Dorothy Kilgallen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dorothy Kilgallen in January 1946

Dorothy Mae Kilgallen (born July 3, 1913 in Chicago , Illinois , † November 8, 1965 in Manhattan , New York City ) was an American journalist , television presenter and actress . Her daily column, Voice of Broadway , appeared in 146 newspapers across the United States. She was best known for her controversial reports on politics and organized crime. In addition to her journalistic career, Kilgallen also gained a permanent cast in the quiz program What's My Line? Notoriety, in which she could be seen from 1950 until her death. She died in 1965 from an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. Her death is the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and has been linked to her reports of the murder of John F. Kennedy and organized crime.

Life

Early life

Dorothy Kilgallen was born in 1913 as the daughter of newspaper reporter James Lawrence Kilgallen (1888–1982) and Mae Ahern (1888–1985) in Chicago. She had a younger sister named Eleanor (1919-2014). Until 1920 the family moved several times before James Kilgallen found a job with the International News Service in New York and settled in the local borough of Brooklyn .

Dorothy Kilgallen completed two semesters at the College of New Rochelle before dropping out and taking a job as a reporter for the New York Evening Journal. The newspaper was owned by the Hearst Corporation , which her father also employed.

Career

Kilgallen first became famous as a reporter in 1936 on a trip around the world with several of her male colleagues. Only public transport was allowed on the world tour. Kilgallen crossed the finish line as the second participant. She processed her experiences on this trip in her book Girl Around The World , published that same year . Parts of the book served as a template for the film Fly-Away Baby , published in 1937 . A year earlier she was seen as a reporter in the film Sinner Take All .

In 1936 and 1937 Kilgallen lived in Hollywood , from where she wrote weekly columns. Upon her return to New York in 1938, Kilgallen wrote a daily column called the Voice of Broadway , which was published in the New York Journal-American. She mostly reported on topics from New York show business, but also on politics and organized crime. Over the years, Kilgallen's columns were published in more than 146 magazines nationwide through the King Features Syndicate until her death. In 1940 she married the actor and singer Richard Kollmar, with whom she lived in Manhattan from then on.

Together with her husband, Kilgallen began a career on radio and television in addition to her career as a reporter. Among other things, she had her own radio show on Columbia Broadcasting System during World War II , which was named after her daily column, Voice of Broadway . From April 1945, Kilgallen and her husband presented the radio show Breakfast With Dorothy and Dick , which was broadcast directly from their apartment until it was discontinued in 1963.

Dorothy Kilgallen achieved her greatest fame outside of journalism starting in 1950 as a participant in the quiz program What's My Line? (German: What am I? ). She was part of the regular cast of the show and was seen in more than 700 episodes until her death. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in television .

In 1953 Kilgallen received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her report on the coronation of Elizabeth II .

Controversy

Dorothy Kilgallen's work as a reporter has repeatedly been the subject of controversy and scandals. Her reports in 1964 contributed, among other things, to the exoneration and acquittal of Sam Sheppard, who was convicted of murder in 1954 . Kilgallen was also known for her work in the field of organized crime and its connections to politics and show business. Among other things, she criticized the singer and entertainer Frank Sinatra several times in her reports . Sinatra reacted angrily and criticized Kilgallen in numerous live appearances. For example, at a show in Chicago, he said, "When you bump into Dorothy Kilgallen, be sure you're in a car" (something like, "When you bump into Dorothy Kilgallen, make sure you are in a car") . This statement can be heard on several Ratpack live CDs released in the 1990s .

Dorothy Kilgallen criticized the work of the Warren Commission and announced information about the assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy in 1964 . However, she did not see a planned publication.

death

Grave of Dorothy Kilgallen

On November 8, 1965, Dorothy Kilgallen was found dead in her Manhattan home. The night before, she was in another episode of What's My Line? been seen. The cause of death was found to be a heart attack, which was caused by an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. Dorothy Kilgallen left her husband and three children. Prominent companions such as Arlene Francis , Ed Sullivan and Joan Crawford attended her funeral on November 11th . She found her final resting place in the Gate of Heaven Cemetery .

Killgallen was known for not disclosing her sources. This led to several investigations and heightened doubts about her death. In addition, her notebook containing information about the planned report on the assassination of John F. Kennedy was never found. Various sources also connect Kilgallen's death with the great power failure in New York (1965, " The Big Blackout "), which took place one day later, on November 9, 1965.

The critical moments of their story were partly filmed in the US television series Dark Skies (episode: "To Prey in Darkness").

Web links

Commons : Dorothy Kilgallen  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ^ For example, A night on the town with Rat Pack ; Music Club, 2005.
personal data
SURNAME Kilgallen, Dorothy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kilgallen, Dorothy Mae (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American television presenter and actress
DATE OF BIRTH July 3, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Chicago , Illinois , United States
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1965
Place of death New York City , New York , United States