Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine: A History of Star Makers, Fabricators, and Gossip Mongers

CHAPTER 11. Ms. Rona

207 CHAPTER 11 MS. RONA “They [the Hollywood producers] were in control, and then there came along a very independent person. Her name was Rona Barrett.”1 That is the lady herself speaking, and with an autonomous approach to her craft, along with intelligence , a sense of honesty and fair play, comparable to that of James R. Quirk some forty years earlier, she revolutionized not only the fan magazines but the entire coverage of entertainment news. Barrett’s style was not that of Quirk, and certainly the periodicals that carry her name lack the intellectual balance that was so much a part of Photoplay in the 1920s and 1930s. But the linkage is there in the dedication to the craft, the belief in and love of Hollywood, good or bad, and the desire to document what it is all about. Do not be misled by the colorful, overblown appearance of a Rona Barrett publication. The humor was less biting than that adopted by Quirk, but it was just as devastating, if far more saucy and low level. Times had changed drastically and the approach could not be similar—but it was comparable. Rona Barrett was the first fan magazine writer to mature from the genre to become a full-fledged media reporter, with a style, personality, and appearance that was unique. Once she had conquered the new territory, she returned to the fan magazines and introduced her own brand, which competed with and complemented her television work. As one contemporary fan magazine contributor and editor commented, “Then a chubby little brunette with a decided Brooklyn accent, Rona announced that she was going to be the next Louella Parsons. We laughed. But the laugh was on us. Rona completely redid herself. She dieted, got a nose job, changed her hair color and worked with a speech coach. Everything worked to her advantage. More than anything else, she proved to be a brilliant business woman in L.A.”2 MS. RONA 208 Barrett is often described as primarily a gossip columnist. It is a term that she strongly resents and a description she equally forcefully denies: “I thought I was a real good reporter, covering the entertainment industry. Yes, I was a columnist, but I was also an interviewer. I had many exclusive interviews. I think it’s because people have often demeaned what gossip has meant. It has implied over the years that you’re always talking about people’s boudoir activities . That’s not necessarily what I did. When you’re a woman, you’re called a gossip columnist. When you’re a man, you are just called a columnist. I do think it has a sexist situation that probably still exists today.” However one chooses to describe her, Rona Barrett was Hollywood’s leading entertainment reporter from 1960 through 1980, more a journalist than a commentator, rightly described by Cosmopolitan magazine as “The mistress of Rona Barrett. MS. RONA 209 the genre, the principal heir to Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons,”3 Barrett is actually closer in style to Walter Winchell. She once had his power and, in all honesty, some of his arrogance, although I am sure she would be outraged at the comparison if directed at his political thinking or intellect. She met both Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. One immediately demonstrated her animosity toward her competitor, while the other provided Barrett with an example of her staying power. Hedda Hopper was so nasty to me when I first came on the scene. We were at an opening at the Ambassador Hotel. I went to the ladies room, and there was Hedda Hopper. I touched her on the shoulder and said, “I’d like to introduce myself, Miss Hopper. My name is Rona Barrett and we both write for the same magazines.” She said, “That’s your problem.” I was at a party with [record executive] Robert Marcucci, who was known as “the idol maker.” It was a big party that Louella Parsons was giving for Jimmy McHugh, and at this party in his backyard, there must have been 200 or better people. There was every name you could think of. I had already met Mike Connolly , who I just adored, and he was standing where we were, near one of the little bar stands. And Mike is feeling no pain at this point. Suddenly, up walks Louella, says “May I have two Scotch and...