On this day in 1972, Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons dies. In 1918, Parsons began writing a movie column that emphasized celebrity scuttlebutt for The New York Morning Post. Soon, Hearst began syndicating her gossip column nationally, and Parsons’ power in Hollywood grew. She made various radio appearances in the early 1930s and began hosting Hollywood Hotel in 1934, using her considerable power to persuade stars to appear on her program for free. She engaged in a decades-long rivalry with fellow gossip columnist Hedda Hopper.