Louella Parsons
| Louella Parsons | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Louella Rose Oettinger August 6, 1881 Freeport, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 1972 (aged 91) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Gossip columnist, screenwriter |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | John Dement Parsons (1905-1914; divorced; 1 daughter) John McCaffrey Jr. (1915-1929; divorced) Harry W. Martin (1930-1951; his death) |
| Children | Harriet Parsons (1906-1983) |
Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was the first American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst, possibly because she had praised Hearst's mistress Marion Davies, and possibly because she helped him cover up the killing of Thomas H. Ince.At her peak, her columns were read by 20 million people in 400 newspapers worldwide.
She remained Queen of Hollywood until the arrival of flamboyant Hedda Hopper, who displayed similar talents, and with whom she feuded viciously for years.
Louella Parsons was born Louella Rose Oettinger in Freeport, Illinois, the daughter of Helen (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, later hometown of Ronald Reagan.
In her teens, Louella was already a smart and intelligent young woman, but there were few literary outlets for her ambitions. It wasn't until high school that Louella decided to become a writer or a reporter. On June 4, 1901, at her high school graduation, Louella gave a foretelling speech, entitled "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 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).
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