The Beginnings of a Media Madman.
Walter Winchell: The Early Years
Walter Winchell was born on April 7, 1897. His father was Jacob Winschell and his mother was Jennie Bakst. His father came from a family of Russian immigrants, originally named Weinschel. Walter's father was the embarrassment of the family. His father, Jacob, was the oldest of the Weinschel's and yet he was the most shiftless. Walter, even as a young boy, had to bear the burden of his father's bad name. This shiftlessness, created a situation of extreme poverty for Walter's family. At the time of his birth, the family lived in a small apartment on 116th East 112th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenue. They were right in the middle of New York City. Even though New York was the city of opportunity, Walter's father never seemed to catch the right one. They were constantly on the move and were always in need of money. According to Neal Gabler's book, Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity,
What he [Walter] remembered was the deprivation he suffered, the times he went unfed, unclothed, and neglected. And he remembered not just the poverty, for the poverty seemed not even the worst of it...he remembered most of all the abuse that accompanied the poverty from the people who felt superior to him (9).
Walter was very sensitive to the implications that came along with poverty. (Were his roots the seeds that enabled him to become a media madman? Let us continue on our biography to find out!) Even with their impoverished state, Walter's parents, Jennie and Jacob, gave Walter a brother. His brother was born on May 20, 1900, in one of their different housing locations, this one was located in the working class section of Harlem. Jacob's brother, George, was given the right to name the newborn, just as he had named Walter. Walter is a nice name but George decided to name the new baby, Algernon. (What??) Jennie held those same exact sentiments but the child's name remained Algernon. The baby did not bring luck or happiness to the Winschell household. Jennie and Jacob constantly fought. Their arguments were primarily based on their financial problems and on Jacob's womanizing ways. In Gabler's book Walter is quoted as saying, "My pop wasn't much of a business man, but he was a hell of a pinochle player" and "My father was always attracted to women- a real lady killer" (10-11). Those aren't the type of qualitites one wants for a father; Walter certainly didn't.
Even as a young boy, Walter knew he didn't want to end up like his father: Shiftless and a family joke. Therefore, Walter began working at an early age. He worked for the local butcher shop, delivered newspapers, sold subscriptions and would even charge people money to hold an umbrella over them on rainy days. (What an entrepreneur.) As he grew older, Walter was able get a singing act together, called the Imperial Trio, with some of his friends. That job led to being scouted for a new Vaudeville show put on by Gus Edwards. The show was called "Gus Edwards' 1910 Song Revue." Walter was on his way to a career in the spotlight, which would lead to Walter exploiting the media towards his advantage.
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