It's a TV movie based on a book about the rivalry between Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons as Hollywood gossip queens between 1928 and 1944. Jane Alexander does a great job as Hedda and even moves and sounds like her. Elizabeth Taylor, on the other hand, seems a tad too glam for the dowdy Louella. Story tells of Louella's entrenchment in Hollywood as a reporter for William Randolph Hearst, who was partnered with MGM thru his Cosmopolitan Picture production company. The deal not only divided the costs of Marion Davies' films for MGM, but pretty much guaranteed massive publicity for MGM films thru Hearst's media empire of newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. But Louella got too powerful so Louis B, Mayer (according to this movie) arranged the struggling Hedda to write gossip for a local non-Hearst newspaper.
The two women battle for scoops, praise their favorites, and viciously attack anyone who has crossed them. The film goes into the battle over Citizen Kane ad studio attempts to kill it.. Much name dropping and all the usual and familiar gossip about John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, Marion Davies etc.
The two women battle for scoops, praise their favorites, and viciously attack anyone who has crossed them. The film goes into the battle over Citizen Kane ad studio attempts to kill it.. Much name dropping and all the usual and familiar gossip about John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, Marion Davies etc.