Hedda Hopper column, entitled "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood", debuted on February 14 (St. Valentine's Day), 1938. Hopper could not type, or spell very well, so she dictated her column to a typist over the phone. Initially facing stiff competition against Louella Parsons, who had a monopoly on Hollywood gossip, Hopper used her extensive contacts forged during her acting days to gather material for her column. Her first major scoop had national implications: in 1939 Hopper printed that President Franklin Roosevelt's son James Roosevelt was divorcing his wife Betsey after being caught in an affair with a nurse at the Mayo Clinic. Part of
Joanne Linville Acting Craft". Linville was married to actor/director Mark Rydell from 1962 until their divorce in 1973. Linville played gossip columnist Hedda Hopper in the television movie "James Dean". Rydell directed the film and also played Jack L. Warner. Joanne Linville Beverly Joanne Linville (born January 15, 1928) is a retired American film and television actress. Linville and actress Irene Gilbert co-founded the Stella Adler Academy in Los Angeles in 1985. Linville was born in Bakersfield, California, on January 15, 1928. Linville's motion-picture credits include "The Goddess" (1958), "Scorpio" (1973), "Gable and Lombard" (1976), "A Star Is Born" (1976), and "The