The Star-Studded Couple Blogathon: Ronald Reagan & Jane Wyman
During Hollywood's Golden Age, it was not uncommon for film studios to emphasize the romantic appeal of their actors. Moreover, the movie press sold papers relating which actor was dating which actress, where they dined and what clubs they frequented. Warner Bros. contract player Ronald Reagan understandably received his fair share of coverage, much of it courtesy of Louella Parsons, a prominent gossip columnist from Dixon, Illinois, where Ronnie grew up after his parents moved there in 1920. She took a liking to Reagan, with whom she appeared in his second film, Hollywood Hotel (1937), based on Parsons' own radio show of the same name. LEFT: Portrait of Louella Parsons c. 1941. MIDDLE: Original theatrical release poster for Hollywood Hotel . RIGHT: Portrait of Ronald Reagan c. 1938. The tenth film Ronnie worked on was William Keighley's Brother Rat (1938), a B comedy set at the Virginia Military Institute — the title taken from the vernacular word ...