Summary of Mark Shaw's The Reporter Who Knew Too Much

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 Dorothy Kilgallen was a reporter who died in 1965. She was known for her sharp wit and bold personality. She was precocious, and she had an interest in the creative world from a young age.

#2 Kilgallen’s father encouraged her to write letters to the newspaper editor, which she did regularly. She became associate editor of The Erasmian, her school’s literary magazine, and wrote a story about an English flier and his romance with an Italian peasant.

#3 Kilgallen was a reporter for the New York Evening Journal in 1931, when she was given the opportunity to prove her worth. She re-wrote an article published by one of her male colleagues without divulging her name. The editor praised the re-write at a meeting, and asked who wrote it. Kilgallen proudly raised her hand.

#4 Kilgallen was a young and talented journalist, who was known for her immaculate and unconventional style. She was a modern up-to-date woman reporter with a far-beyond-her-years perception and power of observation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669356387

IRB Media

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Book preview

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Dorothy Kilgallen was a reporter who died in 1965. She was known for her sharp wit and bold personality. She was precocious, and she had an interest in the creative world from a young age.

#2

Kilgallen’s father encouraged her to write letters to the newspaper editor, which she did regularly. She became associate editor of The Erasmian, her school’s literary magazine, and wrote a story about an English flier and his romance with an Italian peasant.

#3

Kilgallen was a reporter for the New York Evening Journal in 1931, when she was given the opportunity to prove her worth. She re-wrote an article published by one of her male colleagues without divulging her name. The editor praised the re-write at a meeting, and asked who wrote it. Kilgallen proudly raised her hand.

#4

Kilgallen was a young and talented journalist, who was known for her immaculate and unconventional style. She was a modern up-to-date woman reporter with a far-beyond-her-years perception and power of observation.

Insights from Chapter 2

#1

Dorothy Kilgallen, at age 21 in 1934, covered the Anna Antonio murder-for-hire trial. Her front-page story announced the guilty verdict. She included quotes from those upset when the jury pronounced a death sentence for Little Anna.

#2

Kilgallen was assigned to cover the trial of Bruno Hauptmann, who was accused of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh’s son. She was impressed with her gumption, and she began writing a newspaper column, Hollywood Scene.

#3

Kilgallen was the first woman to fly around the world on commercial airlines. She was also the first female to fly across the Pacific Ocean. She was famous at last, just as she had promised early on with several newspapers praising her willingness to carry the banner for women’s rights.

#4

Kilgallen was a reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper and a columnist for a major newspaper. She was also an author with acting and film credits. She had burst on the scene from virtually nowhere.

#5

Kilgallen was a reporter who developed her own style and aggressively went into the man’s world. Her main focus was crime and heavy duty investigation.

Insights from Chapter 3

#1

After Kilgallen’s columns favorably mentioned Richard Kollmar, she met the man who played Boston Blackie in the radio crime drama. They dated for six weeks, and on their first date, they went to see Artie Shaw and his band. They married in 1940.

#2

Kilgallen’s column continued to mix Broadway and Hollywood gossip with politics and crime news. She also hosted a radio program broadcast nationally.