The Whole Truth and Nothing But

Publisher's Summary

From the dawn of the studio system to the decade it all came crashing down, Hedda Hopper was one of the Queens of Hollywood. Although she made her name as a star of the silent screen, she found her calling as a gossip columnist, where she had the ear of the most powerful force in show business: the public. With a readership of 20,000,000 people, Hopper turned nobodies into stars, and brought stars to their knees. And in this sensational memoir, she tells all.

In her career, Hopper crossed some of Hollywood's biggest bold-faced names, from Joan Crawford and Bette Davis to Charlie Chaplin and Katherine Hepburn, and her feud with rival gossip columnist Louella Parsons became the stuff of legend. In The Whole Truth and Nothing But, we get Hedda's side of the story - and what a story it is.

Hedda Hopper is portrayed by Judy Davis in the Ryan Murphy TV series Feud.

©1962, 1963 Hedda Hopper (P)2017 Graymalkin Media, LLC

A great glimpse at the movie industry of the past.

I am an old movie buff so, I appreciated the stories of Hollywood and the old gossip about the stars of the day.
Some of the advice Hedda Hopper gave is as true today as it was in the 60's. A good read for me!!!
The reader was exelent and sounded like Hedda herself was reading.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

A Product of Its Time

This was written in 1962, JFK was still alive, racial pejoratives could be used without apparently shocking the listener's ear, and ladies still wore hats. This was Hedda Hopper's world.

Hopper dishes the old Hollywood dirt and its easy to tell when she had an ax to grind with Hollywood stars who must have displeased her at one time or another. If you love hearing about Hollywood in its heyday, even from a biased author, this is your book.

Now for the however. However, Hopper's politics, views on minorities, and just overall nastiness must be taken into account. While listening to this book, remember that you are listening to a woman who joyfully participated in the HUAC witch hunt and happily destroyed careers on a whim.

So if you can look past the self-aggrandizement, self-promotion, and self-justification of Hedda Hopper, this is a fun listen.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Film Buffs Rejoice

THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT is THE book for classic movie fans. Gossipy anecdotes abound about the greatest stars of Hollywood's golden years... from Mary Pickford to Frank Sinatra. It is well read as well, except for many mispronounced names. I find this common in narrators of show biz bios. Incorrect pronunciations such as director Michael Curtiz (Curteez) pronounced as "Curtis" (like Tony) and costume designer Omar Kiam (Kie am) pronounced "Kiym", will drive real film fans a bit crazy. But, as I say, it's a pleasant voice... a good listen!

14 of 16 people found this review helpful

Ask Somebody!

So...the book is fine, as long as the reader understands that it was written at a time when full disclosure was not yet a "thing." I mean, Raymond Burr having the hots for Natalie Wood? Anyway, that's not my principal concern. It's an issue I find often with the readers of these books--the mispronunciation of names. There were a bunch here, including "Jool" instead of Joo-lee for Jule Styne (the composer, not the producer) and, most egregiously, Leo "Doo-Row-Shay" for Leo Durocher. Doesn't anybody check these things?

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I was expecting so much more.

meh. I expected so much more from the infamous Hedda Hopper. oh well. it was still fastinating.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not Your Usual Trash Gossip

This is a wonderful book for anyone that loves or even just likes old Hollywood. It is filled with interesting stories of people you will want to look up and read more about, behinds the screens stories, funny stories and some tragic stories as well. One story about Marian Davies being other TV show while she was ill I was able to find on You Tube and at least for me it brought the book to life. Please give it a try.. I don't think you will be disappointed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent performance

This for me was a nice introduction to Hedda Hopper. Her account provided an enlightening glimpse into the character of many stars and players from Hollywood’s golden age. I particularly enjoyed the narrator, who did an amazing job of channeling Ms. Hopper.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A look back

Interesting history of golden age stars but out of date views . First half is fun but last part is an old lion complaining all the fun is gone, but

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Abysmal reading - I want my money back

The story is as expected - it's not a new book after all. But the reading sounds like it is computer-generated. Simply awful. I can't make it past the first hour.

So bad I couldn’t even finish it

I have never heard anybody who was so self absorbed as this woman. Just nauseating to listen as long as I did. I’ve also never met anyone who was so nasty and mean spirited toward her fellow human being. Why anyone gave 2 hoots about what this woman thought or said is beyond me.

Story good, but pronunciation errors distract

I'm 75 percent through the book and have enjoyed the tales of old Hollywood - but it's apparent this was recorded without a producer or director. There's no other excuse for so many mispronunciations of names would be familiar to anyone with interest in a book dealing with this subject matter. The reader must be a Francophile - any name that could have the slightest whiff of French extraction is pronounced as if the person is Parisian. Pronouncing Brooklyn born baseball player Leo Durocher "Leo Duh-Row-Shay" and the Dumont Television Network as "Duh-mah..." are just two examples. There are other onetime household names mangled too - enough that I got distracted each time it happened, trying to figure out where the reader could possibly be from that she hadn't heard the name before. The reader does have a good delivery, but mispronouncing names of actors, sports figures, and business leaders familiar to listeners is jarring.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful