Floyd Gibbons
Floyd Gibbons | |
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Minneapolis, Minnesota on October 5, 1918. To the right of the photo is his sister Zelda. | |
Born | Floyd Phillips Gibbons July 16, 1887 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Died | September 23, 1939 | (aged 52)
Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Occupations |
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Awards | Croix de Guerre with palm |
Floyd Phillips Gibbons (July 16, 1887 – September 23, 1939) was the war correspondent for the Chicago Tribune during World War I. One of radio's first news reporters and commentators, he was famous for a fast-talking delivery style. Floyd Gibbons lived a life of danger of which he often wrote and spoke.
Early life
Floyd Phillips Gibbons[1] was born on July 16, 1887, in Washington, D.C.[2][3] Gibbons moved with his family to Des Moines, Iowa and lived there from 1900 to 1903. He attended schools in Iowa and Minneapolis.[4][5] His father owned a trading stamp business for merchants in Iowa.[5] Gibbons attended Gonzaga College High School, and later studied law at Georgetown University, from which he was expelled.[3][4][citation needed]
Personal life
Gibbons was known by his contemporaries as "Gib".[6] He married a woman from Minneapolis and they were later divorced.[6]
Career
Gibbons began as a police reporter on the Minneapolis Daily News in 1907, but was fired.
The Chicago Tribune appreciated his keen eye for detail, and vivid splashy style. It sent him to England to cover
In 1918-1927 he was the chief of the Chicago Tribune's foreign service, and director of the paper's European office.
In 1929, he had his own half-hour radio program heard Wednesday nights on the
In 1927 he wrote a biography of the Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron) titled The Red Knight of Germany.
He also wrote the speculative fiction world-war novel
When Gibbons suggested that Frank Buck write about Buck's animal collecting adventures, Buck collaborated with Edward Anthony on Bring 'Em Back Alive which became a bestseller in 1930.
Later life and death
Gibbons was planning to start covering World War II in Europe before his death.[4] He died of a heart attack on September 24, 1939, at his "Cherry Valley" farm in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.[2][3] He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[13]
In popular culture
In "The Floyd Gibbons Story", a 1962 episode of The Untouchables, Gibbons was portrayed by Scott Brady.
List of “Your True Adventure” short films
These were all produced by
- The Attic of Terror (9 minutes, September 18, 1937) with Chester Stratton, William Morrow & Julia Fasset
- Playing with Danger (9 minutes, October 30, 1937)
- Danger- High Voltage (9 minutes, December 4, 1937) with Bruce MacFarlane, Ruth Dryden, Jack Harwood & Philip Ober
- The Bolted Door (18 minutes, December 10, 1937) with Diana Datlow
- Alibi Mark (13 minutes, December 20, 1937) with Dennis Moore (available on DVD Kid Galahad)
- Hit And Run (13 minutes, February 19, 1938) with Giles Kelly, Peggy O'Donnell and Robert Elliot.
- Shopgirl's Evidence (9 minutes, March 19, 1938) with Barbara Fulton
- Dear Old Dad (12 minutes, April 11, 1938) with Wryley Birch
- Wanderlust (9 minutes, May 14, 1938) with John Raby, Margaret Wycherly & Ed Butler
- A Dream Come True (9 minutes, June 4, 1938) with Marilyn Jolie, Joyce Gates, Minette Barrett & Frederick Smith.
- The Fighting Judge (13 minutes, July 2, 1938) with Edward Trevor, J. Covil Dunn, Suzanne Jackson & Patsy Roe
- Night Intruder (14 minutes, July 9, 1938) with Helen Carew, Edith Ketchum, Jean Whittaker, Helen Cromwell & Harry Bellaver (available on DVD The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse)
- Trapped Underground (9 minutes, August 20, 1938) with Millard Mitchell, Ralph Chambers & Jack Harwood.
- Identified (9 minutes, September 17, 1938) with Vernon Rich
- Defying Death (12 minutes, October 15, 1938) with Mady Carrell, Warren Ashe & Stephen Miller
- Toils Of The Law (11 minutes, November 12, 1938) with Dane Clark (Bernard Zanville), Herbert Rudley, Mabel Taliaferro & Sheldon Leonard
- Treacherous Waters (9 minutes, December 10, 1938)
- The Human Bomb (12 minutes, January 21, 1939) with Ryder Keane, Edward Mayne & Lyster Chambers
- High Peril (12 minutes, February 18, 1939) with Eddie Acuff & William Challee
- A Minute from Death (9 minutes, March 4, 1939) with Jack Sheehan
- Chained (9 minutes, April 1, 1939) with Tommy Cooney, Kenneth Derby & Herb Vigran
- Voodoo Fires (9 minutes, May 6, 1939) with Frank Lyon
- Haunted House (12 minutes, June 3, 1939) with Claire McAloon, Ruth Halstead & Edna West.
- Lives In Peril (9 minutes, July 1, 1939) with Charles Powers, John Kirk and Ralph Riggs
- Three Minute Fuse (12 minutes, July 29, 1939) with Edward Andrews
- Verge of Disaster (9 minutes, August 26, 1939) with Frank Marion, Alma Ross & John Regan
Earlier, he hosted two other short films titled The Great Decision (about
References
- ^
- ^
- ^
- ^
- ^
- ^ p. 182 Lindsay, Charles On the Cover Hoover Digest Monday, July 9, 2018 2018 No. 3
- ^ "Floyd Gibbons". IMDb.
- ISBN 9780810832008– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780807136652– via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-350-23394-2.
- ^ Kelly, John (February 27, 2017). "How a torpedoed ocean liner boosted the career of a D.C.-born newsman". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks (July 1, 1931). "The Film Daily (Jul-Dec 1931)". New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc. – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Motion Picture Herald". Quigley Publishing Co. March 14, 2019 – via Internet Archive.
Further reading
- Gibbons, Edward. Floyd Gibbons: Your Headline Hunter (New York: Exposition Press, 1953), a biography by his brother.
- Gilbert, Douglas. Floyd Gibbons: Night of the Air (1930)
- Nauratil, Marcia J. ed. Biographical dictionary of American journalism (Greenwood Press, 1985) pp 266–8
External links
- Floyd Gibbons at Belleau Wood Article condensed from Edward's book by Shelley Mitchell-Schaaf, Floyd's great niece.
- Floyd Gibbons biography - "Radio Days" website
- Gibbons's article on the sinking of the Laconia Archived June 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- "Devil Dogs," from Country Life, December 1918.
- Works by Floyd Phillips Gibbons at Project Gutenberg
- Works by or about Floyd Gibbons at Internet Archive
- Works by Floyd Gibbons at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)