Rosemary Clooney had recently broken into mainstream success with a series of popular singles like "Come On-a My House", "Half as Much" and Tenderly".

[2] Meanwhile, Harry James had been a consistent presence since the big band era, finding popularity during the 1940s with singles like "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)".

[9] AllMusic's William Ruhlmann rated it four out five stars, finding that it showcased "the singer's [Clooney] clearly enunciated matter-of-fact phrasing and the instrumentalist's [James] characteristically broad tone on some well-loved material.

"[1] Will Friedwald of the book, A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, called it "an impressive entry" in Clooney's repetoire when compared to the novelty songs she was recording during the period.

[10] Hollywood's Best was originally released in October 1952 by Columbia Records as a ten-inch vinyl LP, featuring four songs on each side of the disc.