"a guy with an old-fashioned" and "expensive grounds to keep up"
from mini serie Mildred Pierce
2 women walking around in their restaurant (in 1930s)

"For some reason I don't understand,
a guy with an old-fashioned on the table likes to listen to
the bumblebees".
from mini serie Mildred Pierce
2 women walking around in their restaurant (in 1930s)

old fashioned what? and what are these bees?

Question

"a guy with an old-fashioned" and "expensive grounds to keep up"
from mini serie Mildred Pierce
2 women walking around in their restaurant (in 1930s)
  
"For some reason I don't understand,
a guy with an old-fashioned on the table likes to listen to
the bumblebees".
from mini serie Mildred Pierce
2 women walking around in their restaurant (in 1930s)

old fashioned what? and what are these bees?

Answer

Here is the extract: # Lucy on the flower arrangements at the Laguna Beach Mildred’s location: “For some reason I don’t understand, a guy with an old fashioned on his table likes to listen to the bumblebees.”
"an old fashioned"= an iced cocktail containing whiskey, bitters, sweetening, and a small amount of water, and garnished with pieces of fruit

From the extract it seems that he  is outside and really does like to listen to the bumble bees [ big bees]

Answer

'an old-fashioned' is a type of a cocktail ,that is a mix of sugar ,bitters than an alcoholic drink 
( whiskey, brandy etc..) with citrus rind and he is listening to the music of 'bumblebees', there is an Irish music band called so, but relatively new if you are talking the thirties, so it might be a modern band,in all cases he is listening to music not real bees ;)