HOME INDEX
SILENT MOVIE		 THE INTERNATIONAL SILENT MOVIE MAIL English Version

 
Hedda Hopper


1885 - 1966

 .
.
The actress Hedda Hopper was born as Elda Furry in Hollidaysburg, Pennylvania. Without the understanding of her parents she went to New York City and began as a chorus singer on Broadway. Finally she joined the theater troup of De Wolf Hopper sr. They got married in 1913 and two years later they moved to Hollywood where both began a film career.

To Hedda Hopper's first movies belong "The Battle of Hearts" (16), "Seven Keys to Baldpate" (17), "The Beloved Traitor" (18), "The Third Degree" (19) and "The Isle of Conquest" (19).

In the next years she impersonated numerous support roles in silent movies like "The Man Who Lost Himself" (20), "Sherlock Holmes" (22), "Gambling Wives" (24), "Miami" (24), "The Snob" (24), "The Caveman" (26), "Don Juan" (26), "Mona Lisa" (26), "Venus of Venice" (27), "Wings" (27), "Adam and Evil" (27), "The Chorus Kid" (28), "Undressed" (28) and "Girls Gone Wild" (29).

Her last regular engagements in front of the camera came in the 30s into being.
To her well-known movies of those years belong "Such Men Are Dangerous" (30), "The Prodigal" (31), "Shipmates" (31), "Downstairs" (32), "The Barbarian" (33), "No Ransom" (34), "Alice Adams" (35), "Dracula's Daughter" (36), "Topper" (37), "Tarzan's Revenge" (38) and "The Women" (39).

Afterwards she only took part in few more movies like "Queen of the Mob" (40), "I Wanted Wings" (41), "The Corpse Came C.O.D." (47), "Sunset Blvd." (50) "The Patsy" (64) and "Alice in Wonderland" (66), because she already launched a second career in 1938 which made her more famous and more powerful in Hollywood than her movies did.

When she became her own column in the "Los Angeles Times" in 1938 she became beside the already well-known Louella Parsons the most influence gossip journalist of Hollywood.
Who fell into disgrace was attacked he her columns and sometimes discredited. It is said that she had the power to create new stars and to bring down established stars with her articles but this might be overstated. During the McCarthy era she denounced left-wing oriented actors and she also wrote against filmmakers who were disgraced at that time, among them Charlie Chaplin who finally did not get a permission for re-enter the USA after the end of his Europe tour in 1952.
But there were affected people who foguht back. Spencer Tracy kicked her in the pants when she wrote about his relationship with Katherine Hepburn and Joseph Cotten stormed her office and tackled her about an article.
Michael Wilding sued Hopper when she reported that he had a sexual relationship with the actor Stewart Granger and won.

Legendary was also her rivalry wzti Louella Parson. They first were communicating in a friendly way but became archrivals at the end.
Besides her pointed pen the wearing of huge hats became a trademark of Hedda Hopper too.

Hedda Hopper also was regularly on the radio from 1939 where she first worked for CBS, later for ABC as well and announced the newest Hollywood gossip.

She published two autobiographies with "From Under My Hat" (52) and "The Whole Truth and Nothing But" (62) and remained active as a columnist till to her death.

Her son William Hopper became an actor as well.


Other movies with Hedda Hopper:
Her Excellency, the Governor (17) The Food Gamblers (17) Nearly Married (17) By Right of Purchase (18) Virtuous Wives (18) Sadie Love (19)  The New York Idea (20) Heedless Moths (21) The Inner Chamber (21) Conceit (21) What's Wrong with the Women?" (22) Women Men Marry (22) Has the World Gone Mad! (23) Reno (23) Why Men Leave Home (24) Hapiness (24) Another Scandal (24) Sinners in Solk (24) Her Market Value (25) Declassée (25) Dangeorus Innocence (25) Zander the Great (25) Raffles (25) The Teaser (25) Borrowed Finery (25) Dance Madness (26) Pleasures of the Rich (26) Skinner's Dress Suit (26) Lew Tyler's Wives (26) The Silver Treasure (26) Fools of Fashion (26) Obey the Law (26) Orchids and Ermine (27) Matinee Ladies (27) Children of Divorce (27) Black Tears (27) The Cruel Truth (27) One Woman to Another (27) The Drop Kick (27) A Reno Divorce (27) French Dressing (27) Love and Learn (28) The Whip Woman (28) The Port of Missing Girls (28) Harold Teen (28) Green Grass Widows (28) Runaway Girls (28) Companionate Marriage (28) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (29) Cat, Dog & Co. (29) His Glorious Night (29) Half Marriage (29) The Racketeer (29) a Song of Kentucky (29) High Society Blues (30) Murder Will Out (30) Holiday (30) Let Us Be Gay (30) Our Blushing Brides (30) War Nurse (30) The Easiest Way (31) Men Call It Love (31) A Tailor Made Man (31) The Stolen Jools (31) The Common Law (31) The Mystery Train (31) Rebound (31) Flying High (31) West of Broadway (31) Good Sport (31) The Man Who Played God (32) Night World (32) As You Desire Me (32) Skyscraper Souls (32) Speak Easily (32) The Unwritten Law (32) Men Must Fight (33) Pilgrimage (33) Beauty for Sale (33) Bombay Mail (34) Apples to You (34) Let's Be Ritzy (34) Little Man, What Now? (34) One Frightened Night (35) Lady Tubbs (35) Society Fever (35) Live My Life (35) Three Kids and a Queen (35) Ship Cafe (35) The Dark Hour (36) Doughnuts and Society (36) Bunker Bean (36) You Can't Buy Luck (37) Dangerous Holiday (37) Artists & Models (37) Vogues of 1938 (37) Nothing Sacred (37) Maid's Night Out (38) Dangerous to Know (38) Thanks for the Memory (38) Midnight (39) What a Life (39) That's Right – You're Wrong (39) Laugh It Off (39) Cross-Country Romance (40) Life with Henry (41) Reap the Wild Wind (42) Breakfast in Hollywood (46) Serie "Goodyear Televison Playhouse: Hollywood Tandem" (53) Serie "Playhouse 90: The Hostess with the Mostest" (57)

 
Back