1h 30min | Comedy, Music | 26 February 1946
Director: Harold D. Schuster (as Harold Schuster)
Stars: Tom Breneman, Bonita Granville, Beulah Bondi, Billie Burke, Zasu Pitts.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038382/
Watched on AmazonPrime; also on a megapack.
Memorable gimmick of the radio show: live audience, ordinary women, MC interviews them, and tries on the silliest hat in the audience (they all wore hats in '46), interspersed with musical numbers by various performers.
This day the host (TB) gets involved with individuals he meets on the show: the sailor and the shopgirl (BG) from Minnesota, the oldest woman of the day (Bondi). And we follow Burke and her wayward husband, and ZP in her quest to get the most ridiculous hat.
In addition to the expected good results from Bondi, Burke and Pitts, Hedda Hopper is cheerful as herself, winning the craziest hat award that day and interacting with Pitts later. Plus the juvenile lead is very appealing: Edward Ryan (b. 1923), who has 16 credits from '31-'53; this one is in the middle. Next year I'll see him in It Happened on Fifth Avenue.
It's pretty tame, but pleasant, with requisite happy endings (almost?) all around.
Golden Pictures, distr. UA, dir. Schuster; 6
