There was a time when HBO was just a fledgling little cable station whose only intent was to bring theatrically released movies into the living rooms of viewers as quickly as possible, uncut and unedited. Over time, they expanded to include movies made specifically for HBO and more recently into the realm of made for HBO TV series. Some of their earlier forays into producing films showed promise, with many being hit and miss in terms of quality. That balance has tipped in later years and now the larger percentages of films produced by HBO are top-notch. 1998 saw the premiere of "Winchell", which starred Stanley Tucci in the pivotal role of the infamous radio broadcaster. The film delivers a rapid fire look at the life and career of Walter Winchell, a career that spanned several decades. Some younger folk might not be familiar with the name, but Winchell's distinctive voice is one of the most recognized in American broadcasting. Throughout the 30's and 40's you could hear his broadcasts, which usually started with the line, "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea. Let's go to press."

Winchell was a gossip columnist of the first order, ready to make or break a celebrity's career with the turn of a phrase. Of course, his targets weren't always Hollywood's elite, he would just as easily go after those in politics and was one of the first American broadcasters to attack Hitler's policies. Unfortunately, Winchell's career was ruined after he supported Senator Joseph McCarthy during the insane communist scare of the 1950's.

Thanks to veteran director Paul Mazursky, "Winchell", successfully captures the essence of each of the time periods the movie focuses on, but that is also part of the film's weakness. There is just so much story to tell and so many years to capture and all of it is done in less than two hours. I really felt that in order to really do the man's life justice the filmmakers needed a four to six hour time slot to tell it in. Honestly, if it wasn't for Tucci's excellent portrayal of Winchell, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much.

HBO Home entertainment is releasing "Winchell" this month on a no-frills DVD. Looks and sounds terrific, but there are no special features at all. Considering what an interesting character Walter Winchell was in real life, it would have been interesting to see some footage of him to compare against Tucci's performance. I've seen and heard the man so I know how good it was, but if you haven't it would give you a greater appreciation for Tucci. (a highly underrated actor in my book.)

"Winchell" makes for a worthwhile watch, but it left me wanting to know 'more about the story.'

Directed by: Paul Mazursky
Starring: Stanley Tucci, Glenn Headly, Paul Giamatti, Christopher Plummer
Extras: None
Specifications: Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound
Studio: HBO
Release Date: 9/12/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give Winchell a C+.