Hedda Hopper
Gossip Columnist of Hollywood's Golden Age
Hedda Hopper was know for her hats and sharp tongue as she dished the dirt on Hollywood's biggest celebs of the day. She was a star struck girl from Pennsylvania who first went to New York and then to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune. Her acting talents never really ever got her off the "B-list", but when she took up the pen to write her gossip column it didn't take her long to make it to the top of the heap as Queen of Gossip, a title often shared with Louella Parsons. These two ladies raised celebrity gossip to an art-form and often had the power to make or break careers.
I got a little diverted during my research on Hedda when I noticed two different birth dates listed for her, though I suppose it's not unusual in Hollywood to shave off a few years here and there. In addition her last name was spelled Ferry - not Furry - on the US Census in 1900, but again names often got misspelled on census records.
1900 Census - Hollidaysburg, PA
Hedda, then known as Elda Furry (Ferry) was shown as age 14
and born in the month of June.
Most online bios show Hedda Hopper's birthday as May 2, 1885 or May 2, 1890 and social security records show her birth as May 2, 1885 so I am inclined to go with the 1885 date even though her headstone reads HEDDA HOPPER 1890 - 1966.
She was a beautiful woman and certainly knew how to maximize her potential and she wasn't opposed to being mean or cruel if it would promote herself. She was a women with as many friends as enemies, one can only imagine how she would have used today's television to her benefit. But I would venture a guess that both E! and TMZ would have had to take a back seat.
TMZ AS FAR AS I'M CONCERN CAN TAKE A SEAT AT THE BACK OF THE BUS. I HATE THE WAY THEY DO THEIR SHOW.THEIR OUT AND OUT NASTY. I REFUSE TO WATCH IT. I DO LOOK AT E.
ReplyDeleteI REMEMBER HEDDA.
GRANNY
She was fun and part of it was the era she reflected. It was a great time for stars and gossip. I suppose Liz Smith would have to be considered her latter-day successor, but even she's gone, or at least I don't hear about her anymore. The others were just trashy. Hedda and Liz had their own star quality. Ah well, another era over.
ReplyDelete