Hedda Hopper Film Festival on TCM

[Princess of Tap]

If you would have told me when I started to study films that I would actually be paying money to see a Hedda Hopper Film Festival, I would have said you were crazy.

 

But that's exactly what I'm doing tonight.

 

The life of Hedda Hopper in connection with the Hollywood film industry is exciting. She was wonderful playing herself in Sunset Boulevard and I'm a big fan of her son in Perry Mason.

 

I've got nothing against her. But I just can't imagine how hard up this cable channel must be to Market their product in this way. But I guess this was one of their marketing specialist's bright ideas.

 

Hedda Hopper never would have become a gossip columnist if she'd been successful as an actress.

 

There's so many other more, should we say talented, Hollywood artists that they could feature in such a manner; but I guess Hedda does have a bit of a name with some of the old- timers.

 

Well, what's the next Film Festival going to be ?- -

 

The films of actors and actresses treated for venereal disease by Docky,

Dr. Henry Martin, the husband of rival gossip columnist Louella Parsons?

 

You know, I think that might get some audience response and be a little fun.

 

Anyway, I feel as though there's nothing wrong necessarily with these films that she appears in, but there's gotta be a better way to organize it than this.

 

Somehow I get the feeling we haven't scrape the bottom of the barrel yet.

[Movie Collector OH]

What about Breakfast in Hollywood (1946).  More talent than you could shake a stick at.  What were they thinking.

[DownGoesFrazier]

If you would have told me when I started to study films that I would actually be paying money to see a Hedda Hopper Film Festival, I would have said you were crazy.

 

But that's exactly what I'm doing tonight.

 

The life of Hedda Hopper in connection with the Hollywood film industry is exciting. She was wonderful playing herself in Sunset Boulevard and I'm a big fan of her son in Perry Mason.

 

I've got nothing against her. But I just can't imagine how hard up this cable channel must be to Market their product in this way. But I guess this was one of their marketing specialist's bright ideas.

 

Hedda Hopper never would have become a gossip columnist if she'd been successful as an actress.

 

There's so many other more, should we say talented, Hollywood artists that they could feature in such a manner; but I guess Hedda does have a bit of a name with some of the old- timers.

 

Well, what's the next Film Festival going to be ?- -

 

The films of actors and actresses treated for venereal disease by Docky,

Dr. Henry Martin, the husband of rival gossip columnist Louella Parsons?

 

You know, I think that might get some audience response and be a little fun.

 

Anyway, I feel as though there's nothing wrong necessarily with these films that she appears in, but there's gotta be a better way to organize it than this.

 

Somehow I get the feeling we haven't scrape the bottom of the barrel yet.

She and Louella Parsons were the most important Hollywood columnists for years.

[whistlingypsy]

 

I find this not so much troubling as implausible: despite being the subject of profiles in fan and movie magazines, that’s her with son William from a 1923 issue of Motion Picture Magazine, there is no such thing as A Hedda Hopper Film. She appeared in silent films, such as Don Juan (1926) with John Barrymore and Children Of Divorce (1927) with Gary Cooper and Clara Bow, none of which, I suspect, will be included among those screened. She often appeared as part of an ensemble cast, such as in Let Us Be Gay (1930) and Midnight (1939), with other top billed actors and actresses. In Doughnuts And Society (1936), however, she received fifth billing, after Louise Fazenda and Ann Rutherford.

[Princess of Tap]

 

I find this not so much troubling as implausible: despite being the subject of profiles in fan and movie magazines, that’s her with son William from a 1923 issue of Motion Picture Magazine, there is no such thing as A Hedda Hopper Film. She appeared in silent films, such as Don Juan (1926) with John Barrymore and Children Of Divorce (1927) with Gary Cooper and Clara Bow, none of which, I suspect, will be included among those screened. She often appeared as part of an ensemble cast, such as in Let Us Be Gay (1930) and Midnight (1939), with other top billed actors and actresses. In Doughnuts And Society (1936), however, she received fifth billing, after Louise Fazenda and Ann Rutherford.

 

Gypsy-- last night TCM featured the following Hopper movies:

 

Downstairs, 1932-- 4th billed

 

Men Call it Love 1931--5th billed

 

Cross-Country Romance, 1940--3rd billed

[sewhite2000]

Gonna take the complete opposite stance here. I didn't find the idea of making Hopper movies the theme of night to be offensive or reflective of some bankruptcy of ideas. It's not like they did Movies with Blackface Numbers night or Movies about Incest night. I'll bet most people, even loyal TCM viewers, are unaware or only dimly aware of her early acting career, and I think it's interesting to show her in a different context. They have to come up with a theme every night, 365 nights a year, for 20-plus years. I think this theme at least gave the hosts something fairly interesting to talk about between films.

[Sepiatone]

As mentioned, Hedda Hopper , along with Louella Parsons, was one of Hollywood's premier gossip columnists.  A sort of the J.J. HUNSECKER  of her day.  And falling either into, or out of her favor often determined the course one's film career might take.

 

Her success, or failure as an actress in films still gave her the opportunity to know Hollywood as an "insider", and quite possibly too, an axe to grind.

 

But regardless, she STILL became, in  her way, an important figure in Hollywood history.  And as thus being an important name in that history, and in the era TCM purports to focus on I feel does deserve some attention.

 

If nothing else, it does give us both another perspective, AND a respite from the "frequent flyers" people in this forum often bellyache about. 

 

 

Sepiatone

[DownGoesFrazier]

As mentioned, Hedda Hopper , along with Louella Parsons, was one of Hollywood's premier gossip columnists.  A sort of the J.J. HUNSECKER  of her day.  And falling either into, or out of her favor often determined the course one's film career might take.

 

Her success, or failure as an actress in films still gave her the opportunity to know Hollywood as an "insider", and quite possibly too, an axe to grind.

 

But regardless, she STILL became, in  her way, an important figure in Hollywood history.  And as thus being an important name in that history, and in the era TCM purports to focus on I feel does deserve some attention.

 

If nothing else, it does give us both another perspective, AND a respite from the "frequent flyers" people in this forum often bellyache about. 

 

 

Sepiatone

Apparently, Hopper was considered tougher than Parsons.

[JamesJazGuitar]

As mentioned, Hedda Hopper , along with Louella Parsons, was one of Hollywood's premier gossip columnists.  A sort of the J.J. HUNSECKER  of her day.  And falling either into, or out of her favor often determined the course one's film career might take.

 

Her success, or failure as an actress in films still gave her the opportunity to know Hollywood as an "insider", and quite possibly too, an axe to grind.

 

But regardless, she STILL became, in  her way, an important figure in Hollywood history.  And as thus being an important name in that history, and in the era TCM purports to focus on I feel does deserve some attention.

 

If nothing else, it does give us both another perspective, AND a respite from the "frequent flyers" people in this forum often bellyache about. 

 

 

Sepiatone

 

Well said.   While I found this TCM programming 'bundle' kind of odd,   at least it was creative.   

[Arturo]

I guess it's thinking out of the box, but was a little surprised they did a prime-time tribute, on a weekend no less. At least it was a good opportunity to see DOWNSTAIRS again, although HH might've only had one.scene in that. I also enjoyed last night's Googie Withers tribute, better, in fact, since I had never seen.ON APPROVAL (I think that's the title) before, and really liked.the cast, and Withers in period clothing. Perhaps even better, would've been for TCM to show that.outstanding Fox noir,.NIGHT AND THE CITY, with Googie superb in this,as was the rest of the cast.

[rosebette]

I didn't much care about Hedda Hopper, but loved the opportunity to see Alice Adams again, which was not as good as I remembered, and to discover Downstairs, which in my opinion is a minor classic.  One indeed does wonder whether someone had it in for John Gilbert at MGM because he is superb in it, and the script, which Gilbert was partly responsible for, was also excellent.  What an unredeemed, but irresistible heel.  I wonder if this where Julian Fellows got his idea for Thomas in Downton Abbey, although Gilbert's heterosexual, and in my opinion, far meaner than Thomas ever was, since he has absolutely no qualms about any of his actions!

[JamesJazGuitar]

I guess it's thinking out of the box, but was a little surprised they did a prime-time tribute, on a weekend no less. At least it was a good opportunity to see DOWNSTAIRS again, although HH might've only had one.scene in that. I also enjoyed last night's Googie Withers tribute, better, in fact, since I had never seen.ON APPROVAL (I think that's the title) before, and really liked.the cast, and Withers in period clothing. Perhaps even better, would've been for TCM to show that.outstanding Fox noir,.NIGHT AND THE CITY, with Googie superb in this,as was the rest of the cast.

 

Yea,  too bad TCM didn't show Night and the City.    I really wish they had showed the British version which has 4 extra minutes. 

 

I just read about  "the deadly punishment of its protagonist (in the American version)".     Does that mean that in the British version Fabian doesn't get killed?    

 

As much as RO loves Tierney,  I'm surprised he hasn't been able to push management to lease this film. 

[DownGoesFrazier]

I guess it's thinking out of the box, but was a little surprised they did a prime-time tribute, on a weekend no less. At least it was a good opportunity to see DOWNSTAIRS again, although HH might've only had one.scene in that. I also enjoyed last night's Googie Withers tribute, better, in fact, since I had never seen.ON APPROVAL (I think that's the title) before, and really liked.the cast, and Withers in period clothing. Perhaps even better, would've been for TCM to show that.outstanding Fox noir,.NIGHT AND THE CITY, with Googie superb in this,as was the rest of the cast.

If it's the same old same old, we complain. If it's thinking outside the box, we also complain. Tough  crowd.