Winchell, Walter (1897-1972), an American newspaperman and commentator, became important for making the gossip column a regular newspaper feature. His column, which focused on political and entertainment figures, became widely read and imitated. In the column, Winchell used a type of jargon that has been widely copied. He coined colorful words and phrases, such as “lohengrined” and “middle-aisled” for “married.” He also had a popular radio show. He began his radio broadcasts with the famous greeting, “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea. Let’s go to press.”
Winchell was born on April 7, 1897, in New York City. He played in vaudeville before beginning to write for The Vaudeville News in 1920. He became nationally known in 1929 through his syndicated column about Broadway. He also appeared on TV. He retired in 1969 and died on Feb. 20, 1972.
