Sidney Skolsky(May 2, 1905[citation needed]– May 3, 1983) was an American writer best known as a Hollywoodgossip columnist.He ranked withHedda Hopper(with whom he shared a birthday) andLouella Parsonsas the premier Hollywood gossip columnists of the first three decades of the sound picture era.
Sidney Skolsky | |
|---|---|
 Sidney Skolsky as himself in The Corpse Came C.O.D.(1947) | |
| Born | Sidney Skolsky May 2, 1905 New York, New York,U.S. |
| Died | May 3, 1983(aged 78) Los Angeles, California,U.S. |
| Occupation | Gossip columnist Screenwriter Movie actor Movie producer Radio personality |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Estelle Lorenz (1928-1983; his death) |
| Children | 2 |
Skolsky was a radio personality in addition to having his own syndicated newspaper column, he was ascreenwriterandmovie producerwho occasionally acted in radio and films. Skolsky claimed to be the person who gave the nickname "Oscar" to theAcademy Award[citation needed]and was credited for the introduction of the use of the wordbeefcake.[1]
Biography
editSkolsky was born to a Jewish family,[2]the son ofdry goodsstore proprietor Louis Skolsky and his wife Mildred in New York City. He studiedjournalismatNew York Universitybefore becoming aBroadwaypress agentfor the theatrical impresariosEarl Carroll,Sam Harris,andGeorge White.When he became theNew York Daily Newsgossip columnist in 1928, the 23-year-old Skolsky was the youngest Broadway gossip columnist plying his trade on the Great White Way. He also had a Sunday column, "Tintypes", profiles of actors, directors and other production personnel and Hollywood creative types, that continued in print for 52 years, until a couple years before his death.[citation needed]
He moved to Hollywood in 1933, where he moonlighted as a story editor forDarryl F. Zanuck'sTwentieth Century Pictures.TheNew York Daily Mirrorhired him away from theDaily Newsin 1937, and he moved to theNew York Postin 1943.[3]United Featuressyndicated his column to other newspapers. He also had a regular column inPhotoplay,the country's premiere movie magazine. HisPhotoplaycolumn was bylined "From a Stool at Schwab’s", theHollywood drugstorehe made famous.[citation needed]He helped promulgate the mythLana Turnerhad been discovered there, when it actually had been anotherSunset Boulevardestablishment, The Top Hat Cafe, which was closer to Lana's alma mater,Hollywood High.[4]He helped champion and was very close toMarilyn Monroe.[5]
While Skolsky might not have created the nickname "Oscar" for the Academy Award, he is the first person to use the nickname in print for Hollywood's premier award, in his 17 March 1934 column.[6]In 1946, he became a movie producer withThe Jolson Story(1946), which was nominated for several Academy Awards. He followed it up with 1953 bioThe Eddie Cantor Story.Starting in 1954,KABC-TVLos Angeles featured him in his own TV show,Sidney Skolsky’s Hollywood.He wrote five books about Hollywood and the movies, including a 1975 autobiography,Don’t Get Me Wrong, I Love Hollywood.[citation needed]
Skolsky died in 1983 from complications due toParkinson's diseaseandatherosclerosis.He was married for 54 years to the former Estelle Lorenz, with whom he had had two daughters.[citation needed]His writings are part of the permanent collection at theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences'Margaret Herrick Library.[7]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | The Sport Parade | Newsman Sid | Uncredited |
| 1933 | Hallelujah, I'm a Bum | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Hi Nellie! | Skolsky | Uncredited |
| 1934 | Gift of Gab | Movie Magazine Columnist | Uncredited |
| 1941 | Tom, Dick and Harry | Photographer | Uncredited |
| 1947 | The Corpse Came C.O.D. | Himself | |
| 1950 | Sunset Boulevard | ||
| 1958 | Teacher's Pet | ||
| 1961 | The Right Approach | Newspaper Columnist | Uncredited |
| 1967 | Don't Make Waves | Reporter | Uncredited |
| 1968 | The Legend of Lylah Clare | Himself |
References
edit- ^p.120 Hofler, RobertThe Man Who Invested Rock HudsonCarroll and Graf 2005
- ^Meyers, Jeffrey (January 19, 2012).The Genius and the Goddess: Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe.University of Illinois Press; 1st edition. p. 155.ISBN9780252078545.
- ^"Sidney Skolsky Is Dead at 78; Hollywood Reporter 50 Years".The New York Times.1983-05-05.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2018-05-27.
- ^Wilkerson, W.R. 3rd (1 July 1995)."Writing the End to a True-to-Life Cinderella Story: Remembrance: The facts of Lana Turner's discovery at a soda fountain have changed through the years, but the legend remains".Los Angeles Times.Retrieved24 September2013.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^Scott (2 March 2010)."Daughter of Famed Hollywood Columnist Sidney Skolsky Passes".Marilyn Monroe Collection Blog.Retrieved23 September2013.
- ^"The 6th Academy Awards Memorable Moments".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 27 August 2014.Retrieved25 February2019.
- ^"Sidney Skolsky Papers".Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.