The Gay Illiterate

by Louella O. Parsons

Before TMZ and the paparazzi, there was Louella Parsons who reported on the celebrities and stars of the day. If she liked a star, she could boost his reputation and appeal; if she disliked a star, she had the ability to destroy him. Parsons became one of the most powerful influences in Hollywood with her daily gossip column being read by 20 million people throughout the world.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

First published January 1, 1944

Reviews

[Stephanie Carrobourg · Rating 5 out of 5]

It takes a bit of effort to find a copy of this book but I’m so glad I did. If you are interested in William Hearst or old Hollywood, seek it out!

Louella is so charming and funny, managing to make a story about an acquaintance murdering his wife or her years of having tuberculosis quite light. That she was a single mother that had her own column during the First World War is amazing. And to have three phones she was willing to answer for ‘scoops’! A legend.

[Anna Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta love an autobiography. Especially when it's full of Hollywood and Hearst history. Some Chicago and NYC history thrown in... and it's perfect. I also like a first-hand account of how women broke barriers (in this case, the journalism field) in the 1930-50s.

[Davney Stahley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a pretty silly book....poorly written, kind of vague, but I bought it at a used book sale for my mom for Christmas. She'll probably think it's silly too. It's Louella's autobiography published in 1944. It's a "tell all" book, but she doesn't tell anything except she was friends with everyone. LOL I'll keep reading it 'cause it's a fast read.

[Lynette Lark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in 1944 by Louella Parsons, writer for the Hearst newspapers, this book is an easy and interesting read. In it, she is chatty and full of trivia about the movie stars she interviews. Lots of name dropping--so many, in fact, that I had to keep my cell phone next to the bed so I could Google the names to see what these stars looked like. Parsons was the Rona Barrett of her time.

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had such an amazing time traveling back in time to Hollywood’s golden age with this beautiful book. What a life, what a book, what a story.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the insight into William Randolph Hearst and his eccentricities and the glimpses into life at Pickfair (the estate of Mary Pickford and Douglass Fairbanks). Miss Louella, however was not a nice person. She is a shameless name-dropper, and was an extreme white supremacist who was all in favor of internment camps for japanese americans, and a great fan of the movie Birth of a Nation.