Harriet Parsons c. 1930s | Photo by George Hurrell
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Louella’s daughter, Harriet Parsons, became a groundbreaking female film producer at a moment in history in which virtually all mainstream filmmakers were male. She was also a lesbian, at a time when being openly gay was unacceptable in Hollywood -- and, in much of America, illegal.
Harriet Parsons, left, with Radie Harris, 1945 | Photo from the Harriet Parsons scrapbooks, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
SHOW NOTES:
Sources for entire season:
Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism by Jennifer Frost
The First Lady of Hollywood: A Biography of Louella Parsons by Samantha Barbas
The Whole Truth and Nothing But by Hedda Hopper
From Under My Hat by Hedda Hopper
Tell it to Louella by Louella Parsons
The Powers That Be by David Halberstam
Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies by Louis Pizzitola
The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst by David Nasaw
Dish by Jeannette Walls
Privileged Son: Otis Chandler And The Rise And Fall Of The L.A. Times Dynasty by Dennis Mcdougal
Hedda and Louella: A Dual biography of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons by George Eells
Sources specific to this episode:
Howard Hughes files at the Texas State Archives, Austin, TX
Nobody's Girl Friday: The Women Who Ran Hollywood by J. E. Smyth
Mike Connolly and the Manly Art of Hollywood Gossip by Val Holley
Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood by William J. Mann
Louella Parsons, Hollywood gossip columnist, with CBS-TV Producer, Martin Manulis and Harriet Parsons
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
"The Bus at Dawn" by Holyoke
"Talltell" by Flatlands
"Pacing" by TinyTiny Trio
"House of Grendel" by Lemuel
"Levanger" by Lillehammer
"Laser Focus" by TinyTiny Trio
"The Crisper" by Confectionery
"Passages Interlude" by Demalion
"Line Exchange" by Marble Run
"Three Stories" by Skittle
"Cobalt Blue" by Marble Run
"Tarte Tatin" by Confectionery
Harriet Parsons c. 1978 | Photo by Steve Banks
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.
Our editor this season is Evan Viola.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.
Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created, and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help I’m Stuck.
Hedda Hopper and her son William Hopper | Photo from the CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images