Breakfast in Hollywood

As with several movies I've reviewed for the last several days, this one has an It's a Wonderful Life connection which I like to cite as it's my favorite one: Beulah Bondi plays a lonely 82-year old woman with only a dog living with her who just wants to attend the film's title radio show hosted by one Tom Brenenan during the one day setting this takes place in. Other audience members that abound in this movie are a discharged sailor (Edward Ryan) in love with a young woman (Bonita Granville) whose fiancée she's trying to reach, an eccentric woman trying to get attention for a most outrageous hat (Zazu Pitts), and famous gossip columnist Hedda Hopper with the mothers of Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, and Brenenan sitting with her. I didn't think Ms. Pitts was too funny with her hat story but I was a bit touched by that of Bondi's condition after she was hit by a car whose owner (Raymond Walburn) touched another story of his gallivanting with young women while neglecting his wife (Billie Burke). That one was a little funny to me. The most touching was the one with that sailor and that young woman with Ms. Granville really charming in her wholesome beauty. Those subplots weren't too bad but it was largely the musical performances that I was interested in particularly that of The King Cole Trio that had a nice brief moment in the beginning with "Solid Potato Salad" and great second set with "It's Better to Be by Yourself". I especially loved when the camera showed close-ups of Nat King Cole's hands on the keyboards and that of the guitarist's as well. Then, there's Spike Jones and his City Slickers with their hilarious brand of music which is particularly funny on their second set when the only female in the band warbles her tune. Finally, there's Andy Russell, a regular on radio's "Your Hit Parade" who I previously watched as a much older man on a special edition of Richard Dawson's "Family Feud" on YouTube a couple of years ago, whose romantic croonings must've melted many a woman's heart especially when he sang in Spanish. So in summary, Breakfast in Hollywood is slight fluff that should provide at least some interest for some fans of the icons that appear here. P.S. Ms. Granville was another born in Chicago where I also was native to.

Tom Breneman plays himself, the host of a daily radio program called Breakfast in Hollywood. A good chunk of this movie is simply Breneman doing his show—interacting with the guests in his restaurant studio, discussing their breakfasts, searching for silly hats, stepping aside for musical guests, just generally doing what daytime show hosts have apparently always done.

Among the guests are a handful of characters who, one way or another, bring their troubles to the show and whose lives thus become the handful of sub-plots that make up the rest of the film. Zasu Pitts is an eccentric fan who's hoping to win the daily ugly hat contest; her story is humorous if a bit pathetic (though her final scene is hilarious). Beulah Bondi, playing an 82-year-old, is the winner of the oldest guest contest. Billie Burke is a guest who, it seems, doesn't particularly believe in wearing makeup, and whose husband is (thus?) gallivanting around with a pair of wild young babes.

The real featured characters are Edward Ryan as a handsome young soldier on his way home from the war, and the wonderful Bonita Granville, who is in town searching for the fiancé who has neither shown up nor communicated with her. Granville has grown up some from her Nancy Drew days, and gives an excellent performance as a young woman who is bright, attractive, worried, confused, and in love.

Breneman ties together the plot lines and appears to be enjoying himself. And besides the plots, he produces a few other good reasons for watching—his musical guests. Nat King Cole and his trio do a couple of numbers; Spike Jones and his group work their nuttiness; and singer Andy Russell croons a couple of pleasant songs.

One scene is not to be missed: Breneman greeting Hedda Hopper at her table to discuss her hat, which leads to Hopper introducing Breneman to her friends at the table—Gary Cooper's mother, Joan Crawford's mother, and Breneman's own mother! (Hopper herself is very funny in her scenes in the picture.)

Not a great movie….and it has some slow spots. But overall, it is a neat little curiosity with much to enjoy.

Also note: The two young lead characters are first brought together by virtue of their both hailing from Minneapolis. It had not occurred to me that way back in 1946, the pronunciation of Minnie-soh-ta was already material for jokes….but apparently it was.

Film adaptation of a popular radio show, from United Artists and director Harold Schuster. Tom Breneman stars as himself, the host of a very popular early morning radio show broadcast from his restaurant. The film tracks the lives of a few of his guests from one morning's show: young romance between Minnesota farm girl Dorothy (Bonita Granville) and US Navy man Ken (Edward Ryan); an elderly widow (Beulah Bondi) who gets hit by a car on the way to the show; Elvira (ZaSu Pitts) who wants to win the show's weirdest hat contest; and Frances (Billie Burke), who doesn't know that her husband (Raymond Walburn) is cheating on her. Also featuring musical performances from Andy Russell, Spike Jones & His City Slickers, and the King Cole Trio. With appearances by Herman Bing, Byron Foulger, Minerva Urecal, and Hedda Hopper as herself.

Breakfast in Hollywood was one of the most successful radio shows of the 1940's, running from 1941 to 1949, and broadcast on three networks simultaneously. Judging by the film, the show was a mix of musical performances and host Breneman wandering around the restaurant floor where the show originated, asking humorous questions of the audience, and holding various lottery drawings and contests for minor prizes. The radio show was at its height of popularity when this film was produced by Breneman. The various fictional storylines are goofy fluff, but I enjoyed seeing this snapshot of an American cultural relic that seems largely forgotten today. Add the music performances from Russell, Spike Jones' comedic band, and Nat King Cole in his early days, and this is a worthy pastime, saved from the waste bin of history. Breneman, who in the film looked at least 15 years older than his actual age, died suddenly in 1948 at age 45, and his show soon followed.

Having listened to the radio program every single morning in the 40s, it was a trip back in time for me! As soon as I heard Tom's voice I knew who it was. My mother took all three of us children to the live broadcast on several occasions. And Mother wore her hats, always wore a hat and gloves back then. I think you'd need to be of the proper era to appreciate it, and a lot of the other old time movies, as well. The war years were a time unto themselves, and I don't know how this generation could relate well enough to appreciate the nation's, and the world's, philosophies and attitudes of that time.

This movie is a warm fuzzy for us older folks.

Charming simple radio show on film from an era when housewives loved portly radio stars who liked to gossip, matchmake and have a hat contest...(he wore the winner's) The music numbers a good, the standouts being a handsome young Nat King Cole and the always hilarious Spike Jones. Many such B grade 70 minute films were made to capitalize on radio hit parade tunes and personalities and like those this one is a product of it's media and time. RKO made a terrific form of this radio film in 1932 called THE PHANTOM OF CRESTWOOD which was a radio serial yet without an ending: so they filmed the last episode and everyone had to go to the cinema to see the end of the radio show. Probably the first time this cross medium was used leading to the bright and profitable idea that led to BREAKFAST IN Hollywood. Monogram and Republic Pictures often made films titles HIT PARADE OF 1941 or 46 or 50 using a roster of radio stars and pop tunes. BREAKFAST doesn't sparkle like TIFFANY's did but is is easy musical fun for (grand) Moms everywhere