"The Walter Winchell Show" - 13/December/1953 (1953)

★★★★★ · This is from 1953. Not the 2000's! · MusicianMagic · 2026-02-23

Many News reporters & anchors wore hats during their broadcasts. There were no satellite links and getting film footage from remote news locations was difficult for this time. Even on-screen pictures & graphics was difficult. This is what many newscasts looked like in 1953. Most Americans in 1953 were very anti-communist. This broadcast was while the the McCarthy hearings were going on. Not speaking out against communists could land you a subpoena to appear or blacklisted. It is suprising to see Winchell speak against cigarettes although he was careful to not critisize all smoking. Again this…

★★★★★ · Bad Show, Wonderful Commercials · Retro_Saiyan · 2009-06-08

I give this program 5/5 purely because of the wonderful commercials and Network ID. These watch commercials are a must see. The ABC Network ID is a rare and interesting sight too.

★★★★★ · Hysterical! · mstamper · 2009-06-09

It's so funny watching him bang on the telegraph key for effect. Dah,da-dah-dah, da-da-da-dah - it certainly adds an air of urgency to the whole thing. He has this wonderful machine-gun delivery style too. It would be a mistake to call this "news", although there was some news in it. It's more like a 30 minute rant. Rush Limbaugh would definitely have him as a guest. Winchell obviously hated liberals. Most of his news "stories" sound like indictments (for treason) and harangues. I could imagine him ringside reporting on the execution of the Rosenbergs - and cheering. I shudder to think that…

★★★★ · TV Killed the Radio Star · Glen Hills · 2009-06-10

This is a real gem for those who can get past the breathless, machine gun delivery of the news hot off the teletype machine. If you listen carefully, he really did ask whether the talks to end France's colonial rule in Indochina would lead to the US inheriting the war. The broadcast was nearly 11 years before the Gulf of Tonkin incident. No small thing for a network newsman to take on big tobacco in 1953 either. Paranoia about communism? Well maybe, but the Rosenbergs really were spys and there really was a Stalin. Anyone who survived the W years should understand how national hysteria works.…

★★★★ · Winchell as broadcaster · EJEFFREY · 2010-11-17

Despite all the slams that Winchell was a horrible broadcaster just remember that he had one of the top 10 radio shows with the same delivery all during the 1940s . And yes he was a rabid anti-Communist but he ALSO was a rabid , early anti_Nazi/Fascist all during the late '30s and pre war 1940's.. He loved Pres. Franklin Roosevelt, got a Navy commission during WW2 and frequently advised the chief exec. Rated for historical value and the necessity for later generations to learn and understand what came before..as I've done.

★★★ · Meh · Robin_1990 · 2009-06-10

I personally found this program to be rather annoying, though really, this is exactly what FOX News broadcasts will look like 50 years from now. At least this rubbish features nice commercials. Does anyone know how "popular" this program was? After all, ABC was a distant forth in the ratings at the time (heck, even DuMont had better ratings at this point).