Hedda Hopper | |
|---|---|
 Hopper in 1930 | |
| Born | Elda Furry (1885-06-02)June 2, 1885 |
| Died | February 1, 1966(1966-02-01) (aged 80) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Rose Hill Cemetery inAltoona, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, gossip columnist |
| Years active | 1908–1966 |
| Known for | Writing "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | William Hopper |
Elda Furry (June 2, 1885 – February 1, 1966), known professionally asHedda Hopper, was an Americangossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, Hopper named suspectedCommunists and was a major proponent of theHollywood blacklist. Hopper continued to write her gossip column until her death in 1966. Her work appeared in many magazines and later on radio. She had an extended feud withLouella Parsons, an arch-rival and fellow gossip columnist.
Hopper was born Elda Furry inHollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Margaret (née Miller; 1856–1941) and David Furry, a butcher, both members of theGerman Baptist Brethren. Her family was ofPennsylvania Dutch (German) descent.[1] The family moved toAltoona when Elda was three.
She eventually ran away toNew York City and began her career in the chorus on theBroadway stage. Hopper was not successful in this venture.Florenz Ziegfeld called the aspiring starlet a "clumsy cow" and brushed off her pleas for a slot in his lavishFollies. After a few years, she joined the theater company of matinee idolDeWolf Hopper, whom she called "Wolfie" and would later marry.[citation needed]
She remained in the chorus and they toured the country. While in the Hopper company, she realized that chorus andunderstudy 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 theater. Hearing that Edgar Selwyn was casting his playThe 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 that show toured for thirty-five weeks through forty-eight states. She studied singing during the summer and, in the fall, toured withThe Quaker Girl in the second lead, theprima donna role. The show closed inAlbany.
In 1913, she became the fifth wife ofDeWolf Hopper, whose previous wives were named Ella, Ida, Edna and Nella. The similarity in names caused some friction, as he would sometimes call Elda by the name of one of his former wives. Consequently, Elda Hopper paid anumerologist $10 to tell her what name she should use, and the answer was "Hedda".[2] She began acting insilent movies in 1915. Her motion picture debut was inThe Battle of Hearts (1916) withWilliam Farnum, but she made a major splash inVirtuous Wives (1918), in which she established her pattern of playing society women.[3] Hopper decided to upstage the film's headline starlet,Anita Stewart, by spending all of her $5,000 salary on a lavish wardrobe from the upscale boutiqueLucile, which she wore in the film. By 1920, she was commanding $1,000 per week as a free agent in New York; in 1923 she moved to Hollywood and became a contract player forLouis B. Mayer Pictures.[3] She appeared in more than 120 movies over her 23 year acting career.
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As Hopper's movie career waned in the mid-1930s, she looked for other sources of income. In 1935, she agreed to write a weekly Hollywoodgossip column forThe Washington Herald at $50 a week (equivalent to $1,147 in 2024), which was cancelled after four months when she refused to take a $15 pay cut.[3] In 1937, Hopper was offered another gossip column opportunity, this time with theLos Angeles Times. Her column, entitled "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood", debuted on February 14, 1938.[4] Hopper could not type, nor spell very well, so she dictated her column to a typist over the phone. Hopper used her extensive contacts forged during her acting days to gather material for her column.[5] Her first major scoop had national implications: in 1939, Hopper printed that PresidentFranklin Roosevelt's sonJames Roosevelt was divorcing his wife Betsey after being caught in an affair with a nurse at theMayo Clinic.[3]
Part of Hopper's public image was her fondness for wearing extravagant hats,[6] for which theInternal Revenue Service allowed her a $5,000 annual tax deduction as a work expense.[7] During the Second World War, theNazis used photographs of Hopper in her extravagant hats for propaganda, as a symbol of "American decadence".[8] Her annual income was $250,000,[when?] enabling her to live a luxurious lifestyle and maintain a mansion inBeverly Hills, which she described as "the house that fear built".[3]
After Hopper printed a story about an extramarital affair betweenJoseph Cotten andDeanna Durbin, Cotten ran into Hopper at a social event and pulled out her chair, only to continue pulling it out from under her when she sat down and then kick her in the rear.[9][10] The next day, he received dozens of flower bouquet deliveries and congratulatory telegrams from others in the industry, thanking him for having the courage to do what everyone else dreamed of doing.[3] Cotten later threatened Hopper that he would kick her again if she kept slandering him.[10]
Hopper spread rumors thatMichael Wilding andStewart Granger had a sexual relationship. Her 1962 bookThe Whole Truth and Nothing But, which she promoted on the CBS television seriesWhat’s My Line?, included a chapter in which Hopper asserted their relationship was a fact. Wilding sued Hopper for libel and won.[11]
Hopper was an advocate for actressJoan Crawford, whose career suffered in the early 1940s after she was labelled "Box-Office Poison" and forced to resign fromMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer. In 1945, Hopper reprinted a press release forMildred Pierce in her column, which described Crawford as a leading contender for theBest Actress Oscar. Such was Hopper's influence that she was credited with swinging the decision in Crawford's favor when she won the award. Hopper's support has been described as the first instance oflobbying theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to favor a certain nominee.[3]
Hopper lobbied for African American actorJames Baskett to receive anAcademy Award for his performance in the 1946 filmSong of the South. Baskett would ultimately receive an honorary award for his performance.[12] ActressZaSu Pitts compared Hopper to "a ferret".[13]Joan Bennett sent Hopper a "$35 valentine. The $35 went for a skunk which carried a note: 'Won't you be my valentine? Nobody else will. I stink and so do you.'" Hopper reportedly commented that the skunk was beautifully behaved. She called it Joan, and passed it on to actorJames Mason and his wife as a present, as they had made the first bid after the story about the unusual gift made the news.[14]
During World War II, Hopper's only child, actorWilliam "Bill" Hopper, served in theNavy inUnderwater Demolitions. She chastisedDouglas Fairbanks Jr., the son of her old friendDouglas Fairbanks, because she thought the younger Fairbanks was shirking his duty to his country.[clarification needed] Fairbanks Jr. recalled in his memoirsSalad Days that he was already in uniform serving in the United States Navy, and despised Hopper for her insinuations.[15]
ActorKirk Douglas recounted an interaction between Hopper andElizabeth Taylor. At the premiere of Taylor and her husbandRichard Burton's filmThe Sandpiper (1965), Hopper began to complain when she saw screenwriterDalton Trumbo's screen credit (she had led the charge in blacklisting Trumbo for his Communist party membership). This caused Taylor to turn around and say "Hedda, why don't you just shut the fuck up?"[16]
In 1963, Hopper complained in her column that three out of five Best Actor Oscar nominees were British and only two were American: "The weather's so foul on that tight little isle that, to get in out of the rain, they all gather in theatres and practiseHamlet on each other."[17]
When Hopper initially came to Hollywood, she andLouella Parsons had had a mutually beneficial arrangement. At the time, Hopper was a moderately successful actress, and according to Parsons' successor, Dorothy Manners, "if anything happened on a set—if a star and leading man were having an affair—Hedda would give Louella a call.” In return, Hopper was guaranteed a few lines of copy under Parsons' increasingly influential byline.[18]
After MGM canceled her contract,[when?] Hopper struggled to maintain her career as an actress. She was offered[when?] a position as a Hollywood columnist by the Esquire Feature Syndicate due to a recommendation by Andy Hervey ofMGM’s publicity department.
One of the first papers to pick up “Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood” was theLos Angeles Times, a morning paper like Parsons'Examiner. Hopper first publiclyscooped Parsons with the divorce[when?] of the president's sonJimmy Roosevelt (a Goldwyn employee), who was involved with a Mayo Clinic nurse, from his wife,Betsey. The story became front-page news across the country.[5]
When rumors began to surface thatOrson Welles’ debut filmCitizen Kane was inspired by the life ofWilliam Randolph Hearst, Parsons lunched with the director, and believed his evasions and denials.[5] Hopper arrived uninvited to an early screening of the film and wrote a scathing critique, calling it a "vicious and irresponsible attack on a great man".[19]: 205 As a result, Hearst sent Parsons a letter complaining that he had learned aboutCitizen Kane from Hopper, and not her.[citation needed]
In the early 1950s, theLos Angeles Examiner ran on its front page above Parsons's byline: "Ingrid Bergman Baby Due in Three Months at Rome". Bergman left her husband, neurologist Peter Lindstrom, to live in Italy with directorRoberto Rossellini, but the news that she might be pregnant was met with some skepticism. Bergman was well known for the angelic role of Sister Benedict inThe Bells of St. Mary's.[5]
Hopper, who had been a public supporter of Bergman, believed the actress's denial of the pregnancy, and printed a fervent repudiation of the rumor.[7] However, Bergman was indeed pregnant and Hopper, enraged at being scooped, launched a PR campaign decrying Bergman for being pregnant out of wedlock, and carrying a married man's child.[20] Parsons had allegedly received the tip fromHoward Hughes,[5] who was incensed at Bergman for being unable to shoot a film for him as promised.
Reportedly, whereas Hopper was more inclined to see their much-publicized antagonism as funny and good for business, Parsons took it personally and saw Hopper as a rival in every possible way. Hopper also referred toDoc Martin (Parsons' third husband) as "that goddamn clap doctor", which infuriated Parsons.[5]Louis B. Mayer assisted Hopper in establishing herself as a columnist, and her role was supported by other studio chiefs, which saw it as a step in offsetting Parsons' monopolistic power. Gossip columnistLiz Smith stated: "The studios created both of them. And they thought they could control both of them. But they became Frankenstein monsters escaped from the labs."[5] Hopper and Parsons had a combined readership of 75 million in a country of 160 million.[5][21]
Hopper was a ferventRepublican. During the1944 presidential election, she spoke before a massive rally organized byDavid O. Selznick in theLos Angeles Coliseum in support of theDewey-Bricker ticket, as well as GovernorEarl Warren of California, who later became Dewey's running mate in 1948, and later theChief Justice of the United States. The gathering drew 93,000, withCecil B. DeMille as themaster of ceremonies andWalt Disney as one of the speakers. Others in attendance includedRonald Reagan,Barbara Stanwyck,Ann Sothern,Ginger Rogers,Randolph Scott,Adolphe Menjou,Dick Powell,Gary Cooper,Edward Arnold, andWilliam Bendix. Despite the good turnout at the rally, most Hollywood celebrities who took a public position sided with theRoosevelt-Truman ticket.[22]
Hopper strongly supported theHouse Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, and was a guest and speaker of the Women's Division at the1956 Republican National Convention held inSan Francisco to renominate theEisenhower–Nixon ticket.[23] She was so well known for her conservatism that rumor had it she planned to stand up, unfurl an American flag, and walk out of the23rd Academy Awards ceremony in March 1951 ifJose Ferrer, who was known to be a socialist, should winBest Actor. The rumor was untrue but Hopper joked that she wished she had thought of it. ScreenwriterJay Bernstein related that when he told Hopper that many people in Hollywood privately called her aNazi because of her extreme conservatism, the gossip columnist began to cry and replied: "Jay, all I've ever tried to be is a good American."[8]
Hopper was one of the driving forces behind the creation of theHollywood blacklist, using her 35 million strong readership to destroy the careers of those in the entertainment industry whom she suspected of being a Communist, havingcommunist sympathies, beinghomosexual, or leading dissolute lives.[7][24] She was a leading member of theMotion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, founded in 1944 and devoted to rooting out suspected Communists in Hollywood.[25][26] She considered herself to be a guardian of moral standards in Hollywood and bragged that she need only wag her finger at a producer and he would break off an adulterous affair instantly.[3]
One of Hopper's victims was screenwriterDalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted throughout the late 1940s and 1950s partially through Hopper's consistently negative coverage of hisCommunist Party membership. When actorKirk Douglas hired Trumbo to write the screenplay forSpartacus (1960), Hopper denounced the film in her column, stating that "[the script is based on] a book written by a Commie and the screen script was written by a Commie, so don't go see it."[27][28] The film was a critical and financial success.
Charlie Chaplin was another target of Hedda Hopper's vitriol because of his alleged Communist sympathies and his relationships with much younger women, which she considered immoral despite her own marriage to a man 27 years her senior.[29] She also objected to him for remaining aBritish citizen and not becoming an American, which she considered an act of ingratitude towards a country which had given him so much. When in 1943, he denied that he was the father of 22-year old actressJoan Barry’s child, Hopper assisted Barry in filing apaternity suit against Chaplin, launching a campaign of attrition against him through her column, and calling for him to be deported for his "moral turpitude".[30] She defended her behavior by stating that she wished to make an example of Chaplin as "a warning to others involved in dubious relationships".[3] Her grudge deepened when, later in the year, Chaplin married 18-year oldOona O'Neill and gave the scoop to Louella Parsons out of dislike for Hopper.[3] For years after the paternity trial, Hopper cooperated with theFBI to destabilize Chaplin's career. This involved her printing damaging information leaked by the FBI concerning Chaplin's past Communist affiliations, while Hopper in turn provided the agency with unsavory gossip about Chaplin's personal life gleaned from her informants.[30] Her sustained criticism of Chaplin was one of the factors which contributed to his being denied re-entry to the United States in 1952.[7][29]
ActressIngrid Bergman was also blacklisted as a result of Hedda Hopper's sustained negative coverage in her columns. Hopper had supported Bergman in her column throughout the 1940s, advocating for her to land starring roles inThe Bells of St. Mary's (1945) andJoan of Arc (1948).[3] She was enraged when Bergman lied to her about being pregnant with married directorRoberto Rossellini's baby.[7] Hopper had believed Bergman's denial of the pregnancy, printing a fervent repudiation of the rumor in 1949. However, Bergman was indeed pregnant, and the news was leaked to Hopper's arch-rival Louella Parsons, who gained the scoop.[7] Seeking revenge, Hopper launched a PR campaign decrying Bergman for being pregnant out of wedlock and carrying a married man's child.[20]
Hopper had an acting role in a radio soap opera, playing Portia Brent on theBlue Network'sBrenthouse beginning in February 1939.[31] She debuted as host of her own radio program,The Hedda Hopper Show, on November 6, 1939. Sponsored bySunkist, she was heard onCBS three times a week for 15 minutes until October 30, 1942. From October 2, 1944, to September 3, 1945,Armour Treet sponsored a once-a-week program. On September 10, 1945, she moved toABC, still sponsored by Armour, for a weekly program that continued until June 3, 1946. Hopper moved back to CBS beginning on October 5, 1946 with a weekly 15-minute program,This Is Hollywood, sponsored byProcter & Gamble. It ran until June 28, 1947.
Expanding to 30 minutes onNBC, 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 asBroderick Crawford reprising a scene fromAll the King's Men (1949).
On January 10, 1960, a television special,Hedda Hopper's Hollywood, aired onNBC. Hosted by Hopper, guest interviews included an eclectic mix of past, current and future stars:Lucille Ball,Francis X. Bushman,Liza Minnelli,John Cassavetes,Robert Cummings,Marion Davies,Walt Disney,Janet Gaynor,Bob Hope,Hope Lange,Anthony Perkins,Debbie Reynolds,James Stewart, andGloria Swanson.[citation needed]
Hopper had several acting roles during the latter part of her career, including briefcameo appearances as herself in the movieSunset Boulevard (1950) andThe Patsy (1964), as well as episodes ofI Love Lucy,The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford, andThe Beverly Hillbillies, starringBuddy Ebsen. Herautobiography,From Under My Hat (Doubleday, 1952) was followed byThe Whole Truth and Nothing But (1962), also published by Doubleday. She remained active as a writer until her death, producing six daily columns and a Sunday column for theChicago Tribune syndicate, as well as writing articles for celebrity magazines such asPhotoplay.
On May 8, 1913, Hopper married actor and singerDeWolf Hopper inNew Jersey. They had one child,William, who later playedPaul Drake in thePerry Mason series.[32] The couple divorced in 1922.[33]
Hopper died on February 1, 1966, of doublepneumonia at the age of 80 atCedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[34][35] Theprobate value of Hopper's estate was $472,661 gross and $306,679 net.[36] She is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery,Altoona, Pennsylvania.[37] For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Hopper has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6313½ Hollywood Boulevard inHollywood.[38]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | The Battle of Hearts | Maida Rhodes | Lost film Credited as Elda Furry |
| 1917 | Her Excellency, the Governor | Sylvia Marlowe | Lost film Credited as Elda Milar |
| 1917 | The Food Gamblers | June Justice | Lost film |
| 1917 | Seven Keys to Baldpate | Myra Thornhill | Credited as Elda Furry |
| 1917 | Nearly Married | Hattie King | Abridged version extant |
| 1918 | The Beloved Traitor | Myrna Bliss | |
| 1918 | By Right of Purchase | Society Woman | Incomplete film Uncredited |
| 1918 | Virtuous Wives | Irma Delabarre | Lost film Credited as Mrs. DeWolf Hopper |
| 1919 | The Third Degree | Mrs. Howard Jeffries, Sr | Lost film |
| 1919 | Sadie Love | Mrs. James Wakeley | Lost film |
| 1919 | The Isle of Conquest | Mrs. Harmon | Lost film |
| 1920 | The Man Who Lost Himself | Countess of Rochester | Lost film |
| 1920 | The New York Idea | Vida Phillimore | |
| 1921 | Heedless Moths | His Wife | Lost film |
| 1921 | The Inner Chamber | Mrs. Candor | Lost film Credited as Mrs. DeWolf Hopper |
| 1921 | Conceit | Mrs. Agnes Crombie | Credited as Mrs. DeWolf Hopper |
| 1922 | Sherlock Holmes | Madge Larrabee | |
| 1922 | What's Wrong with the Women? | Mrs. Neer | Lost film Credited as Mrs. DeWolf Hopper |
| 1922 | Women Men Marry | Eleanor Carter | |
| 1923 | Has the World Gone Mad! | Mrs. Adams | Lost film |
| 1923 | Reno | Mrs. Kate Norton Tappan | |
| 1924 | Gambling Wives | Madame Zoe | Lost film |
| 1924 | Why Men Leave Home | Nina Neilson | |
| 1924 | Happiness | Mrs. Chrystal Pole | |
| 1924 | Miami | Mary Tate | Lost film |
| 1924 | Another Scandal | Cousin Elizabeth MacKenzie | Lost film |
| 1924 | Sinners in Silk | Mrs. Stevens | Lost film |
| 1924 | The Snob | Mrs. Leiter | Lost film |
| 1925 | Her Market Value | Mrs. Bernice Hamilton | |
| 1925 | Declassée | Lady Wildering | |
| 1925 | Dangerous Innocence | Muriel Church | Lost film |
| 1925 | Zander the Great | Mrs. Caldwell | |
| 1925 | Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman | Mrs. Clarice Vidal | |
| 1925 | The Teaser | Margaret Wyndham | Lost film |
| 1925 | Borrowed Finery | Mrs. Bordon | |
| 1926 | Dance Madness | Valentina | Lost film |
| 1926 | The Caveman | Mrs. Van Dream | |
| 1926 | Pleasures of the Rich | Mona Vincent | Lost film |
| 1926 | Skinner's Dress Suit | Mrs. Colby | |
| 1926 | Lew Tyler's Wives | Virginia Philips | Lost film |
| 1926 | The Silver Treasure | Mrs. Gould | Lost film |
| 1926 | Don Juan | Marchesia Rinaldo | |
| 1926 | Fools of Fashion | Countess de Fragni | |
| 1926 | Obey The Law | Society Woman | |
| 1927 | Orchids and Ermine | The Modiste | |
| 1927 | Venus of Venice | Jean's Mother | |
| 1927 | Children of Divorce | Katherine Flanders | |
| 1927 | Matinee Ladies | Mrs. Aldrich | Lost film |
| 1927 | Wings | Mrs. Powell | Uncredited |
| 1927 | Black Tears | Lost film | |
| 1927 | The Cruel Truth | Grace Sturdevant | |
| 1927 | Adam and Evil | Eleanor Leighton | Lost film |
| 1927 | One Woman to Another | Olive Gresham | Lost film |
| 1927 | The Drop Kick | Mrs. Hamill | |
| 1927 | A Reno Divorce | Hedda Frane | Lost film |
| 1927 | French Dressing | Lost film Uncredited | |
| 1928 | Love and Learn | Mrs. Ann Blair | Lost film |
| 1928 | The Whip Woman | Countess Ferenzi | Lost film |
| 1928 | The Port of Missing Girls | Mrs. C. King | |
| 1928 | The Chorus Kid | Mrs. Garrett | Lost film |
| 1928 | Harold Teen | Mrs. Hazzit | |
| 1928 | Green Grass Widows | Mrs. Worthing | |
| 1928 | Undressed | Mrs. Stanley | Lost film |
| 1928 | Runaway Girls | Mrs. Hartley | Lost film |
| 1928 | Companionate Marriage | Mrs. Moore | Lost film |
| 1929 | Girls Gone Wild | Mrs. Holworthy | Lost film |
| 1929 | The Last of Mrs. Cheyney | Lady Maria | |
| 1929 | His Glorious Night | Mrs. Collingswood Stratton | |
| 1929 | Half Marriage | Mrs. Page | |
| 1929 | The Racketeer | Mrs. Karen Lee | |
| 1929 | A Song of Kentucky | Mrs. Coleman | Lost film |
| 1930 | Such Men Are Dangerous | Muriel Wyndham | |
| 1930 | High Society Blues | Mrs. Divine | |
| 1930 | Murder Will Out | Aunt Pat | Lost film |
| 1930 | Holiday | Susan Potter | |
| 1930 | Let Us Be Gay | Madge Livingston | |
| 1930 | Our Blushing Brides | Mrs. Weaver | |
| 1930 | War Nurse | Matron | |
| 1931 | The Easiest Way | Mrs. Clara Williams | Uncredited |
| 1931 | The Prodigal | Christine | |
| 1931 | Men Call It Love | Callie | |
| 1931 | A Tailor Made Man | Mrs. Stanlaw | |
| 1931 | Shipmates | Auntie | |
| 1931 | The Common Law | Mrs. Clare Collis | |
| 1931 | The Mystery Train | Mrs. Marian Radcliffe | |
| 1931 | Rebound | Liz Crawford | |
| 1931 | Flying High | Mrs. Smith | |
| 1931 | West of Broadway | Mrs. Edith Trent | |
| 1931 | Good Sport | Mrs. Atherton | |
| 1932 | The Man Who Played God | Mrs. Alice Chittendon | |
| 1932 | Night World | Mrs. Rand | |
| 1932 | As You Desire Me | Ines Montari | |
| 1932 | Skyscraper Souls | Ella Dwight | |
| 1932 | Downstairs | Countess De Marnac | |
| 1932 | Speak Easily | Mrs. Peets | |
| 1932 | The Unwritten Law | Jean Evans | |
| 1933 | Men Must Fight | Mrs. Chase | |
| 1933 | The Barbarian | Mrs. Loway, American Tourist | |
| 1933 | Pilgrimage | Mrs. Worth (Gary Worth's mother) | |
| 1933 | Beauty for Sale | Madame Sonia Barton | |
| 1934 | Bombay Mail | Lady Daniels | |
| 1934 | Let's Be Ritzy | Mrs. Burton | |
| 1934 | Little Man, What Now? | Nurse | |
| 1934 | No Ransom | Mrs. John Winfield | |
| 1935 | One Frightened Night | Laura Proctor | |
| 1935 | Society Fever | Mrs. Vandergriff | |
| 1935 | Lady Tubbs | Mrs. Ronald Ash-Orcutt | |
| 1935 | Alice Adams | Mrs. Palmer | |
| 1935 | I Live My Life | Alvin's Mother | |
| 1935 | Three Kids and a Queen | Mrs. Cummings | |
| 1935 | Ship Cafe | Tutor | |
| 1936 | The Dark Hour | Mrs. Tallman | |
| 1936 | Doughnuts and Society | Mrs. Murray Hill | |
| 1936 | Dracula's Daughter | Lady Esme Hammond | |
| 1936 | Bunker Bean | Mrs. Dorothy Kent | |
| 1937 | You Can't Buy Luck | Mrs. Agnes White | |
| 1937 | Dangerous Holiday | Lottie Courtney | |
| 1937 | Topper | Mrs. Grace Stuyvesant | |
| 1937 | Artists and Models | Mrs. Townsend | |
| 1937 | Vogues of 1938 | Mrs. Van Klettering | Uncredited |
| 1937 | Nothing Sacred | Dowager on Ship | Uncredited |
| 1938 | Tarzan's Revenge | Penny Reed | |
| 1938 | Maid's Night Out | Mrs. Harrison | |
| 1938 | Dangerous to Know | Mrs. Emily Carson | |
| 1938 | Thanks for the Memory | Polly Griscom | |
| 1939 | Midnight | Stephanie | |
| 1939 | The Women | Dolly Dupuyster | |
| 1939 | What a Life | Mrs. Aldrich | |
| 1939 | That's Right – You're Wrong | Herself – Newspaper Columnist | Uncredited |
| 1939 | Laugh It Off | Elizabeth "Lizzie" Rockingham | |
| 1940 | Queen of the Mob | Mrs. Emily Sturgis | |
| 1940 | Cross-Country Romance | Mrs. North | |
| 1941 | Life with Henry | Mrs. Aldrich | |
| 1941 | I Wanted Wings | Mrs. Young | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Reap the Wild Wind | Aunt Henrietta Beresford | |
| 1950 | Sunset Boulevard | Herself | |
| 1960 | Pepe | Herself, Cameo appearance | |
| 1961 | The Right Approach | Newspaper Columnist | Uncredited |
| 1964 | The Patsy | Herself | |
| 1966 | The Oscar | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1963 | What's My Line? | Herself – Mystery Guest | 7 episodes |
| 1953 | Goodyear Television Playhouse | Hostess | Episode: "A. Fadeout" |
| 1955 | I Love Lucy | Herself | Episode: "The Hedda Hopper Story" |
| 1955 | The Colgate Comedy Hour | Herself – Gossip Columnist | 2 episodes |
| 1956 | The Bob Hope Show | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 1956 | The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show | Herself | Episode #1.19 |
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 1957 | The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour | Herself | Episode: "Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana" |
| 1958 | The Garry Moore Show | Herself | Episode #1.5 |
| 1959 | Small World | Herself | Episode #2.8 |
| 1959 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | Herself | Episode: "The Desilu Revue" |
| 1960 | Hedda Hopper's Hollywood | Host | Television special |
| 1960 | The Steve Allen Show | Herself | Episode: "The Movie Premiere of 'Can-Can'" |
| 1961 | Here's Hollywood | Herself | October 31, 1961 episode |
| 1964 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Herself | Episode: "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" |
| 1966 | The New Alice in Wonderland | Hedda, the Mad Hatter | Voice, TV movie, (final film role & posthumous release) |
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