Malice in Wonderland (TV 1985)

Struggling actress Hedda Hopper can't get a break in Hollywood, even though an acquaintence of hers is the extremely powerful gossip monger Louella Parsons - maker and breaker of careers (... See full summary »

Director:

Gus Trikonis

Writers:

Jacqueline Feather (teleplay), David Seidler (teleplay),

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Alexander, Richard Dysart

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Louella Parsons
Jane Alexander	...	Hedda Hopper
Richard Dysart	...	Louis B. Mayer
Joyce Van Patten	...	Dema Harshbarger
Jon Cypher	...	Dr. Harry 'Docky' Martin
Leslie Ackerman	...	Harriet Parsons
Bonnie Bartlett	...	Ida Koverman
Thomas Byrd	...	William Hopper
Joel Colodner	...	Andy Kenderson
Rick Lenz	...	Iceman
Mary McCusker	...	Dot
John Pleshette	...	Tommy Gallep
Eric Purcell	...	Orson Welles
Tim Robbins	...	Joseph Cotten
Mark L. Taylor	...	Howard Strickling

Storyline

Struggling actress Hedda Hopper can't get a break in Hollywood, even though an acquaintence of hers is the extremely powerful gossip monger Louella Parsons - maker and breaker of careers (and lives) through her daily syndicated newspaper column. The big movie moguls, fed up with Parson's power over their stars, decide to de-claw her by setting up gossip Hopper as a competitor in the rumour industry. What they couldn't forsee was that Hopper would become as big as Parsons -- and every bit as much of a pain. Based on the true life stories of two of the most powerful (and arguably dangerous) women of Hollywood's hay-day.

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Plot Keywords:

gossip | hollywood | actress | mother daughter relationship | 1920s | 

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 May 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rumor Mill

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Taylor got friend Peter Lawford a small part as a reporter. but, he couldn't get through a single day of filming and was replaced.

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Goofs

As the camera pans down the street, on the curb is the painted number of either a house or building. They didn't paint number signs on the curbs back then.

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Quotes

Louella Parsons: If the two of us ever got together; we could rock this town on it's heels!

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Connections

Referenced in Charmed: Malice in Wonderland (2005)

User Reviews

Elizabeth is good but Jane Alexander is the reason to watch

Your enjoyment of this will depend on an interest in Golden Age Hollywood, if you have it than this is an pleasant diversion with a high voltage movie star and an accomplished actress. If you don't than there isn't much here to hold your attention. The real pair of women were far more venal than they are portrayed here but for a TV movie this isn't bad. Liz is fine although her decision to approximate Parson's droning speaking voice while accurate doesn't enhance her performance, it's just distracting. The top performance comes unsurprisingly from Jane Alexander. She gives nuance and meaning to Hopper that surely wasn't in the script. Most of the supporting cast is bland and forgettable, it is surprising to see Tim Robbins pop up in the small role of Joseph Cotton. The production design and in particular the wardrobe is very high quality and adds a nice sheen to the proceedings.