Hedda Hopper's Hollywood by Jennifer Frost Photo: NYU Press
Hedda Hopper is all but forgotten now - the woman with the crazy yats who dished the dirt on the stars. But she was also the most feared person in Hollywood, and one with a political agenda. Now she's back - in two movies: Trumbo is about the Hollywood Blacklist - Hedda's played by Helen Mirren - while the Coen Brothers' Hail, Caesar! has a Hopper character played by Tilda Swinton. One person who's delighted at Hedda Hopper's revival is Jennifer Frost - Associate Professor in History at the University of Auckland, who wrote the book Hedda Hopper's Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism.
