Commentary
Have you ever heard of Tom Breneman? Although he isn’t a big name anymore, this radio personality was the host of a 1940s radio show which attracted ten million listeners daily, “Breakfast in Hollywood.” The show became so successful that, in 1946, it inspired a movie of the same name, which was produced by Golden Pictures and distributed by United Artists. You wouldn’t think that a half-hour daily radio program would be the premise of a good movie, but “Breakfast in Hollywood” proves doubters wrong!
This movie is a very entertaining hour and a half. It stars Tom Breneman as himself, but he’s surrounded by some of Hollywood’s finest character actors. Bonita Granville, Beulah Bondi, Billie Burke, Raymond Walburn, and Zasu Pitts all play important characters. Celebrity gossip columnist Hedda Hopper appears as herself, and the real-life mothers of Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford, and Tom Breneman make cameo appearances, as well. There also are specialty numbers by popular musicians of the day, including the Nat King Cole Trio, Spike Jones and His City Slickers, and singer Andy Russell….