Sennett in 1918. Three years later, the studios were acquired by Goldwyn Pictures , and in 1924 the facility became Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios. Although many believe that such classics as Gone with the Wind and King Kong were later filmed on that same lot, those movies in fact had been shot at 9336 West Washington Blvd at

1378-425: A gossip column and they believe that their reputation has been defamed – that is, exposed to hatred, contempt, ridicule, or pecuniary loss. Gossip columnists cannot defend against libel claims by arguing that they merely repeated but did not originate the defaming rumor or claim. Instead, a columnist must prove that the allegedly defaming statement was truthful or that it was based on a reasonably reliable source. In

1484-489: A group of investors; the street intersecting the studios was renamed Ince Blvd. The studio is still home to Brooksfilms today. Ince's death at the age of 44 has been the subject of much speculation and scandal, with rumors of murder, mystery and jealousy. The official cause of his death was heart failure , and while witnesses (including his widow Nell) corroborate that his medical condition brought about his death, rumors and sensationalism continued decades later, fueled by

1590-456: A heavy drinker. They remained married until Martin's death on June 24, 1951. After Martin's death she dated songwriter Jimmy McHugh , a fellow Catholic who introduced her to many of the new teenage musical sensations of the time, including Elvis Presley . The couple were a fixture at parties, premieres, and such nightspots as Dino's Lodge on Sunset Strip. Harriet would later follow her mother's passion for writing, and would find employment as

1696-479: A hobby, and took voice lessons with Estelle Liebling , the voice teacher of Beverly Sills . Her third marriage was to Los Angeles surgeon Dr. Harry Martin (whom she called "Docky") in 1930; Martin served in the Army Medical Corps during World War I and World War II. His specialty was venereal diseases and he advanced to the post of Twentieth Century Fox 's chief medical officer. He was also known as

1802-477: A licensed though non-practicing physician, Ince traveled by train to Del Mar , where he was taken to a hotel and given medical treatment by a second doctor and a nurse. Ince then summoned Nell and his personal physician, Dr. Ida Cowan Glasgow, with Ince's eldest son William accompanying them. The group traveled by train to his Los Angeles home, where Ince died. Nell said that Ince had been treated for chest pains caused by angina , but years later his son William became

1908-485: A light, chatty glimpse into the private lives and misadventures of the rich and famous. At the other end of the journalism spectrum, there are entire publications that deal primarily in gossip, rumor, and innuendo about celebrities, such as the British 'red-top' tabloids and the celebrity 'tell-all' magazines . Notable gossip columnists include: Gossip columns that are not named after a specific columnist, along with

2014-518: A married man's child. Parsons had allegedly received the tip from Howard Hughes who was incensed at Bergman for being unable to shoot a film for him as promised. Reportedly, whereas Hopper was more inclined to see their much-publicized antagonism as funny and good for business, Parsons took it personally and saw Hopper as a rival in every possible way. Hopper also referred to Parsons' husband, Harry "Doc" Martin , as "that goddamn clap doctor", which infuriated Parsons. It has been suggested that Hopper

2120-445: A mutually beneficial arrangement. Hopper was then a moderately successful actress, and according to Parson's successor, Dorothy Manners, "if anything happened on a set—if a star and leading man were having an affair—Hedda would give Louella a call." In return, Hedda was guaranteed a few lines of copy under Louella's increasingly influential byline. After MGM canceled her contract, Hopper struggled to maintain her career as an actress. She

2226-705: A newspaper or magazine, especially in a gossip magazine . Gossip columns are written in a light, informal style, and relate opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities from show business (motion picture movie stars, theater, and television actors), politicians, professional sports stars, and other wealthy people or public figures. Some gossip columnists broadcast segments on radio and television. The columns mix factual material on arrests, divorces, marriages and pregnancies, which are obtained from official records, with more speculative gossip stories, rumors, and innuendo about romantic relationships, affairs, and purported personal problems. Gossip columnists have

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2332-772: A part-time writer for the Dixon Star . In 1902, she became the first female journalist in Dixon, where she gossiped about Dixon social circles, making a step towards her Hollywood career. She and her first husband, John Parsons, moved to Burlington, Iowa . Her only child, Harriet (1906–1983), who grew up to become a film producer , was born there. While in Burlington, Parsons saw her first motion picture , The Great Train Robbery (1903). When her marriage broke up, Parsons moved to Chicago . In 1912, she had her first taste of

2438-545: A physician and said that his father's illness resembled thrombosis . Dr. Glasgow signed the death certificate citing heart failure as the cause of death . The front page of the Wednesday morning Los Angeles Times supposedly sensationalized the story: '"Movie Producer Shot on Hearst Yacht!", but the headlines vanished in the evening edition. On November 20, the Times published Ince's obituary citing heart disease as

2544-541: A private screening of the film. Horrified by what she saw, Louella rushed out of the studio screening room to cable Hearst, who telegraphed back the terse message "Stop Citizen Kane". Soon after, Parsons called Schaefer and threatened RKO with a lawsuit if they released Kane . She also warned other studio heads that she would expose the private lives of people throughout the industry and reveal long-suppressed scandalous information. When Schaefer—who had also been threatened by Hearst with legal action—announced that Citizen Kane

2650-435: A reciprocal relationship with the celebrities whose private lives are splashed about in the gossip column's pages. While gossip columnists sometimes engage in (borderline) defamatory conduct, spreading innuendo about alleged immoral or illegal conduct that can injure celebrities' reputations, they also serve as an important part of the publicity machine that turns actors and musicians into celebrities and superstars that are

2756-485: A similar column for the New York Morning Telegraph , being lured away by William Randolph Hearst 's New York American in 1924 because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies . She subsequently became an influential figure in Hollywood and remained the unchallenged "Queen of Hollywood gossip" until the arrival of the flamboyant Hedda Hopper , with whom she feuded for years. Parsons

2862-490: A small entourage, Ince moved to Bison Studios to begin work immediately. He was shocked, however, to discover that the studio was nothing more than a "tract of land graced only by a four-room bungalow and a barn." Ince's aspirations soon led him to leave the narrow confines of Edendale and find a location that would give him greater scope and variety. He settled upon a 460-acre (1.9 km ) tract of land called Bison Ranch located at Sunset Blvd. and Pacific Coast Highway in

2968-572: A small role of a revival 1893 play, Shore Acres by James A. Herne . He appeared with several stock companies as a child and was later an office boy for theatrical manager Daniel Frohman . He later formed an unsuccessful vaudeville company known as "Thomas H. Ince and His Comedians" in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey . In 1907, Ince met actress Elinor Kershaw ("Nell") and they were married on October 19 of that year. They had three children. Ince's directing career began in 1910 through

3074-488: A standard in her column and a tongue-in-cheek cultural catchphrase. There was persistent speculation that Parsons was elevated to her position as the Hearst chain's lead gossip columnist because of a scandal about which she did not write. In 1924, director Thomas Ince died after being carried off Hearst's yacht, allegedly to be hospitalized for indigestion. Many Hearst newspapers falsely claimed that Ince had not been aboard

3180-474: A triangular shape) was built at 10202 West Washington Boulevard (which became the Ince/Triangle Studios, before becoming Lot 1 of the prestigious MGM Studios, and is now Sony Pictures Studios ) as a result the aftermath of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation . Although a box-office success, the film led to riots in major northern cities due to its controversial content. Triangle was one of

3286-499: A veritable army of actors, directors and subordinates. While the cowboys, Native Americans and assorted workmen lived at "Inceville", the main actors came from Los Angeles and other communities as needed, taking the red trolley cars to the Long Wharf at Temescal Canyon , where buckboards conveyed them to the set. Ince lived in a house overlooking the vast studio, later the location of Marquez Knolls. Here he functioned as

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3392-476: A western in Ballona Creek . Impressed with his talents, Culver convinced Ince to move from Inceville and re-locate to what was to become Culver City . Taking Culver's advice, Ince left NYMP and on July 19 partnered with D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett to form The Triangle Motion Picture Company based on their prestige as producers. Triangle (so named because from an aerial point of view the property had

3498-500: A whole front administrative building made into a replica of George Washington 's home at Mount Vernon . The resulting administration building, known as "The Mansion", was the first building on the lot. In back of the impressive office building were approximately 40 buildings, most of which were designed in the Colonial Revival style. A small group of bungalows, built for various movie stars and designed in styles popular in

3604-499: A writer for a popular California magazine. She also became one of the few female producers in the Hollywood studio system although she still struggled in this role despite the influence of her powerful mother. After her retirement, Parsons lived in a nursing home where she died of arteriosclerosis on December 9, 1972, at the age of 91. Her funeral mass was attended by individuals from the movie industry with whom she had maintained genuine friendships. A convert to Roman Catholicism , she

3710-427: A writer or a reporter during high school. At her 1901 high school graduation, she gave a foretelling speech, titled "Great Men", after which her principal announced that she would become a great writer. After high school, Parsons enrolled in a teacher's course at a local Dixon college. She received a financial contribution from a distant German relative. While still in college, Parsons obtained her first newspaper job as

3816-640: A year with IMP, Ince quit. In September 1911, Ince walked into the offices of actor-financier Charles O. Baumann (1874–1931) who co-owned the New York Motion Picture Company (NYMP) with actor-writer Adam Kessel, Jr. (1866–1946). Ince had found out that NYMPC had recently established a West Coast studio named Bison Studios at 1719 Alessandro (now known as Glendale Blvd.) in Edendale (present-day Echo Park ) to make westerns and he wanted to direct those pictures. The offer came as

3922-448: Is a fine line between the legally-acceptable spreading of rumors and the making of defamatory statements, the latter of which can provoke a lawsuit. Newspaper and magazine editorial policies normally require gossip columnists to have a source for all of their allegations to protect the publisher from lawsuits for defamation (libel). In the United States, celebrities or public figures can sue for libel if their private lives are revealed in

4028-414: Is a mystery based on the 1924 death of producer Thomas Ince aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst. This fictitious version presents Chaplin and Davies as lovers and Hearst as the jealous old man unwilling to share his mistress. RKO 281 is a 1999 film about the making of Citizen Kane . The movie includes a scene depicting screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz telling director Orson Welles his account of

4134-518: Is now the site of Culver Studios . Ince's untimely death at the height of his career, after he became severely ill aboard the private yacht of media tycoon William Randolph Hearst , has caused much speculation, although the official cause of his death was heart failure. Thomas Harper Ince was born on November 16, 1880, in Newport, Rhode Island , the middle of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants, John E. and Emma Ince. His father

4240-486: Is omitted. Parsons was married three times. First, to real estate developer and broker John Dement Parsons, whom she married in 1905. From this union, they had one daughter named Harriet who was born on August 23, 1906, in Burlington City, Des Moines County, Iowa. Parsons divorced John in 1914. A year later, she married second husband John McCaffrey Jr. in 1915. The couple later divorced. She pursued singing as

4346-603: The Los Angeles Examiner folded in 1962 her column was switched to the Hearst afternoon paper, the Los Angeles Herald-Express . This meant she lost an edge to Hopper's appearances in the morning Los Angeles Times . She continued her column until December 1965 when it was taken over by her assistant, Dorothy Manners, who had already been writing the column for more than a year. When Hedda had initially come to Hollywood, she and Parsons had

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4452-701: The Los Angeles Times had also gotten the story. When she received a tip that Clark Gable was divorcing his second wife Ria, Parsons essentially held Mrs. Gable hostage at her home until she was sure that her story was speeding across the wire ahead of any other service. Her unofficial title 'Queen of Hollywood' was challenged in 1938 by newcomer Hedda Hopper , to whom she was initially friendly and helpful. However, they came to be fierce rivals. Parsons also appeared in many cameo spots in movies, including Without Reservations (1946), and Starlift (1951). In contrast to her arch-rival Hedda Hopper, who

4558-607: The Keystone Cops comedy franchise. Originally a distributor of films produced by NYMP, the Reliance Motion Picture Corp., Majestic Motion Picture Co. , and The Keystone Film Co. , by November 1916 the company's distribution was handled by Triangle Distributing Corporation. Though Ince had many credits as a director at Triangle, he only supervised the production of most pictures, working primarily as executive producer. One of his important pictures as

4664-658: The Santa Monica Mountains , (the present-day location of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine ) which he rented by the day. By 1912, he had earned enough money to purchase the ranch and was granted permission by NYMP to lease another 18,000 acres (73 km ) in the Palisades Highlands stretching 7.5 miles (12.1 km) up Santa Ynez Canyon between Santa Monica and Malibu where Universal Studios

4770-642: The United States for the Chicago Record Herald . William Randolph Hearst bought that newspaper in 1918 and Parsons was out of a job, as Hearst had not yet discovered that movies and movie personalities were news. Parsons then moved to New York City and started working for the New York Morning Telegraph writing a similar movie column, which attracted the attention of Hearst after he saw her interview of his mistress and protégé Marion Davies . Parsons had encouraged readers to "give this girl

4876-486: The screenplay , Hell's Hinges (1916) and Civilization (1916), which he directed, were selected for preservation by the National Film Registry . He later entered into a partnership with D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett to form the Triangle Motion Picture Company , whose studios are the present-day site of Sony Pictures . He then built a new studio about a mile from Triangle, which

4982-622: The society columns of the 19th and early 20th centuries. James Gordon Bennett Sr. is credited with first creating this position at the New York Herald in 1840. Walter Winchell , a gossip columnist famous in the 1930s and 1940s, was the first writer to have a syndicated gossip column. Winchell used his political, entertainment, and social connections to mine information and rumors, which he either published in his column On Broadway or traded to accumulate more power. He has been referred to as "the most feared journalist" of his era. From

5088-472: The 1920s and '30s, were constructed on the west side of the lot. By 1920, two glass stages, a hospital , fire department, reservoir/swimming pool, and the back lot were completed. That same year, President Woodrow Wilson took a tour of the studios as did the King and Queen of Belgium , along with their son, Prince Leopold , among much pomp and ceremony. Ince had two or three companies working continuously on

5194-443: The 1930s to the 1950s, the two best-known Hollywood gossip columnists were the competing Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons . In Hollywood's " Golden Age " in the 1930s and 1940s, gossip columnists were courted by the movie studios so that the studios could use gossip columns as a powerful publicity tool. During that period, the major film studios had "stables" of contractually-obligated actors, and controlled nearly all aspects of

5300-417: The 2001 release of the film The Cat's Meow . In late 1924, Ince and William Randolph Hearst had been negotiating a deal under which Hearst's Cosmopolitan Productions would lease Ince's studio. On Saturday November 15, Hearst visited Ince's "Dias Dorados" estate at 1051 Benedict Canyon Drive and invited him for a weekend cruise on his yacht Oneida to honor Ince's birthday and to work out details of

5406-461: The Cosmopolitan deal. According to Ince's widow, Nell, Ince took a train to San Diego , where he joined the other guests the following morning. At dinner that Sunday night, the group celebrated Ince's birthday, but afterward Ince suffered an acute bout of indigestion due to his consumption of salted almonds and champagne, both forbidden as he had peptic ulcers . Accompanied by Dr. Goodman,

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5512-622: The Ince-print, because he exercised such tight control over his scripts and edited so mercilessly that he could delegate direction to others and still get what he wanted. Much of what Ince contributed to the American film took place off the screen; he established production conventions that persisted forbears, and, though his career in films lasted only fourteen years, his influence far outlived him. Ince also discovered many talents, including his old actor friend, William S. Hart, who made some of

5618-509: The Thomas H. Ince Studios. For a while, Ince joined competitor Adolph Zukor to form Paramount-Artcraft Pictures (later Paramount Pictures ). However, he yearned to go back to running his own studio. On July 19, 1918, following Samuel Goldwyn 's acquisition of the Triangle lot, he purchased a 14-acre (57,000 m ) property at 9336 West Washington Blvd. on an option basis from Culver along with

5724-418: The best early westerns, beginning in 1914. Later, a rift developed between the two over sharing of profits. Portentously, on January 16, 1916, a few days after the opening of his first Culver City studio, a fire broke out at "Inceville", the first of many that eventually destroyed all of the buildings. Ince later gave up on the studio and sold it to Hart, who renamed it "Hartville." Three years later, Hart sold

5830-438: The biggest scoop of her career to be the divorce of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford , at that time the most famous couple in Hollywood. Parsons had learned of the split from Pickford herself, who had made the mistake of counting on the columnist's discretion. Parsons sat on the story for six weeks, hoping that they would reconcile and concerned that the news might damage the film industry, but published once she heard that

5936-453: The boat at all and had fallen ill at the newspaper mogul's home . Charlie Chaplin 's secretary reported seeing a bullet hole in Ince's head when he was removed from the yacht. Rumors proliferated that Chaplin was having an affair with Hearst's mistress Davies, and that an attempt to shoot Chaplin may have caused Ince's death. Allegedly, Parsons was also aboard the yacht that night but she ignored

6042-583: The cause of death along with his failing health from an automobile accident two years earlier. A month later, the New York Times reported that the San Diego district attorney had announced that Ince's death was caused by heart failure and no further investigation was necessary. Both Ince and his wife were practicing Theosophists who preferred cremation and had arranged for it long before his death. While rumors prevailed that Nell suddenly departed

6148-468: The celebrity can sue for libel on the grounds that their reputation was defamed. In some circumstances, however, gossip columnists do not fact-check the information that they receive from their sources before they publish their stories. Also, some gossip columnists who are not themselves reputable post articles about celebrities. As a result, there is a chance of published stories leading to the defamation of celebrities. The precursors to gossip columns were

6254-414: The central authority over multiple production units, changing the way films were made by organizing production methods into a disciplined system of filmmaking. Indeed, "Inceville" became a prototype for Hollywood film studios of the future, with a studio head (Ince), producers, directors, production managers, production staff, and writers all working together under one organization (the unit system) and under

6360-477: The country after her husband's death, she actually left for Europe about seven months later in July 1925. However, several conflicting stories circulated about the incident, often revolving around a claim that Hearst shot Ince in the head after mistaking him for Charlie Chaplin . Chaplin's valet, Toraichi Kono , claimed to have seen Ince when he came ashore via stretcher in San Diego. Kono told his wife that his head

6466-530: The director doing everything themselves). By 1913, the concept of the production manager had been created. With the aid of George Stout, an accountant for NYMP, Ince re-organized how films were outputted to bring discipline to the process. After this adjustment the studio's weekly output increased from one to two, and later three two-reel pictures per week, released under such names as "Kay-Bee" (Kessel-Baumann), "Domino" (comedy), and "Broncho" (western) productions. These were written, produced, cut, and assembled, with

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6572-456: The dry climate, then to Los Angeles , where she decided to stay. With the disease in remission, she went back to work, and Hearst suggested she become a syndicated Hollywood columnist for his newspapers . As she and the publishing mogul developed an ironclad relationship, her Los Angeles Examiner column came to appear in over seven hundred newspapers the world over, with a readership of more than 20 million, and Parsons gradually became one of

6678-536: The film lost money. Parsons was by no means alone in her campaign against Citizen Kane but Welles never quite recovered his position in Hollywood afterward. In the early 1950s, the Los Angeles Examiner ran on its front page, above Parsons's byline: "Ingrid Bergman Baby Due in Three Months at Rome". Bergman had left her husband, neurologist Peter Lindström, to live in Italy with director Roberto Rossellini but

6784-410: The finished product delivered within a week. By enabling more than one film to be made at a time, Ince decentralized the process of movie production to meet the increased demand from theaters. This was the dawning of the assembly-line system that all studios eventually adopted. With this model, developed between 1913 and 1918, Ince gradually exercised even more control over the film production process as

6890-403: The first vertically integrated film companies. By combining production, distribution, and theater operations under one roof, the partners created the most dynamic studio in Hollywood. They attracted directors and stars of the day, including Pickford, Lillian Gish , Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle , and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. They also produced some of the most enduring films of the silent era, including

6996-519: The incident. The Cat's Meow , the 2001 film directed by Peter Bogdanovich , is another fictitious version of Ince's death. Bogdanovich notes that he heard the story from director Orson Welles , who said he heard it from screenwriter Charles Lederer (Marion Davies's nephew). In Bogdanovich's film, Ince is portrayed by Cary Elwes . The movie was adapted by Steven Peros from his own play, which premiered in Los Angeles in 1997. Ince's star on

7102-402: The independent releasing company, Associated Producers, Inc., to distribute their films. However, Associated Producers merged with First National in 1922. Though Ince still made some significant motion pictures, the studio system was starting to take over Hollywood. With little room for an independent producer and despite his attempts, Ince could not regain the powerful standing he once held in

7208-417: The individual reputation of a movie star and their greater box office viability. Having fallen into ill-repute after the heyday of Hopper and Parsons, gossip columnists saw a comeback in the 1980s. Many mainstream magazines such as Time , which once considered the hiring of gossip columnists as beneath their stature, now have sections titled "People" or "Entertainment". Such mainstream gossip columns provide

7314-609: The industry. He and other independent producers tried to form the Cinematic Finance Corporation in 1921, which made loans to producers who already had been successful, but only accomplished its goal in a limited sense. In 1925, a year after Ince's death, the studio was sold (with Pathé America ) to Ince's friend Cecil B. DeMille . Besides DeMille, among those who had offices on the lot were producer Howard Hughes and Selznick International Pictures . About four years later, DeMille sold his interest to Pathé and

7420-421: The lives of their movie stars. Well-timed leaks about a star's purported romantic adventures helped movie studios to create and sustain public interest in their star actors. The studios' publicity agents also acted as unnamed "well-informed inside sources." In this capacity, agents could counteract whispers about celebrity secrets, such as homosexuality or an out-of-wedlock child, which could severely damage both

7526-458: The lot at any given time. According to film historian Marc Wanamaker, Ince worked with a team of eight directors but "he retained creative control of his films, developing the shooting scripts" and personally assembling each of his films. By now, Ince had drifted away from westerns in favor of social dramas and he made a few significant films including Anna Christie (1923), based on the play by Eugene O'Neill , and Human Wreckage (1923), which

7632-451: The lot to Robertson-Cole Pictures Corporation , which continued filming there until 1922. La Hue writes that "the place was virtually a ghost town when the last remnants of "Inceville" were burned on July 4, 1922, leaving only a "weatherworn old church , which stood sentinel over the charred ruins." By 1915, Ince was considered one of the best-known producer-directors. Around this time, real estate mogul Harry Culver noticed Ince shooting

7738-493: The media source, include: Thomas H. Ince Ince revolutionized the motion picture industry by creating the first major Hollywood studio facility and invented movie production by introducing the " assembly line " system of filmmaking . He was the first mogul to build his own film studio dubbed "Inceville" in Palisades Highlands . Ince was also instrumental in developing the role of the producer in motion pictures. Three of his films, The Italian (1915), for which he wrote

7844-540: The mid-1960s, rulings by the United States Supreme Court made it harder for the media to be sued for libel in the US. The Court ruled that libel occurs only if a publication prints falsehoods about a celebrity with "reckless disregard" for the truth. A celebrity suing a newspaper for libel must prove that the paper published the falsehood with actual malice or with deliberate knowledge that the statement

7950-591: The most powerful voices in the movie business with her daily allotment of gossip. Beginning in 1928, she hosted a weekly radio program featuring movie star interviews that was sponsored by SunKist . A similar program in 1931 was sponsored by Charis Foundation Garment. In 1934, she signed a contract with the Campbell's Soup Company and began hosting a program titled Hollywood Hotel , which showcased stars in scenes from their upcoming movies. The stars appeared for free which did not please rival broadcasters or all of

8056-603: The motion picture editor of the Hearst-owned New York American in December 1923 and her contract was signed a year before Ince's death. Another story circulated that Hearst provided Nell with a trust fund just before she left for Europe and that Hearst paid off Ince's mortgage on his Château Élysée apartment building in Hollywood. However, Nell was left a very wealthy woman and the Château Élysée

8162-581: The movie industry working for George K. Spoor as a scenario writer at the Essanay Company in Chicago, selling her first script for $ 25. Her daughter, Harriet , was billed as "Baby Parsons" in several movies, which included The Magic Wand (1912), written by Louella Parsons. She also wrote a book titled How to Write for the Movies . In 1914, Parsons began writing the first movie gossip column in

8268-466: The myth of Ince's death overshadowed his reputation as a pioneering filmmaker and his role in the growth of the film industry. His studio was sold soon after he died. His final film, Enticement , a romance set in the French Alps , was released posthumously in 1925. Murder at San Simeon ( Scribner ), a 1996 novel by Patricia Hearst (William Randolph's granddaughter) and Cordelia Frances Biddle,

8374-572: The name World Famous Features. When construction was completed, the streets were lined with many types of structures, from humble cottages to mansions, mimicking the style and architecture of different countries. Extensive outdoor western sets were built and used on the site for several years. According to Katherine La Hue in her book, Pacific Palisades: Where the Mountains Meet the Sea : Ince invested $ 35,000 in building, stages and sets ...

8480-530: The news that she might be pregnant was met with some skepticism. Bergman was well known for the angelic role of Sister Benedict in The Bells of St. Mary's . Hopper, who had been a public supporter of Bergman, had believed the actress' denial of the pregnancy, and printed a fervent repudiation of the rumor. However, Bergman was indeed pregnant and Hopper, enraged at being scooped, launched a PR campaign decrying Bergman for being pregnant out of wedlock and carrying

8586-401: The objects of the public's obsessive attention and interest. The publicity agents of celebrities often provide or "leak" information or rumors to gossip columnists to publicize the celebrity or their projects, or to counteract "bad press" that has recently surfaced about their conduct. While gossip columnists' "bread and butter" is rumor, innuendo, and allegations of scandalous behavior, there

8692-547: The site was under construction, Ince also leased the 101 Ranch and Wild West Show from the Miller Bros., bringing the whole troupe from Oklahoma out to California via train. The show consisted of 300 cowboys and cowgirls; 600 horses, cattle and other livestock (including steers and bison ) and a whole Sioux tribe (200 of them in all) who set up their teepees on the property. They were then renamed "The Bison-101 Ranch Co.", and specialized in making westerns released under

8798-662: The stars but they did not complain in case of reprisals. Her opening line of the show was "My first exclusive of tonight is...", which became feared. The show was cancelled after the Screen Actors Guild demanded payment for its members. Warner Bros. paid her $ 50,000 to appear in a filmed version in 1937, but the film flopped. Parsons saw herself as the social and moral arbiter of Hollywood and many feared her disfavor more than that of movie critics. Parsons had informants in studio corridors, hairdressers' salons, and lawyers' and doctors' offices. Her husband Harry Martin

8904-589: The story in her columns. The official cause of death was listed as heart failure . Parsons was a founding member of the New York Newspaper Women's Club , and was elected president of the organization for one term in 1925. In 1925, Parsons contracted tuberculosis and was told she had six months to live. She spent a year in Palm Springs, California , which led to it being a popular resort for Hollywood movie stars. She moved to Arizona for

9010-479: The studio became known as the Pathé Culver City Studio. By 1928 after mergers, the studio became RKO /Pathé. By 1957, a number of other studios followed: Desilu Culver , Culver City Studios, Laird International Studios, etc. In 1991, Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased the property as the home for its television endeavors, renaming it Culver Studios , and eventually selling it in 2004 to

9116-400: The supervision of a General Manager, Fred J. Balshofer . Before this, the director and cameraman controlled the production of the picture, but Ince put the producer in charge of the film from inception to final product. He defined the producer's role in both a creative and industrial sense. He was also one of the first to hire a separate screenwriter , director, and editor (instead of

9222-410: The word out than potentially disappoint her readers. She became known in Hollywood for assuming an air of goofy vagueness in order to snap up material without people suspecting she was listening or otherwise letting their guard down. After the death of Hearst in 1951 and with the rise of stars becoming producers, Parsons's influence diminished. She began to show signs of physical deterioration and when

9328-481: The yacht had been sworn to secrecy about the events, which would indicate more than a death by natural causes. Contrary to these accounts, during Ince's funeral, the Los Angeles Times reported that his casket would remain open for one hour "to afford friends and studio employees to pass for one last glimpse of the man they loved and respected", with no witnesses ever mentioning a bullet wound. Ince's body

9434-766: Was The Italian (1915), which depicted immigrant life in Manhattan . Two of his most successful films were among his first, War on the Plains (1912) and Custer's Last Fight (1912), which featured many Native Americans who had actually been in the battle. Even though he was the first producer-director and directed most of his early productions, by 1913 Ince eventually ceased full-time directing to concentrate on producing, transferring this responsibility to such proteges as Francis Ford and his brother John Ford , Jack Conway , William Desmond Taylor , Reginald Barker , Fred Niblo , Henry King and Frank Borzage . The story

9540-403: Was "bleeding from a bullet wound." The story quickly spread among Japanese domestic workers throughout Beverly Hills . Charles Lederer , the nephew of Hearst's longtime partner Marion Davies , told a similar story to Orson Welles , who in turn told Peter Bogdanovich , the director of The Cat's Meow . Elinor Glyn , who was present aboard Oneida , told Eleanor Boardman that everyone aboard

9646-516: Was a urologist and Hollywood physician, and it was thought that he passed on information he learned in his position as a studio doctor. She worked from her Beverly Hills home with a staff consisting of a secretary, her assistant reviewer ( Dorothy Manners , who worked with Parsons for thirty years), a "leg" man who gathered news, and a female reporter who covered the cafés . She had three telephones in her office. She also had former silent-movie stars on her payroll to help them financially. She considered

9752-504: Was an apartment she had already owned and had built on the grounds where the Ince estate once stood. Years later, Hearst spoke to a journalist about the rumor that he had murdered Ince. "Not only am I innocent of this Ince murder," he said, "So is everybody else." Nell herself was increasingly frustrated over the rumors surrounding her husband's death and remarked: "Do you think I would have done nothing if I even suspected that my husband had been victim of foul play on anyone's part?" Still,

9858-443: Was an early anti-drug film starring Dorothy Davenport (widow of addicted star Wallace Reid ). Although Ince found distribution for his films through Paramount and MGM, he was no longer as powerful as he once had been and tried to regain his status in Hollywood. In 1919, with several other independent entrepreneurs (notably his old partner at Triangle, Mack Sennett, Marshall Neilan , Allan Dwan and Maurice Tourneur ) he co-founded

9964-590: Was attempting to crush all independent production companies and corner the market on film production. Ince's output, however, was small. Although he tackled many different subjects, he was strongly drawn to westerns and American Civil War dramas. Clashes between the trust and independent films became exacerbated, so Ince moved to California to escape these pressures. He hoped to achieve the effects accomplished with minimal facilities like Griffith, which he believed, could only be accomplished in Hollywood . After only

10070-600: Was born Louella Rose Oettinger in Freeport, Illinois , the daughter of Helen (nee; Stine) and Joshua Oettinger. Her father was of German Jewish descent, as was her maternal grandfather, while her maternal grandmother, Jeanette Wilcox, was of Irish origin. During her childhood, her parents attended an Episcopal church. She had two brothers, Edwin and Fred, and a sister, Rae. In 1890, her widowed mother married John H. Edwards. They lived in Dixon, Illinois . Parsons decided to become

10176-622: Was born in Wigan , Lancashire in 1841, and was the youngest of nine boys who enlisted in the British Navy as a " powder monkey ". He later disembarked at San Francisco , and found work as a reporter and coal miner. Around 1887, when Ince was about seven, the family moved to Manhattan to pursue theater work. Ince's father worked as both an actor and musical agent and his mother, Ince himself, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Ralph all worked as actors. Ince made his Broadway debut at 15 in

10282-458: Was both incorrect and defamatory. Moreover, the Court ruled that only factual misrepresentation, not expression of opinion, is libel. Thus, if gossip columnists write that they "think that Celebrity X is an idiot", the columnist does not face a risk of being sued for libel. On the other hand, if columnists invent an allegation that "Celebrity X is a wife beater" with no supporting source or evidence,

10388-627: Was cremated on November 21 in Hollywood Forever Cemetery and the ashes returned to his family on December 24, 1924, who reportedly scattered them at sea. Hearst movie columnist Louella Parsons ' name also figured into the Ince scandal, with some speculating that she had been aboard Oneida during the reported shooting. Supposedly, after the Ince affair, Hearst gave her a lifetime contract and expanded her syndication . However, other sources show that Parsons did not gain her position with Hearst as part of "hush money" but had been

10494-580: Was eventually established, which was owned by The Miller Bros of Ponca City, Oklahoma . And it was here Ince built his first movie studio. The "Miller 101 Bison Ranch Studio", which the Millers dubbed "Inceville" (and was later re-christened "Triangle Ranch") was the first of its kind in that it featured silent stages, production offices, printing labs, a commissary large enough to serve lunch to hundreds of workers, dressing rooms, props houses, elaborate sets, and other necessities – all in one location. While

10600-602: Was interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California . Parsons has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Hollywood , one for motion pictures at 6418 Hollywood Boulevard and one for radio at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard. [REDACTED] Media related to Louella Parsons at Wikimedia Commons Gossip columnist A gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in

10706-400: Was involved with a Mayo Clinic nurse, from his wife, Betsey . The story became front-page news across the country. When rumors began to surface that Orson Welles debut film Citizen Kane was inspired by Hearst's life, Parsons lunched with the director and believed his evasions and denials. Hopper arrived uninvited to an early screening of the film and wrote a scathing critique, calling it

10812-413: Was notorious for her column's crass tone, Parsons' writing style was often described as "sweetness and light" or "gooey". She received criticism for her casual chatty tone and casual regard for dates and places. She countered that "the best gossip" is informal and that the speed at which she needed to complete her daily column did not allow for much rewriting or polishing. She stated that she would rather get

10918-493: Was offered a position as a Hollywood columnist by the Esquire Feature Syndicate due to a recommendation by Andy Hervey of MGM 's publicity department. One of the first papers to pick up "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" was the Los Angeles Times , a morning paper like Louella's Examiner . Hopper first publicly scooped Parsons with the divorce of the president's son Jimmy Roosevelt (a Goldwyn employee), who

11024-456: Was scheduled to premiere in February 1941 at Radio City Music Hall , Parsons contacted the manager of Radio City Music Hall and advised him that exhibiting the film would result in a press blackout. The premiere was canceled. Other exhibitors were fearful of being sued by Hearst and refused to show the film. As a result, despite support from Hearst adversaries as Henry Luce , on release overall

11130-505: Was set up as a columnist by Louis B. Mayer (with the blessing of other studio chiefs) to offset Louella's monopolistic power. Gossip columnist Liz Smith , stated that: "The studios created both of them. And they thought they could control both of them. But they became Frankenstein monsters escaped from the labs." Hopper and Parsons had a combined readership of 75 million in a country of 160 million. Parsons' memoir The Gay Illiterate (1944), published by Doubleday, Doran and Company , became

11236-553: Was the preeminent aspect of Ince's pictures. Films such as The Italian, The Gangsters and the Girl (1914), and The Clodhopper (1917) are excellent examples of the dramatic structure that resulted from his masterful editing. Film preservationist David Shepard said of Ince in The American Film Heritage : (He) did everything. He was so proficient at every aspect of film making that even films he didn't direct have

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