"LOUELLA & HEDDA- THE GOLDEN AGE'S GOSSIP GIRLS" (105)

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

EPISODE 105 -  “LOUELLA AND HEDDA: THE GOLDEN AGE’S GOSSIP GIRLS” - 9/15/25


This week, we explore the legendary rivalry between Hollywood gossip columnists LOUELLA PARSONS and HEDDA HOPPER. Parsons, backed by media tycoon WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, became a powerful figure in the 1920s with close ties to the studios. Hopper, a former actress, entered the scene later with a more aggressive style and strong political views. The two wielded enormous influence, able to make or break careers with a single column. The episode covers their personal feud, their role in the Hollywood blacklist, and their lasting impact on celebrity journalism. It’s a revealing look at how gossip shaped the Golden Age of Hollywood.


SHOW NOTES: 


To purchase the Wild Goddesses of the Silver Screen & Beyond oracle cards, you can contact TAMARA COOK through her Facebook page:  


https://www.facebook.com/tamara.cook.902



Sources:



Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism (2011), by Jennifer Frost;


The First Lady of Hollywood (2005), by Samantha Barbas;


Vanity Will Get You Somewhere: An Autobiography (1987), by Joseph Cotten;


Hedda and Louella: A Dual Biography of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons (1971), by George Eells;


Tell It To Louella (1961), by Louella Parsons;


The Gay Illiterate (1944), by Louella Parsons;


“Hedda Hopper: The rise of Hollywood’s First Gossip Queen,”July 13, 2025, Documentary, Biography


“The Career that Fear Built: Hedda Hopper Ruled the Gossip Business,” August 6, 2018,  The Saturday Evening Post;


“For Gossip Columnist Hedda Hopper, Flamboyance Was Her Brand,” November 10, 2015, by Ruth La Ferla, New York Times;


“The Powerful Rivalry Between Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons,” April 1997, by Amy Fine Collins, Vanity Fair;


“Louella Parsons, Gossip Columnist, Dies,” December 10, 1972, New York Times;


“Hedda Hopper, Columnist, Dies; Chronicled Gossip of Hollywood,” February 2, 1966,  New York Times;


Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;


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More description

EPISODE 105 -  “LOUELLA AND HEDDA: THE GOLDEN AGE’S GOSSIP GIRLS” - 9/15/25


This week, we explore the legendary rivalry between Hollywood gossip columnists LOUELLA PARSONS and HEDDA HOPPER. Parsons, backed by media tycoon WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST, became a powerful figure in the 1920s with close ties to the studios. Hopper, a former actress, entered the scene later with a more aggressive style and strong political views. The two wielded enormous influence, able to make or break careers with a single column. The episode covers their personal feud, their role in the Hollywood blacklist, and their lasting impact on celebrity journalism. It’s a revealing look at how gossip shaped the Golden Age of Hollywood.


SHOW NOTES: 


To purchase the Wild Goddesses of the Silver Screen & Beyond oracle cards, you can contact TAMARA COOK through her Facebook page:  


https://www.facebook.com/tamara.cook.902



Sources:



Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism (2011), by Jennifer Frost;


The First Lady of Hollywood (2005), by Samantha Barbas;


Vanity Will Get You Somewhere: An Autobiography (1987), by Joseph Cotten;


Hedda and Louella: A Dual Biography of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons (1971), by George Eells;


Tell It To Louella (1961), by Louella Parsons;


The Gay Illiterate (1944), by Louella Parsons;


“Hedda Hopper: The rise of Hollywood’s First Gossip Queen,”July 13, 2025, Documentary, Biography


“The Career that Fear Built: Hedda Hopper Ruled the Gossip Business,” August 6, 2018,  The Saturday Evening Post;


“For Gossip Columnist Hedda Hopper, Flamboyance Was Her Brand,” November 10, 2015, by Ruth La Ferla, New York Times;


“The Powerful Rivalry Between Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons,” April 1997, by Amy Fine Collins, Vanity Fair;


“Louella Parsons, Gossip Columnist, Dies,” December 10, 1972, New York Times;


“Hedda Hopper, Columnist, Dies; Chronicled Gossip of Hollywood,” February 2, 1966,  New York Times;


Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;


---------------------------------

http://www.airwavemedia.com


Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2025-09-15 38 min
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