2 Responses to Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, July 9, 1940

1. fibber mcgee says:

   July 10, 2010 at 12:01 pm

   I think the sinking by The Times of the French battleship Richelieu was a bit premature. After all, it was repaired by the Allies and was present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered. Although I think The Times’ artist is great, he seems to be having yet another Stuka dive bomber dropping bombs on the battleship although the caption says it was torpeoded. Sacre Bleu.

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2. Mike Dudnikov says:

   July 10, 2010 at 12:16 pm

   Thanks for bringing up the name of Jimmie Fidler. Though he was before my time, as an historian of the 20th century I am very aware of his prominence as a Hollywood gossip columnist, and his name brings to mind an amusing story. In 1957 a movie titled The Sweet Smell of Success came out. The movie’s main character, as portrayed by Burt Lancaster, was a rather evil columnist, the inspiration for which was Walter Winchell, the foremost practitioner of the art of show biz reporting, and a man who had the power and inclination to be very nasty when he so chose to be.
   Aware of the movie, but apparently unaware of its connection to him, Winchell called up Fidler soon after the film’s release. Recounting to Fidler the very unflattering way in which Lancaster presented the columnist character, Winchell said to Fidler. “If I were you I’d sue the producers behind this picture, they really did a hatchet job on you, Jimmie.”

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