Floyd Phillips Gibbons (July 16, 1887 – September 23, 1939) was the war correspondent for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. 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 was born on July 16, 1887, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was the first of five children of Edward Thomas Gibbons and Emma Theresa Phillips. Gibbons moved with his family to

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

and lived there from 1900 to 1903. He attended schools in Iowa and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. His father owned a trading stamp business for merchants in Iowa. Gibbons attended

Gonzaga College High School Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 1 ...

, and later studied law at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, from which he was expelled.

Personal life

Gibbons was known by his contemporaries as "Gib". He married a woman from Minneapolis and they were later divorced.

Career

Gibbons began as a police reporter on the ''Minneapolis Daily News'' in 1907, but was fired. He also worked for the ''Milwaukee Free Press'' and the ''

Minneapolis Tribune The ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

''. While working for the Tribune in 1910, he was arrested for cutting a telegraph line in Winter, Wisconsin to prevent other newspapers from reporting a story first. He moved to the ''

'' in 1912. He became well known for covering the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

in 1916. He became a London correspondent for the Chicago Tribune in 1917 and reported on the 1917 torpedoing of the British ship RMS ''Laconia'', on which he was a passenger. Portrait of Floyd Gibbons

The ''Chicago Tribune'' appreciated his keen eye for detail, and vivid splashy style. It sent him to England to cover

. As a correspondent at the

Battle of Belleau Wood The Battle of Belleau Wood (1–26 June 1918) occurred during the German spring offensive in World War I, near the Marne River in France. The battle was fought between the U.S. 2nd (under the command of Major General Omar Bundy) and 3rd Divisi ...

, France. Gibbons accompanied the Fifth Marines where his account of the battle that he submitted violated wartime censorship by mentioning that he was serving with the U.S. Marine Corps. Gibbons' colourful prose added to the reputation of the Marines. Gibbons lost an eye after being hit by German gunfire at

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition at ...

in June 1918 while attempting to rescue an American marine. Always afterwards he wore a distinctive white patch on his left eye. He was given France's greatest honor, the Croix de Guerre with palm, for his valor on the field of battle. In 1918-1927 he was the chief of the ''Chicago Tribune's'' foreign service, and director of the paper's European office. He gained fame for his coverage of wars and famines in Poland, Russia and Morocco. He was fired in 1926, started to write novels, and became a radio commentator for NBC. He narrated

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

s, for which he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also narrated

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

's "Your True Adventures" series of short films, which began as a radio program in which Gibbons paid twenty-five dollars for the best story submitted by a listener. In 1927 he wrote a biography of the

Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...

(the Red Baron) titled ''The Red Knight of Germany''. He also wrote the speculative fiction novel '' The Red Napoleon'' in 1929. Gibbons was the narrator for the

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

With Byrd at the South Pole ''With Byrd at the South Pole'' (1930) is a documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his 1st quest to the South Pole beginning at the Little America-Exploration Base. The film's soundtrack consists mostly of music and sound effec ...

'' (1930). In 1929, he had his own half-hour radio program heard Wednesday nights on the

NBC Red Network The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...

at 10:30. Competition from

Paul Whiteman Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...

's show on CBS Radio, however, brought Gibbons' show to an end by March 1930. 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. Gibbons narrated the 1930 documentary ''

'' and narrated a series of

short subjects from 1937 to 1939 as well as writing several of them.

Later life and death

Gibbons was planning to start covering

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in Europe before his death. He died of a heart attack on September 24, 1939, at his ''Cherry Valley'' farm in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in

In popular culture

In "The Floyd Gibbons Story", a 1962 episode of ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'', Gibbons was portrayed by

Scott Brady Scott Brady (born Gerard Kenneth Tierney; September 13, 1924 – April 16, 1985) was an American film and television actor best known for his roles in Western films and as a ubiquitous television presence. He played the title role in the televi ...

List of “Your True Adventure” short films

These were all produced by

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

, filmed at the

studio in New York with

Joseph Henabery Joseph Henabery (January 15, 1888 – February 18, 1976) of Omaha, Nebraska, was a film actor, screenplay writer, and director in the United States. He is best known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 sil ...

directing. Each recreates a “heart stopping” event with actors and often presenting the real person behind the story in the final scene, introduced by Gibbons himself. *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 ''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. ''Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of 19 ...

) *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

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

) (released August 27, 1931) and Turn Of The Tide (September 14). These were part of a projected 13-part series dubbed "Supreme Thrills" covering

, produced by Amadee J. Van Beuren for RKO Pictures and

Pathé Exchange Pathé Exchange, commonly known as Pathé, was an American film production and distribution company, largely of Hollywood's silent era. Known for its groundbreaking newsreel and wide array of shorts, it grew out of the American division of the m ...

. However, only two were put in active release.

References

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

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gibbons, Floyd 1887 births 1939 deaths People from Washington, D.C. People from Minneapolis American male journalists American people with disabilities American war correspondents Georgetown University alumni Chicago Tribune people Gonzaga College High School alumni Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Vitaphone short films Warner Bros. short films Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)