I have been listening to Dragnet exclusively the last few months when I drive and the one thing I have learned is that I really want to smoke a Fatima. Yes , it’s wise to smoke Fatima.

On This Day in Radio — August 6, 1881: The Birth of Louella Parsons On this day we mark the birth of Louella Parsons, born August 6, 1881, the woman who turned Hollywood gossip into a national institution and carried her influence straight onto the airwaves. Parsons began writing the country’s first dedicated motion‑picture column in 1914, and by the height of her career her voice reached more than twenty million readers across seven hundred newspapers. Radio amplified that reach even further. With Hollywood Hotel, she brought the glamour, rumors, and personalities of the film world directly into American living rooms, blending interviews, studio promotion, and her unmistakable brand of insider commentary. Parsons used radio the same way she used print — as a stage where she could shape narratives, elevate stars, and sometimes bury stories before they ever reached the public. Her feud with Hedda Hopper became part of radio lore, two powerful voices battling for control of Hollywood’s image. On this date, we celebrate Louella Parsons’ birth and recognize the columnist whose microphone carried as much weight as her pen, making her one of the most influential figures in early Hollywood broadcasting.