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
William Hopper William DeWolf Hopper Jr., was born January 26, 1915 in New York City. He was the only child of actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer DeWolf Hopper (March 30, 1858September 23, 1935) and his fifth wife, actress Hedda Hopper (born Elda Furry; May 2, 1885February 1, 1966). He had one older half-brother, John A. Hopper, from his father's second marriage in the 1880s. Hopper made his film debut as a baby in his father's 1916 silent movie "Sunshine Dad". His mother divorced his father in 1922 and moved to Hollywood with their son. Hedda Hopper became one of America's best-known