George Fisher’s Hollywood Report – September 16, 1953 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
As the saying goes; “everybody loves some good dish”. Gossip and Hollywood, in fact entertainment in general, have always gone hand in hand with each other probably going back to the days of cave paintings. And in keeping with the often quoted Oscar Wilde; “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”.
The names, places and circumstances may have changed over the years, but the core belief that “America Loves good dish” was just as relevant in 1953 as it is today. Maybe not as sensational or relentless as it is today, but it’s not that the Press and Media didn’t try back in the 1950.
In this broadcast from September 16, 1953, hosted by gossip columnist George Fisher, he takes Rita Hayworth to task for not being so concerned about her daughter Yasmin’s purported kidnap threat, as much as being in Las Vegas waiting for singer Dick Haymes to finalize his divorce so the two could get married. Marriage, and multiple marriages were just as popular during the “golden days of Hollywood” as they are now. With many a star racking up three, four or five nuptials before settling down. Fisher was indignant, citing Hayworth cared virtually nothing for the welfare of her children, instead concentrating on her romantic life.
The other big news item was the rumor being circulated by legendary gossip columnist Walter Winchell that Lucille Ball was a card-carrying member of the Communist Party. The charges and insinuations were refuted and even husband Desi Arnaz got into the fracas by adding that the “only thing red about Lucy was her hair – and even that wasn’t real”.
And that was the state of gossip and innuendo around Hollywood in 1953 – and if you were one of the millions of movie fans, you were hanging on every word. At least they were when George Fisher reported it over KNX in Los Angeles on September 16, 1953.
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