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
Hedda Hopper Her autobiography, "From Under My Hat" (Doubleday, 1952) was followed by "The 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 the "Chicago Tribune" syndicate, as well as writing articles for celebrity magazines such as "Photoplay". On May 8, 1913, Hopper married actor and singer DeWolf Hopper in New Jersey. They had one child, William, who later played Paul Drake in the "Perry Mason" series. They were divorced in 1922. Hopper died on February 1, 1966, of double pneumonia at the