User reviews

This unpretentious film with a remarkable cast features one of the last movie appearances of Bonita Granville, who deserves rediscovery through everything from the newly released "Nancy Drew" DVDs to a very effective performance in "These Three." Here she boosts a simple programmer with charm and conviction.

It's also a film where such contrasting acts as Spike Jones and Nat King Cole appear,and as bonus there's Hedda Hopper, who I always thought had a very interesting screen presence. I'm not familiar with the radio program the film ostensibly showcases, but it was evidently a popular fixture in its day. But it's Granville who anchors the film with her appealing manner and sincere acting.

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

I occasionally comment on films I find interesting, and it always comes down to- either you 'get' it or you don't. I have a sneaking suspicion those that don't are younger viewers. It was common practice in the 30s and 40s to take a popular radio show and bring it to the big screen. Why? For profit, of course. This being pre-TV, it also created the opportunity for radio listeners to see their favorite performers. These were pop movies, 'programmers'- meant to make a quick buck and capitalize on a radio show's popularity. I find many of them sweet, though not the best quality. Where else are you going to see Tom Breneman, a popular host of BREAKFAST IN HWOOD? The plot of BIH is completely unrealistic (fine w/ me)in that it has Brenemen getting involved in the lives of several of the people that come to see his show. Doesn't know them of course, but wants to help anyway! I found him affable and pleasant- just the kind of host you'd want to listen to shortly after waking up. Other reviewers have told the plot, so I'll stop here. Worth seeing for nostalgia fans, and that's a darn good reason!

To demand greatness of a film like this is to misunderstand the function of a programmer. Breakfast in Hollywood is popcorn for the mind, a pleasant interlude with some great characters actors (ZaSu Pitts, Beulah Bondi, Billie Burke, Raymond Walburn, Hedda Hopper) and a chance to see Nat "King" Cole and the King Cole Trio on the screen very early in his career (though carefully segregated from the rest of the cast.) Spike Jones does two numbers with the City Slickers, a wartime romance provides a bit of drama although the war is technically over, and there is even a cute dog. The inimitable ZaSu Pitts is worth the price of admission all by herself! The plot, such as it is, is a sort of comedic Bridge of San Luis Rey, following the lives of A HALF DOZEN people attending the radio broadcast. The stories are funny, romantic, or dramatic -- and no one dies at the end! Pure escapism, nicely done.

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.

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.

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.

If Tom Brenaman thought that this was his ticket to immortality of his radio show he turned out to be sadly mistaken. One year after Breakfast In Hollywood the movie came out television started getting into more and more homes and it was no longer experimental. And two years later Brenaman himself died and after a short bit with other hosts Breakfast In Hollywood also died.

This film shows it to be a pleasant morning diversion for housewives. Apparently no one actually ate because I see Brenaman moving around the audience filled with both celebrities and ordinary folk. Guest entertainers like Andy Russell and the Nat King Cole Trio strut their stuff also. Incidentally this film is a good opportunity to see Nat King Cole the jazz pianist before singing totally overtook his career.

The show serves as a backdrop like Grand Hotel for the stories of several of the breakfast guests. The main plot concerns sailor Edmond Ryan courting Bonita Granville who came to meet her sweetheart in the navy all the way from Minneapolis. Zasu Pitts has a funny role and Beulah Bondi a sad one as a little old lady who outlived friends and family and this show is almost a lifeline.

Best in the film is Raymond Walburn who while not the bloviating Walburn we know from many films still plays an old roué who's on the prowl while wife Billie Burke goes to the broadcast.

I'm sure none of today's audience knows from Breakfast In Hollywood or even quite what Hedda Hopper's significance is, she's also in the film. Still it's an interesting piece of nostalgia.

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.

This is an odd little flick that shows us a day in the life of the bourgeois Hollywood types.

It centers around a ladies' breakfast party known as "Breakfast in Hollywood" where mostly elderly women come to be entertained by the ad libbed wit of Tom Breneman and some musical performances. Four sub plots stem from members of the audience and their lives outside the show. These subplots are:

(1) An old lady who is losing the will to live;

(2) A mousy, middle-aged housewife whose goofy husband is philandering with young girls (who in turn are using him as a meal ticket);

(3) An eccentric, lonely woman who wants nothing but to be recognized for her outrageous hat; and

(4) A young woman who seems to have been jilted by her fiancée, and a young sailor who falls for her.

At the center of it all is Tom Breneman who becomes sort of like Mr. Rourke on Fantasy Island, taking it upon himself to see that everyone comes to a happy end if he can manage it between shows. There's even a Tattoo-like midget in the beginning. Oh, sorry, I believe the politically correct term is "little midget" ;)

I found it charming, but I would have enjoyed it more if not for some unpleasant 1940s attitudes which, unfortunately, show through in many films of the 40s (though not necessarily through any fault of the filmmakers). In particular, Nat King Cole, who is headlined on my DVD, does not actually appear at the ladies' club but instead is shown at a seedier cocktail joint down the street. This discontinuity confused me until I realized it was because of 1940s racial segregation. Evidently there was no such thing as an integrated music hall back then. Either you go to the "white club" or you go to the "black club". And although the movie certainly did not dwell on the segregation, it made me sad to see that such an amazing talent as Nat King Cole & his trio lived in a world where they were not welcome to play for elderly white women at breakfast. All the same, Nat King Cole's performance--fleeting as it was--absolutely SMOKED everyone else in the film, and we're given a rare treat of seeing him razzle-dazzle the ivories (silly me, I thought he was just a singer). I wish he appeared on screen for more than the 3 minutes he was given.

Who knows, maybe the filmmakers were deliberately trying to show us in an oblique way that there's something wrong with the situation of musical segregation. That may be worth considering, and if so I'll have to bump my rating up a bit. But one way or the other, the movie could've used more Nat King Cole!!

You can't judge this little 60 year old film by today's frenetic TV game show standards or cynical attitudes. This little film was aimed at a specific market - middle aged house wives. The radio shows humor was gentle, unoffensive,and aimed at those areas a house wife could appreciate; her hats, her home, and her husband. Zasu Pitts and Beulah Bondi perfectly captured the excitement of those housewives who had waited anxiously for their chance to attend the shows taping, and possibly win a prize. Sure, the plot was implausible, but the point was to sell the show's host as a regular guy, who was personally available to his listeners. What better way to attract listeners to the radio show and to the sponsors. A regular listener would have been sure to go to the movie theater to see her show "live". The world of commercial radio was as serious as TV would be in a few years time. Everything you found on TV started on radio - Soap operas, game shows, serials, music, drama, and comedy. If you wanted to "see" radio - you went to the taping of the show or to the movie theater for a film like this. Maybe the host wasn't a comedian, and the contests were silly but don't forget The Newlywed Game, Beat the Clock, Monty Hall, and Bob Barker - all huge hits in their time. In a time when most women, of a certain age, stayed at home and made breakfast for their kids and husbands, 8 AM was probably the first chance in their morning to sit down, relax, and listen to the radio. I'm sure this show was very popular and I wouldn't be surprised if my Grandmothers and Aunts listened to it as well. This charming little film reminds us that early radio and film appreciated and understood their audience. No this isn't a great classic film, but it helps us to understand the film industry and the audience during that era.

Mild low-budget musical version of what was once a popular radio program tries to tell too many stories during its running time.

What it does show is how some people were perfect for the airwaves and wrong for film. For instance singer Andy Russell, who sings his biggest hit Besame Mucho, has a beautiful expressive voice but when the camera focuses on him his face is a blank and he exudes minimal charisma. The same can be said for the program's host Tom Breneman whose only film appearance this was, he's bluff and gregarious and it's not hard to imagine him being entertaining on radio but he wasn't suited to film.

The overstuffed narrative at least provides the chance to see three excellent character actresses, Billie Burke, Beulah Bondi and ZaSu Pitts and then proceeds to waste them in plot lines that go nowhere or are foolish.

Really the best recommendation for the film is that it allows the audience two performances by the Nat King Cole Trio who unsurprisingly are wonderful. One element that was a simple throwaway shot at the time but now is a jaw dropper is the sign outside the nightclub where we first see the Cole Trio advertising that they are appearing with no cover charge. Considering the ludicrous prices now to see even the most average musicians the idea of being able to just walk in and see Nat King Cole for free is mind boggling.

Watch it for the music and occasional glimpses of Hedda Hopper and her crazy hats but don't expect too much.

There's only one thing good about this movie--actually two--the inclusion of special musical guests Nat King Cole and his Trio and Spike Jones. Anyone who likes the nostalgia involved with Spike and his crazy band of loonies, will be happy to know that there were no electronic gimmicks used in these performances.

Every pistol shot, gurgle, burp, and every other noise is supplied live and in real time by Spike and members of his crew. The fact is, these were top notch professionals who were highly trained in their art. They went through hours of rehearsal just to get their parts down right.

That's all I can say about the film which is now in a box set of 49 other "musical" films from the 20s-to the 60s...

I gave this film a 7/10. Having listened to the recordings of the actual 'Breakfast In Hollywood' 1940's radio shows, this film does capture a realistic essence of the live recordings of the shows which I do recommend finding online. It's been a while since I heard them, but this film encapsulates the charm that Tom Breneman had as a radio host.

It shows how in the '40s radio played such a big role in people's lives and shows a snapshot, albeit 'Hollywoodised' of the world just before the advent of television.

As others have mentioned, it has a 'It's A Wonderful Life' feel to it, with a similair simplicity, and a helpful reflection of 1940's Hollywood.

In a movie based on Tom Breneman's popular morning radio show, young people fall in love, an elderly woman finds a new reason for living, and Zasu Pitts wears a silly hat so the Breneman will put it on his head.

Breneman's show originated as a local show recorded each morning at Sardi's in Hollywood. To avoid confusion with the New York restaurant, when it went on national hookup, it was renamed. It was intended as a slice-of-life sort of thing, with Breneman's gentle humor and lots of little prizes for the ladies. At its height, it had an audience of ten million listeners. After Breneman died in 1948 at the age of 47, other hosts were tried, but ratings dropped and it was cancelled in early 1949.

For a scripted movie like this, actual performers were needed, and they included Bonita Granville, Beulah Bondi, Raymond Walburn, and Billie Burke. The Nat King Cole trio plays a couple of songs -- with concentration on the instrumental side -- as do Spike Jones & His City Slickers, and Andy Russell.

Breakfast in Hollywood is a most wonderful little movie. One of many made during 1940's as just an appetizer for the main feature. Well, they don't make B movies anymore. But today most A movies would struggle to reach the heights this little movie reaches. Considering it was made as just a programmer at the time it has so much charm and class, combining as it does music, comedy, drama and romance.

The cast is stellar featuring as it does a number of famous faces from the period. And they are all in great form. And it all takes place in a single day. The atmosphere is dreamy in gorgeous black and white. Of cause it's underrated. And it's forgotten because at the time it wasn't made to be remembered above the main feature.

But for all that it was made to entertain. And 67 years after the fact, it stands out on its own as a little jewel of its time. Bonita Granville is just perfect as the quintessential young love-struck 1940's girl. But the rest of the cast are no less wonderful. I found this movie on the net. And it comes highly recommended by me.

Was this based on a radio program, a popular radio program, I should ask? Obviously I don't know, but it seemed to be giving that impression that was the case. We saw a restaurant setup and a man running around with a microphone, giving the notion they were going out live on the radio. I have no earthly idea who Tom Breneman was or what else he did, but I have an idea that Dick Clark studied his guffawing and forced laughter, as that is just who he reminded me of. AND THE JOKES WEREN'T FUNNY! All this laughter for something that wasn't funny! It was incredible! Example: Breneman is talking to one woman who lives downtown, but works uptown. Her going 'no, I live downtown, but work uptown, my husband works one town over, our baby was born two towns over' or something to that effect, had Breneman in stitches! The audience was laughing too!

It got worse. I don't recall Nat King Cole or even Spike Lee in this thing, but I do recall Hedda Hopper and Zasu Pitts. Pitts was wearing a silly hat as apparently Breneman found the woman with the silliest hat and talked to them, which was Pitts plan. Hopper of course was (sigh) known for her outrageous hats, I guess. Breneman went to Hopper. Hopper was sitting with the mothers of Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper and I believe it was Breneman's own mother. Hopper the writer made comments that were bland and nonsensical, all the while laughing hysterically. When it was finally revealed Breneman's mother was the fourth woman at the table, Hopper quips "Lot of ham in that family." By far the worst was Breneman wearing Hopper's hat. He states, "I wouldn't be an invitation to a duck." Hopper replies "But oh brother, what an invitation to a woodpecker!"

Pitts and whoever the elderly woman she spoke with and knew her disappointment at not being interviewed were the movie's bright spots.

I think I recall a bit on Burke and her husband, but their story was largely forgettable. I saw this as a bad film theatre offering, and it definitely fit the bill. It was awful.