William R. Wilkerson
Born
William Richard Wilkerson

September 29, 1890
Nashville, Tennessee
DiedSeptember 2, 1962 (aged 71)
Los Angeles, California
Resting placeHoly Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California
Occupation(s)Publisher, businessman
Spouses
  • Helen Durkin
  • Edith Gwynn Goldenhorn
  • Rita Ann Seward
  • Estelle Jackson Brown
  • Vivian DuBois
  • Beatrice Ruby Noble

William Richard "Billy" Wilkerson (September 29, 1890 – September 2, 1962) was the founder of The Hollywood Reporter,[1] a real estate developer in Las Vegas and owner of such nightclubs as Ciro's. His series of columns known as "Billy's List" helped to initiate the red scare that led to the Hollywood blacklist. Wilkerson "discovered" Lana Turner.[2]

Personal life

Wilkerson was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 29, 1890. He began to study medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but when his father died leaving extensive gambling debts, Wilkerson quit school to support himself and his mother. He became a compulsive gambler himself, but quit when his son was born in October 1951.

Wilkerson was in relatively poor health throughout the latter half of the 1950s due to decades of excessive smoking. He continued to head The Hollywood Reporter and write his daily "Tradeviews" column until shortly before his death. Wilkerson died of a heart attack on September 2, 1962, at his Bel-Air home, one day before The Hollywood Reporter's 32nd anniversary. He is interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.

Wilkerson was married six times. His wives were:

Career

When a friend won a Fort Lee, New Jersey movie theater in a bet, Wilkerson agreed to manage it in exchange for half the profits. Expanding his work in the movie industry, he became district manager at Universal Pictures under Carl Laemmle.

The Hollywood Reporter

Wilkerson published the first issue of The Hollywood Reporter on September 3, 1930.[3] He began each issue with a self-penned editorial entitled "Tradeviews", which proved highly influential.

In 1946, he began a series of columns in The Hollywood Reporter, listing suspected Communist sympathizers; "Billy's List" helped to initiate the "red scare" that led to the Hollywood blacklist.[4]

Business ventures

Partial payment to Margaret M. Folsom for the Flamingo land signed by William R. Wilkerson, March 5, 1945

Wilkerson opened a series of social nightspots on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip. Seeing opportunities in Las Vegas, he made key investments there as well.

Restaurants, nightclubs, and hotels that Wilkerson started:

References

  1. ↑ "The Hollywood Reporter". Archived from the original on October 4, 2007.
  2. ↑ Wilkerson, W. R. III (1 July 1995). "Writing the End to a True-to-Life Cinderella Story : Remembrance: The facts of Lana Turner's discovery at a soda fountain have changed through the years, but the legend remains". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  3. ↑ "Paper". Archived from the original on October 9, 2007.
  4. ↑ Baum, Gary; Miller, Daniel (November 30, 2012). "Blacklist: THR Addresses Role After 65 Years". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  5. 1 2 Rasmussen, Cecilia (7 December 1997). "The Man Behind the Sunset Strip". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  6. ↑ McCracken, Robert D. (1997). Las Vegas: The Great American Playground. University of Nevada Press. p. 60. ISBN 9780874173017.
  7. ↑ Goertler, Pam (Fall 2007). "The Las Vegas Strip: The Early Years" (PDF). Casino Chip and Token News. pp. 33–37. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "LaRue (Sands), Mack Kufferman". Reno Gazette-Journal. 15 April 1952. p. 5.
  9. ↑ "Sands History". At the Sands. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Casino Lit: In times like these, we can all use a vacation at the Sands". CDC Gaming Reports. Retrieved 31 January 2022.

Further reading

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