Blondie Plays Cupid

This is the seventh in the Blondie movie series. While there are more contrivances than usual in the series, this is still a pretty funny entry involving firecrackers, a man with a shotgun, a ladder, a car that goes off by itself, and a young couple trying to get married. Of that young couple, one of them is Glenn Ford-years before he achieved stardom in films like Gilda with Rita Hayworth who was in a previous entry, Blondie on a Budget. The other half was Luana Walters who I just found out was in lots of B westerns and would eventually be the first to play Superman's Krytonian mother, Lara, in the 1948 serial named after her son. Interestingly, Ford himself played Supes' adopted father, Jonathan Kent, in the Christopher Reeve version from 1978. My favorite gag is what happens when Dagwood rushes down the ladder! So on that note, Blondie Plays Cupid is highly recommended. P.S. Charles Lane, previously in the first film in the series as a furniture salesman, makes a welcome return here as the train conductor. And, as in Blondie Brings Up Baby, Baby Dumpling's real name is revealed to be Dagwood Jr. though that will be changed to Alexander a few years down the line after original comic strip creator Chic Young does so by then.

Come 4th of July, Dagwood won't be planning my fireworks unless I want to go looking for oil wells. It's another funfest with BD&BD. The antics fly faster than speeding bullets and most hit their mark (I wasn't crazy about Dumpling and the runaway car). If you don't like one setup, there's always another on its heels. Seems Blondie insists the family go to the country for the 4th to get away from fireworks. There they meet a young couple (Ford & Walters) whose marriage is being hijacked by old grouch with a shotgun (Wright). Of course, having Dagwood help them is like having Daffy Duck plan their getaway. Anyway, I love that opening with Daisy leading the pack. Someone deserves a flop-ear Oscar for her comedic antics. And those behind-the-scenes folks like director Strayer and the four writers keep the bounce going with hardly a misstep. The series has to be one of the most underrated from Hollywood's Golden Age. So don't miss this entry in the fun family's movie album.

It's July 3 and Baby Dumpling wants fireworks for the Fourth of July. Dagwood bought a whole sack full, but Blondie disapproves. They decide to go to the country, but there trip isn't exactly trouble-free. Blondie helps a young Glenn Ford get back with his fiancee. The next film in the series is BLONDIE GOES LATIN.

In this Blondie film, a great effort has been made to expand the repertoire of Daisy the Dog. She performs the most amazing feats, the most spectacular of which is to climb a ladder all the way from ground level to the roof of a house. She also coyly lays her front leg across her eyes to simulate shame. So she has moved far beyond the raised ears and knowing looks of the four previous films. The producers must have realized by now that Daisy was deeply popular with the Blondie audience. The film begins with Daisy stealing a bone and a pack of dogs yapping and running in circles round the inside of the Bumstead household. Blondie scolds Daisy about this afterwards by saying: 'Now, Daisy Bumstead, don't you ever bring people like that into this house again!' At one point, Alvin from next door even sticks his head through the dog flap to speak to Blondie, who has previously removed a Saint Bernard dog from the same flap, in which it had become stuck. This film features Glenn Ford in a supporting role; he had only entered films three years previously, and this was his eighth appearance on screen. It is he and his wife-to-be to whom Blondie 'plays cupid' by facilitating their elopement, and their escape from the girl's father with his shotgun. There are lots of sight gags about fire crackers in this film, because it is the Fourth of July. Poor Irving Bacon, the mailman, gets blown up by one this time. He takes his revenge by throwing a lit firecracker into the Bumsteads' house. Glenn Ford has discovered an oil well but has been prevented from drilling the last portion to achieve a gusher. Baby Dumpling, mistaking a stick of dynamite for a fire cracker, solves that problem. Some of the scenes are a bit long and some of the gags become tedious for this reason, so that the film sags in places. But it always bounces back with the inevitable joie de vivre of the Blondie genre. Larry Simms as Baby Dumpling is now a year older and slightly less cute. He even has a knowing expression from time to time, seemingly having passed into a state of 'old age at the age of five'. Penny Singleton as Blondie has slightly altered her hair style and looks a bit less cute herself. The rather annoying opening song with the word 'Bumsteadable' in the lyrics has been dropped, and the music under the titles is purely orchestral now, but very poorly done, using the song theme. The plot is, as usual, elaborate, and the gags continuous. Arthur Lake as Dagwood continues to shine in glorious 'Bumsteadability'.

The whole cast is back for this installment of Blondie. Dagwood and Baby Dumpling are in rare form as they want to light off fireworks and Blondie is so worried about safety that she has forbidden it! This creates a bit of a three way hide and seek with large firecrackers. And the mailman gag...yep! You guessed it, he gets a lit firework that has been tossed out of the Dagwood household!

In order to avoid fireworks altogether, Blondie plans a nice quiet weekend out of the city at her Aunt Hannah and Uncle Abner's country farm. On the way to the farm they hitch a ride with this lovely couple...a young Glenn Ford plays the groom to be Charlie and Luana Walters the bride to be Millie. The couple runs into trouble by way of her father...and Blondie steps in to help them elope.

Fireworks, Dynamite and Oil oh my!

This was a fun, family friendly installment built around the Fourth of July. Blondie fans will be thrilled and I highly recommend this film as irbid one of the better ones in the series. I also recommend the film to Glenn Ford fans as they will enjoy seeing him as a youngster on the cusp of marriage.