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Hollywood's Most Absurd Rumor, Investigated | Gerbil's Allen Salkin
From the Poltergeist curse to The Wizard of Oz, Hollywood runs on urban legends. But few have been snickered about longer than the baseless rumor involving Richard Gere and a gerbil. Journalist Allen Salkin spent six years investigating it for Gerbil, a new 12-episode podcast from The Hollywood Reporter. He tracked down sources, ordered obscure magazines off eBay and visited Cedars-Sinai in person. Along the way, he debunks much of the story and uncovers an apparent earlier version of the rumor out of Philadelphia. Salkin talks with Newsweek about why the rumor has survived four decades, what…
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