Hedda Hopper (May 2, 1885 – February 1, 1966) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actressAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and
gossip columnistA gossip columnist is someone who writes a gossip column in a newspaper or magazine, especially a gossip magazine. Gossip columns are material written in a light, informal style, which relates the gossip columnist's opinions about the personal lives or conduct of celebrities from show business ...
, whose long-running feud with friend turned arch-rival
Louella ParsonsLouella Parsons was an American gossip columnist who had her own radio show which featured interviews with Hollywood celebrities.-Early life:...
became at least as notorious as many of Hopper's columns.
Early life
She was born
Elda Furry in
Hollidaysburg, PennsylvaniaHollidaysburg is a borough in Blair County, Pennsylvania, on the Juniata River, south of Altoona. It is the county seat of Blair County. It is part of the Altoona, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is one of the communities that comprises the Altoona Urban Area. In 1910, 3,734 lived...
, the daughter of David D. (born 1857) and Margaret Miller (born 1856) Furry, who were German Baptist Brethren. Her siblings included Dora Furry (born March 1880); Sherman Furry (born June 1882); Cameron Furry (born September 1887); Edgar Furry (April 20, 1889 - November 1975); Frank M. Furry (born August 1891); and Margaret Furry (born July 1897).
The family moved to nearby
AltoonaAltoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona, PA MSA. The population was 49,523 at the 2000 census, making it the ninth most populous city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem and...
when Elda was three. Her father was a butcher who owned a shop. She eventually ran away to
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and began her
careerCareer is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life "...
in the
chorusA choir, chorale, or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together is called a choir or chorus...
on the
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
stageTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
. Hopper was not successful in this venture, even getting the axe by the renowned Shubert Brothers.
Florenz ZiegfeldFlorenz "Flo" Ziegfeld, Jr. was an American Broadway impresario. He is best known for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies , inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris. He was known as the "glorifier of the American girl".-Early life and career:Ziegfeld was born in Chicago to German...
called the aspiring starlet a "clumsy cow" and brushed off her pleas for a slot in the
FolliesThe Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. After a few years, she joined the theatre company of matinee idol
DeWolf HopperDe Wolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:...
, whom she called "Wolfie."
In her words, "Dancing came easy to me. And in singing, what my voice lacked in quality it made up for in volume." Thus, she remained in the chorus and they toured the country from one end to the other. While in the Hopper company, she realized that chorus and
understudyIn theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a leading actor or actress in a play. Should the lead actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part. Usually, when the understudy takes...
jobs were not acting. She wanted to act, and she knew she would have to prove herself before she could hope to get anywhere in the theatre. Hearing that Edgar Selwyn was casting his play
The Country Boy for a road tour, she went to his office and talked him into letting her audition for the lead. She was given the role and the show toured for thirty-five weeks through forty-eight states.
She studied singing during the summer and, in the fall, went out with
The Quaker Girl in the second lead, the
prima donnaOriginally used in opera companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady". The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
role. The show closed in
AlbanyAlbany is a city in the United States of America; it is the capital of the state of New York and the county seat of Albany County. Albany is roughly 136 miles north of the city of New York, and slightly south of the confluence of the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. The city sits on the Hudson River and...
.
Elda Hopper paid a
numerologistNumerology is any of many systems, traditions or beliefs in a mystical or esoteric relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things....
$10 to tell her what name she should use, and the answer was Hedda.
Career
Hopper began acting in
silent moviesA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially spoken dialogue. The idea of combining motion pictures with recorded sound is nearly as old as film itself, but because of the technical challenges involved, synchronized dialogue was only made practical in the late 1920s with...
in 1915. Her
motion pictureFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
debut was in
Battle of Hearts (1916). She appeared in more than 120 movies over the following twenty-three years, usually portraying distinguished-looking society women.
As her movie career waned in the mid-1930s, Hopper looked for other sources of income. In 1937, she was offered the chance of a lifetime and embarked on a career doing something she was quite adept at:
gossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information transmitted...
. Her gossip column called "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" debuted in the
Los Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
on February 14, 1938. After years of struggling as an actress, she had finally found her niche. She christened the home she purchased in
Beverly HillsBeverly Hills is a city in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together entirely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles. The area's "Platinum Triangle" of wealthy neighborhoods is formed by Beverly Hills and...
"The House That Fear Built." She then had a notorious feud with the long-established
Louella ParsonsLouella Parsons was an American gossip columnist who had her own radio show which featured interviews with Hollywood celebrities.-Early life:...
, who had been friendly to her in print and to whom she had sometimes passed information. Hopper and Parsons became arch-rivals competing fiercely, and often nastily, for the title "Queen of Hollywood", although those who knew both declared that Hopper was the more sadistic.
She was noted for her hats, considered her trademark, mostly because of her taste for large, flamboyant ones; and her hats were so famous that, in the 1946 movie, Breakfast in Hollywood, Del Porter, backed by
Spike Jones and his City SlickersLindley Armstrong "Spike" Jones was a popular musician and bandleader specializing in performing satirical arrangements of popular songs. Ballads and classical works receiving the Jones treatment would be punctuated with gunshots, whistles, cowbells and ridiculous vocals...
, even sang a novelty song entitled "A Hat for Hedda Hopper", to Hedda Hopper who was sitting in the audience wearing an extraordinary creation.
http://www.archive.org/details/breakfast_in_hollywood
She was known for hobnobbing with the biggest names in the industry, for getting a "scoop" before almost anyone else most of the time, and for being vicious in dealing with those who displeased her, whether intentionally or not. The columnist J.J. Hunsecker, played by
Burt LancasterBurton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor and star, noted for his athletic physique, distinct smile and, later, his willingness to play roles that went against his initial "tough guy" image...
in the film
Sweet Smell of SuccessSweet Smell of Success is a 1957 American film noir made by Hill-Hecht-Lancaster Productions and released by United Artists. It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick and stars Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison and Martin Milner. The screenplay was by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman and...
, is said to have been inspired partly by Hopper.
Hopper courted controversy as well for "naming names" of suspected or alleged Communists during the
Hollywood BlacklistThe Hollywood blacklist—more precisely the entertainment industry blacklist, into which it expanded—was the mid-twentieth-century list of screenwriters, actors, directors, musicians, and other U.S. entertainment professionals who were denied employment in the field because of their political...
. Her frequent attacks against
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer Chaplin, KBE was an English comedic actor and film director. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors as well as a notable filmmaker, composer and musician in the early to mid Classical Hollywood era of American cinema.Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced and...
in the 1940s for his leftist politics and love life contributed to his departure from America in 1952. After publishing a
blind itemA blind item is a news story, usually gossip, in which the details of the matter are reported while the identities of the people involved are not revealed. The invention of the blind item is credited to William d'Alton Mann , publisher of Town Topics, who often used it for blackmail....
on
Katharine HepburnKatharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, television and stage.Hepburn holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins with four, from 12 nominations. Hepburn won an Emmy Award in 1976 for her lead role in Love Among the Ruins, and was nominated for four other Emmys, two...
and
Spencer TracySpencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 74 films from 1930 to 1967. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Tracy among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking 9th on the list...
's relationship, Tracy confronted her at
Ciro'sCiro's was a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, opened in January 1940 by entrepreneur William Wilkerson....
and kicked her in the behind. A similar incident occurred when Hopper leaked info about the extramarital affair between
Joseph CottenJoseph Cheshire Cotten was an American actor of stage and film. He is best remembered for his association with Orson Welles, which led to appearances in Journey into Fear, which Cotten wrote, Citizen Kane, The Third Man, and The Magnificent Ambersons.Cotten first achieved prominence on Broadway,...
and
Deanna DurbinDeanna Durbin is a Canadian singer and actress, nicknamed the "sensational Canadian songbird," who appeared in a number of musical films in 1930s and 1940s singing standards as well as operatic arias....
. She tried to "
outComing out of the closet, or simply coming out, is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people disclosing their sexual orientation and gender identity...
"
Cary GrantArchibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was a British-American actor...
and
Randolph ScottRandolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
as
gayThe term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree", "happy", or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
lovers, but Grant was too big a star even for her to touch. She also spread rumors that
Michael Wilding-Early life:Born in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, Wilding was a successful commercial artist when he joined the art department of a London movie studio in 1933. He soon embarked on an acting career.-Career:...
and
Stewart GrangerStewart Granger , born James Lablache Stewart, was an Anglo- American film actor of Scottish and Italian descent, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles...
had been intimate (Wilding later sued Hopper for libel and won).
ZaSu PittsZaSu Pitts The earliest date is supported by census records: the 1900 census gives her age as 6, though puzzlingly lists March as her month of birth; the 1910 census gives her age as 15, but by the time of the 1920 census she had begun her film acting career and her age is given as 21...
compared Hopper to "a
ferretThe ferret is a domestic mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Ferrets are sexually dimorphic predators with males being substantially larger than females...
", and pointed out that she should not have been surprised her (Hopper's) own movie career did not pan out.
Joan FontaineJoan Fontaine is a British American actress. She became an American citizen in April 1943. She is the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland, also an Academy Award winner. Along with Luise Rainer, Gloria Stuart, Shirley Temple, Deanna Durbin and Olivia de Havilland, Fontaine is one of the...
sent Hopper a skunk on Valentine's Day with a note reading "I stink and so do you".
Radio and television
Known for her gossipy comments and
movie starA movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
interviews, Hopper debuted as host of her own
radioRadio programming is the content that is broadcast by radio stations.The original inventors of radio, such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi, expected it to be used for one-on-one communication tasks where telephones and telegraphs could not be used because of the problems involved in stringing...
program,
The Hedda Hopper Show, November 6, 1939. Sponsored by
SunkistSunkist Growers, Incorporated is a citrus grower's non-stock membership cooperative composed of 6,000 members from California and Arizona. It is headquartered in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles.-History:...
, she was heard on
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
three times a week for 15 minutes until October 30, 1942. From October 2, 1944 to September 3, 1945,
Armour TreetTreet is a canned meat product, similar to Spam, that is marketed under the brand name Armour Star by the Pinnacle Foods in the USA. Treet is made with chicken and pork....
sponsored a once-a-week program. On September 10, 1945, she moved to
ABCThe American Broadcasting Company is an American television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. It first broadcast on television in 1948...
, still sponsored by Armour, for a weekly program that continued until June 3, 1946. Hopper moved back to CBS October 5, 1946, with a weekly 15-minute program,
This Is Hollywood, sponsored by
Procter & GambleProcter & Gamble Co. is a Fortune 500, American multinational corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, that manufactures a wide range of consumer goods. As of 2008, P&G is the 8th largest corporation in the world by market capitalization and 14th largest US company by profit...
. It ran until June 28, 1947.
Expanding to 30 minutes on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
, she was host of a variety series,
The Hedda Hopper Show, broadcast from October 14, 1950 to November 11, 1950 on Saturdays, then from November 19, 1950 to May 20, 1951 on Sundays, This program featured music, talk and dramatized excerpts from movies with well-known guests, such as
Broderick CrawfordBroderick Crawford was an American actor.-Early life:Crawford was born William Broderick Crawford in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Lester Crawford and Helen Broderick, who were both vaudeville performers...
doing a scene from
All the King's MenAll the King's Men is a 1949 drama film based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name. It was directed by Robert Rossen and starred Broderick Crawford in the role of Willie Stark.-Plot:...
.
On January 10, 1960, a TV special, Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, aired on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices in Burbank,California...
. Hosted by Hopper, guest interviews included an extremely eclectic mix of then-current and former stars:
Lucille BallLucille Désirée Ball was an American comedienne, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy...
(a longtime friend of Hopper),
Francis X. BushmanFrancis Xavier Bushman was an American film actor. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era....
,
Liza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American singer and actress of film, stage and television. She is the daughter of entertainer Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
,
John CassavetesJohn Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He appeared in many Hollywood films. He is most notable as an influential pioneer of independent film...
,
Robert CummingsCharles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings , known professionally as Bob Cummings, , was an American motion picture and television actor....
,
Marion DaviesMarion Davies was an American film actress.Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career....
(her last public appearance),
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
,
Janet GaynorJanet Gaynor was an American actress.One of the most popular actresses of the silent film era, in 1928 Gaynor became the first winner of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven , Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and Street Angel...
,
Bob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG was an American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO tours entertaining American military personnel...
,
Hope LangeHope Elise Ross Lange was an American stage, film, and television actress.-Early life:Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut...
,
Anthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his role as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and its three sequels.-Early life:...
,
Debbie ReynoldsDebbie Reynolds is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is also a collector of movie memorabilia. Reynolds was also an MGM contract star.-Early life:...
,
James StewartJames Maitland "Jimmy" Stewart was an American film and stage actor, best known for his self-effacing persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and
Gloria SwansonGloria Swanson was an American actress. She was most prominent during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille. She was also one of the first stars to challenge the Hays Code by producing the banned Sadie Thompson in 1928...
.
Hopper also had several acting roles during the latter part of her career, including brief cameo appearances as herself in the movie Sunset Boulevard
(1950) and The Patsy
(1964), as well as episodes of I Love LucyI Love Lucy is an American television sitcom, starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance and William Frawley. The black-and-white series originally ran from October 15, 1951 to April 1, 1960 on CBS...
and The Beverly HillbilliesThe Beverly Hillbillies is an American television sitcom. It ranked among the top 12 most watched series on television for seven of its nine seasons, twice ranking as the #1 series of the year, with a number of episodes that remain among the most-watched television episodes of all time...
. Her autobiographyAn autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, From Under My Hat
(Doubleday, 1952) was followed by The Whole Truth and Nothing But
(1962), also published by Doubleday.
Hopper remained active as a writerA writer is anyone who creates a written work, though the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms.-Profession:...
until her death, producing six daily columns and a Sunday column for the Chicago Tribune
syndicateTribune Media Services is a syndication company owned by the Tribune Company.The company is divided into two divisions, "News and Features" and "Entertainment Products"...
, as well as writing countless articles for celebrityA celebrity is a person who is famously recognized in a society or culture.Generally speaking, a celebrity is someone who gets media attention and most frequently has an extroverted personality. The desire to be notable is implied by some to be a part of Western culture and more specifically the...
magazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s such as PhotoplayPhotoplay was one of the first film fan magazines. It was founded in 1911 in Chicago, the same year that J. Stuart Blackton founded a similar magazine entitled Motion Picture Story....
.
Personal life
On May 8, 1913, she married DeWolf HopperDe Wolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. A star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:...
in New JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
. They had one child, actor William HopperWilliam Hopper was an American actor. He is probably best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on TV's Perry Mason.-Biography:...
, best known for playing Paul DrakePaul Drake was the private detective in the Perry Mason series of murder mystery novels by Erle Stanley Gardner. Mr. Drake is described as tall and slouching, frequently wearing an expression of droll humour...
in the Perry MasonPerry Mason is an American TV series produced by Paisano Productions that ran from 1957 to 1966. Perry Mason was played by actor Raymond Burr. The title character is a fictional Los Angeles, California, defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
series. They were divorced in 1922.
Death
Hopper died of double
pneumoniaPneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....
at the age of 80 in Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Hollywood. She is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery,
Altoona, PennsylvaniaAltoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the principal city of the Altoona, PA MSA. The population was 49,523 at the 2000 census, making it the ninth most populous city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie, Reading, Scranton, Bethlehem and...
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Hopper has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment museum...
at 6313 1/2 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.
Filmography
Features:
- The Battle of Hearts (1916)
- Seven Keys to Baldpate (1917)
- Her Excellency, the Governor (1917)
- Nearly Married (1917)
- The Beloved Traitor (1918)
- By Right of Purchase (1918)
- Virtuous Wives (1918)
- The Third Degree (1919)
- Sadie Love (1919)
- The Isle of Conquest (1919)
- The Man Who Lost Himself (1920)
- The New York Idea
The New York Idea is a 1906 play by American playwright Langdon Mitchell, dealing with the themes of marriage and divorce.The title is taken from a line in the script, "Marry for whim! That's the New York idea of marriage."....
(1920)
- Heedless Moths (1921)
- The Inner Chamber (1921)
- Conceit (1921)
- Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a 1922 movie starring John Barrymore as Holmes and Roland Young as Watson. Believed lost for decades, much of the film finally resurfaced in the mid-1970s and was restored by the George Eastman House to the extent that it could be managed...
(1922)
- What's Wrong with the Women? (1922)
- Women Men Marry (1922)
- Has the World Gone Mad! (1923)
- Reno (1923)
- Another Scandal (1924)
- Gambling Wives (1924)
- Why Men Leave Home (1924)
- Happiness
Happiness is a 1924 silent comedy film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* Laurette Taylor - Jenny Wray* Pat O'Malley - Fermoy MacDonough* Hedda Hopper - Mrs. Chrystal Pole* Cyril Chadwick - Philip Chandos* Edith Yorke - Mrs. Wreay...
(1924)
- Miami (1924)
- Sinners in Silk
Sinners in Silk is a 1924 film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Eleanor Boardman, Adolphe Menjou, Hedda Hopper, Conrad Nagel and Jean Hersholt. It is written by Benjamin Glazer and Carey Wilson. This film is considered lost...
(1924)
- The Snob
The Snob is a 1924 drama film directed by Monta Bell. The film stars Norma Shearer and John Gilbert prior to their superstardom, together with Phyllis Haver, Conrad Nagel and Hedda Hopper. It is written by Monta Bell based on a novel by Helen Reimensnyder Martin. This film is considered lost...
(1924)
- Her Market Value (1925)
- Declassée (1925)
- Dangerous Innocence (1925)
- Zander the Great
Zander the Great is a 1925 drama film directed by George W. Hill, in his first directing role for MGM. The film stars Marion Davies. The screenplay by Frances Marion is based upon Edward Salisbury Field 1923 play.-Plot:...
(1925)
- Raffles
Arthur J. Raffles is a character created in the 1890s by E. W. Hornung, a brother-in-law to Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Raffles is, in many ways, a deliberate inversion of Holmes — he is a "gentleman thief," living in the Albany, a prestigious address in London, playing...
(1925)
- The Teaser (1925)
- Borrowed Finery (1925)
- Dance Madness (1926)
- The Caveman (1926)
- Pleasures of the Rich (1926)
- Skinner's Dress Suit (1926)
- Lew Tyler's Wives (1926)
- The Silver Treasure (1926)
- Don Juan (1926)
- Fools of Fashion (1926)
- Obey the Law (1926)
- Orchids and Ermine (1927)
- Venus of Venice (1927)
- Matinee Ladies (1927)
- Children of Divorce
Children of Divorce is a silent film, directed by Frank Lloyd from an adaptation of Owen Johnson's novel, written by Adela Rogers St. Johns, Hope Loring and Louis D. Lighton.-Plot:...
(1927)
- Black Tears (1927)
- The Cruel Truth (1927)
- Adam and Evil (1927)
- Wings
Wings is a silent movie about World War I fighter pilots, directed by William A. Wellman and released by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture and the only silent film ever to win Best Picture. Wings stars Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Richard...
(1927)
- One Woman to Another (1927)
- The Drop Kick
The Drop Kick was a 1927 silent film directed by Millard Webb written by Katherine Brush about a college football player who finds his reputation on the line when he pays an innocent visit to a woman whose husband kills himself. It was one of the early films of John Wayne who was only aged 20 in...
(1927)
- A Reno Divorce (1927)
- French Dressing (1927)
- Companionate Marriage (1928)
- Love and Learn (1928)
- The Whip Woman (1928)
- The Port of Missing Girls (1928)
- The Chorus Kid (1928)
- Harold Teen
Harold Teen was a popular, long-running comic strip written and drawn by Carl Ed . Publisher Joseph Medill Patterson may have suggested, and certainly approved, the strip's concept, loosely based on Booth Tarkington's successful novel Seventeen...
(1928)
- Green Grass Widows (1928)
- Undressed (1928)
- Runaway Girls (1928)
- Girls Gone Wild (1929)
- The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Sidney Franklin. The screenplay by Hanns Kräly is based on the 1925 play of the same name by Frederick Lonsdale...
(1929)
- His Glorious Night (1929)
- Half Marriage (1929)
- The Racketeer (1929)
- A Song of Kentucky (1929)
- Such Men Are Dangerous (1930)
- High Society Blues
High Society Blues is a film starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. The movie was written by Howard J. Green from the story by Dana Burnett and directed by David Butler.-Cast:*Janet Gaynor as Eleanor Divine*Charles Farrell as Eddie Granger...
(1930)
- Murder Will Out (1930)
- Holiday
Holiday is a 1930 romantic comedy film which tells the story of a playboy who is torn between his free-thinking lifestyle and the tradition of his wealthy fiancée's family. It stars Ann Harding, Mary Astor, Edward Everett Horton, Robert Ames and Hedda Hopper...
(1930)
- Let Us Be Gay (1930)
- Our Blushing Brides
Our Blushing Brides is a film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Anita Page, and Dorothy Sebastian. The film was a follow-up to Our Dancing Daughters and Our Modern Maidens , and was a commercial success when it was released.-An early "Talkie":The two previous installments in the series...
(1930)
- War Nurse (1930)
- The Easiest Way
The Easiest Way is a 1931 American MGM drama film directed by Jack Conway. The film stars Constance Bennett, Adolphe Menjou, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, and Anita Page-Plot:...
(1931)
- The Prodigal (1931)
- Men Call It Love (1931)
- A Tailor Made Man (1931)
- Shipmates (1931)
- The Common Law (1931)
- The Mystery Train (1931)
- Rebound (1931)
- Flying High
Flying High , also known as George White's Flying High, is a musical released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by George White with lyrics by B. G. DeSylva and Lew Brown, music by Ray Henderson, with additional songs by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh .The film opened on November 14, 1931...
(1931)
- West of Broadway (1931)
- Good Sport (1931)
- The Man Who Played God
The Man Who Played God is a 1932 film drama produced by Warner Brothers.It was directed by John G. Adolfi and starred George Arliss, Violet Heming, Bette Davis, in one of her earliest important roles, Louise Closser Hale and Alan Cook...
(1932)
- Night World
Night World is a 1932 pre-Code drama film featuring Lew Ayres, Mae Clarke, and Boris Karloff. The movie was directed by Hobart Henley and features an early Busby Berkeley music number, "Who's Your Little Who-Zis." The whole film takes in place in Karloff's night club...
(1932)
- As You Desire Me
As You Desire Me is a 1932 film adaptation of the play by Luigi Pirandello made by MGM. It was produced and directed by George Fitzmaurice with Irving Thalberg as co-producer. The adaptation was by Gene Markey, the cinematography byWilliam H...
(1932)
- Skyscraper Souls
Skyscraper Souls is a Pre-Code 1932 drama film starring Warren William and Maureen O'Sullivan. The film was directed by Edgar Selwyn and is based upon the novel Skycraper by Faith Baldwin.-Plot:...
(1932)
- Downstairs (1932)
- Speak Easily
Speak Easily is a 1932 comedy film starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Thelma Todd, and directed by Edward Sedgwick. The studio also paired Keaton and Durante as a comedy team during this period in The Passionate Plumber and What! No Beer?...
(1932)
- The Unwritten Law (1932)
- Men Must Fight (1933)
- The Barbarian
The Barbarian is a 1933 film about an American woman tourist in Egypt who has several suitors, among them an Arab guide who is more than he seems. It starred Ramon Novarro and Myrna Loy.-Cast:*Ramon Novarro as Jamil El Shehab*Myrna Loy as Diana Standing...
(1933)
- Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage is a 1933 drama film directed by John Ford.-Cast:* Henrietta Crosman - Mrs. Hannah Jessop* Heather Angel - Suzanne* Norman Foster - Jim 'Jimmy' Jessop * Lucille La Verne - Mrs...
(1933)
- Beauty for Sale
Beauty for Sale is a 1933 film about the romantic entanglements of three beauty salon employees. It stars Madge Evans, Alice Brady, and Otto Kruger. It was based on the novel Beauty by Faith Baldwin.-Cast:*Madge Evans as Letty Lawson...
(1933)
- Bombay Mail (1934)
- Little Man, What Now?
Little Man, What Now? is a 1934 drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Margaret Sullavan. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Margaret Sullavan - Emma 'Lammchen' Pinneberg* Douglass Montgomery - Hans Pinneberg...
(1934)
- Let's Be Ritzy (1934)
- No Ransom (1934)
- One Frightened Night (1935)
- Lady Tubbs (1935)
- Society Fever (1935)
- Alice Adams
Alice Adams, also known as Booth Tarkington's Alice Adams, is a 1935 romantic film remake made by RKO. It was directed by George Stevens and produced by Pandro S. Berman from a screenplay by Dorothy Yost, Mortimer Offner adapted by Jane Murfin from the novel, Alice Adams, by Booth Tarkington...
(1935)
- I Live My Life
I Live My Life is a 1935 film, starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, and Frank Morgan, and is based on the story Claustrophobia, by A. Carter Goodloe.-Plot Summary:...
(1935)
- Three Kids and a Queen (1935)
- Ship Cafe (1935)
- The Dark Hour (1936)
- Doughnuts and Society (1936)
- Dracula's Daughter
Dracula's Daughter is a 1936 vampire horror film produced by Universal Studios, a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden, Marguerite Churchill and, as the only cast member to return from the original,...
(1936)
- Bunker Bean
Bunker Bean is a 1936 black-and-white comedy movie directed by William Hamilton and Edward Kelly, produced by William Sistrom starring Owen Davis Jr as the title character. The cast included Lucille Ball as Mrs Kelly.-External links:*...
(1936)
- You Can't Buy Luck (1937)
- Dangerous Holiday (1937)
- Topper
Topper is a comedy film which tells the story of a stuffy, stuck-in-his-ways man who is haunted by the ghosts of a fun-loving married couple. It was adapted by Eric Hatch, Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran from the novel by Thorne Smith. The film was directed by Norman Z. McLeod, produced by Hal Roach,...
(1937)
- Artists and Models (1937)
- Vogues of 1938
Vogues of 1938 is a 1937 film distributed by United Artists, directed by Irving Cummings, written by Bella Spewack and Sam Spewack, and starring by Warner Baxter and Joan Bennett.It tells the story of a model who marries a designer and achieves success....
(1937)
- Nothing Sacred
Nothing Sacred is a screwball comedy film made by Selznick International Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by William A. Wellman and produced by David O. Selznick, from a screenplay credited to Ben Hecht, based on a story by James H. Street. Other writers, including Ring...
(1937)
- Tarzan's Revenge
Tarzan's Revenge is an adventure film starring Glenn Morris in his only outing as Tarzan. Eleanor Holm, a popular swimming star, co-starred as Eleanor Reed. The movie was produced by Sol Lesser, written by R. Lee Johnson and Jay Vann and directed by D. Ross Lederman. The film was released on...
(1938)
- Maid's Night Out (1938)
- Dangerous to Know
Dangerous to Know is a 1938 crime film starring Anna May Wong, Akim Tamiroff, Gail Patrick, Lloyd Nolan, and Anthony Quinn. The movie was directed by Robert Florey...
(1938)
- Thanks for the Memory
Thanks for the Memory is a 1938 film starring Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and directed by George Archainbaud. The title is from the song that later became Hope's theme, which first appeared in The Big Broadcast of 1938 earlier the same year.-Cast:...
(1938)
- Midnight
Midnight is a 1939 romantic comedy directed by Mitchell Leisen and written by Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder based on a story by Edwin Justus Mayer and Franz Schulz...
(1939)
- The Women (1939)
- What a Life
The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books.It is remembered for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henry's mother calling, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith,...
(1939)
- That's Right - You're Wrong (1939)
- Laugh It Off (1939)
- Queen of the Mob (1940)
- Cross-Country Romance (1940)
- Life with Henry
The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books.It is remembered for its unforgettable introduction: awkward teen Henry's mother calling, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!" The creation of playwright Clifford Goldsmith,...
(1941)
- I Wanted Wings (1941)
- Reap the Wild Wind
Reap the Wild Wind is a serialized story written by Thelma Strabel in 1940 for The Saturday Evening Post. It was the basis for the 1942 film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, his second to be filmed in color. The film, released shortly after the United States' entry into World War II, was a...
(1942)
- Breakfast in Hollywood (1946)
- The Corpse Came C.O.D. (1947)
- Sunset Boulevard (1950)
- Pepe
Pepe is a 1960 movie starring Mario "Cantinflas" Moreno in the title role, directed by George Sidney. A multitude of cameo appearances attempted to replicate the success of Mario Moreno's American debut, Around the World in Eighty Days, produced by Mike Todd in 1956.The film failed to achieve the...
(Cameo, 1960)
- The Patsy (1964)
- The Oscar
The Oscar is a 1966 American drama film, written by Harlan Ellison, Clarence Greene, Russell Rouse and Richard Sale, directed by Rouse and starring Stephen Boyd, singer Tony Bennett , comedian Milton Berle , Elke Sommer, Ernest Borgnine, Jill St. John, and Eleanor Parker...
(1966)
Short Subjects:
- Mona Lisa (Experimental Technicolor
Technicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation , now a division of Thomson SA. Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood...
film, 1926)
- Cat, Dog & Co.
Cat, Dog & Co. is a 1929 Our Gang short silent comedy film directed by Robert A. McGowan under the pseudonym "Anthony Mack".Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 91st Our Gang short that was released...
(1929)
- The Stolen Jools
The Stolen Jools is a short comedy film produced by the Masquers Club of Hollywood, featuring many cameo appearances by the film stars of the day. They appeared in the film to help raise funds for the National Variety Artists Tuberculosis Sanitarium....
(1931)
- Apples to You! (1934)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 1 (1941)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (1941)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 3 (1942)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 4 (1942)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 5 (1942)
- Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 6 (1942)
- Unusual Occupations (1946
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Movie Columnists (1947)
- Screen Snapshots: The Walter Winchell Party (1957)
- Screen Snapshots: WAIF International Ball (1957)
External links