Blondie Plays Cupid

BLONDIE PLAYS CUPID (Columbia, 1940), the sixth installment featuring "Blondie and the Bumsteads", ranks as one of their funnier entries in the series, and noteworthy, too, for an early screen appearance of future film star, Glenn Ford, almost unrecognizable in his very youthful appearance. While the title indicates a Valentine's Day theme,the setting takes place during the 4th of July weekend placing the Bumsteads in another vacation out-of-town venture.

The fun begins with Daisy, the Bumstead pooch, letting in some her neighborhood dog friends of various breeds, including a St. Bernard who gets stuck in Daisy's little pet door, into the house to share in eating a big bone, creating enough disturbance in having Blondie (Penny Singleton) being chased around the house until she eventually lures them out the door. Then there's husband Dagwood (Arthur Lake), preparing for the festivities for the 4th of July weekend, having hidden a bag full of firecrackers known only to his son, Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms), into his suitcase. Once Blondie discovers their secret, she ends their fun by placing them into a tub of water. Blondie makes it known that she's doing this for their own good, not wanting any casualties to occur. Because Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale) has granted his employees an extra day off for the weekend, Blondie decides to family break away from the American tradition and noisy firecrackers by taking the family to the country with a visit with her Aunt Hannah (Leona Roberts) and Uncle Abner (Spencer Charters) on their farm in Crossley for some peace and quiet. Things are far from that once their vacation gets started. Dagwood nearly misses the train while the Bumsteads end up on the express train to Kingsley instead of the local,only to leave them 72 miles from their destination. The no-nonsense ticket collector (wonderfully played by Charles Lane) almost consents on breaking the rules by stopping the train in Crossley until he discovers the "baby" Blondie is holding in her arms happens to be Daisy disguised as an infant. As the Bumsteads find themselves on the side of the road walking in the middle of nowhere, they hitchhike for cars to stop. They are soon picked up by an eloping couple, Charlie Collins and Millie Tucker (Glenn Ford and Luana Walters), oh their way to Weehawk to get married by Newton Banks (Si Jenks), justice of the peace. WIth Blondie acting as their witness, the ceremony is interrupted with the arrival of the bride's father (Will Wright), holding a shotgun, taking Millie back home with him in Charlie's car with Dagwood, Baby Dumpling and Daisy still sitting in the back seat. It's up to Blondie to play cupid by arranging for the couple to get together again. Because Charlie has twisted his ankle, she has Dagwood climbing up the ladder to get Millie instead. Things get even more complicated as Dagwood enters the wrong window, and following a wild chase, comes face to face with the old man and his shotgun. What an interesting and worthwhile essay for Baby Dumpling when he returns to school describing how he spent his summer vacation.

What makes this entry worthwhile is the fine comic support of character actors whose names may not be relatively known but their faces are. First off, Will Wright as the gruff speaking hillbilly father who carries a shotgun, and on a couple of occasions, threatens Dagwood with it. Dagwood tells him, "You wouldn't talk that way if you didn't have a shotgun in your hand." Then there's Si Jenks, the hard of hearing justice of the peace; and Spencer Charters and Leona Roberts as the wholesome elderly couple. Series regulars Jonathan Hale (Mr. DIthers), Danny Mummert (Alvin Fuddow), and Irving Bacon (The Postman) don't have much to do this time around. However, it's Bacon as the neighborhood letter carrier whose attempt to deliver the mail without getting knocked down by Dagwood who comes out ahead. Alvin gives him an idea of throwing the mail through an open window, while at the same time, the Bumsteads acquire a lighted firecracker, and throw it his way. This is one of the few times, however, where the postman really gets even, making enough noise to have the Bumsteads jumping out of their recently shellacked chairs, leaving clothing material behind.

Nearly three years from the start of the series, Larry Simms has outgrown his sitting on a high chair, now eating breakfast on a stool, and wearing long pants in certain scenes. Although too young to be in the driver's seat, he does so here quite by accident. While pretending to be driving an old jalopy, the motor starts up as he opens the door to get out, which is customary. This is followed by Baby Dumpling driving all over the place, causing poor Dagwood to either chase after him or being chased by him. "B-l-o-n-d-i-e!!!" Although Baby Dumpling will soon change his name to Alexander by 1942, BLONDIE PLAYS CUPID and BLONDIE BRINGS UP BABY (1939) are the only entries where his birth name of Dagwood Bumstead Jr. Is ever mentioned.

Available on either video cassette or DVD format with sing-along opening from King Features, BLONDIE PLAYS CUPID did have a successful run each Sunday morning on American Movie Classics (1996-2001) with restored original credits, and non-restoration credits on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: November 6, 2021). Regardless of the format, Blondie fans certainly will enjoy this one. Next chapter: "Blondie Goes Latin" (**1/2)

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.

In the 1940s, 50s and 60s, Charles Lane and Will Wright made a specialty out of playing grouchy supporting characters in movies and television. I loved seeing them as they added a lot of wonderful grouchy color to whatever they were in--no matter how insignificant. Here is one of the few times I can recall BOTH of these men in the same production--too bad they didn't get to act together--though I am not sure if the audience could have stood so much of their acerbic personas--but I loved them.

The film begins with Blondie lecturing Dagwood and Baby Dumpling NOT to use fireworks for the upcoming 4th of July. However, Dagwood is certifiably insane (or stupid) and sees no problem giving a 4 year-old explosives!! So, to get these two away from temptation, Blondie decides they should go visit her aunt and uncle in the country. However, the trip turns out to be anything but exciting, as they blunder into the middle of a feud. Two young people (one is a very young Glenn Ford before he became famous) want to get married but her insanely grumpy father is ready to shoot Ford or anyone who gets in his way. Can the Bumsteads manage to avoid blowing off any limbs as well as help this nice young couple? Despite the use of a silly runaway car sequence near the end, this is a very endearing episode of the series of 28 films Columbia made for the cartoon strip. The best part was Daisy, as her stunts were wonderful. So, as usual the dog is THE star--with Baby Dumpling a close second. Lots of fun...and grouchiness. Oh, and if you are looking for Lane, he's the befuddled conductor on the train. Amazingly, he died only a couple years ago--at 102 years of age!

By the way, if you watch this film you might easily get the impression that it's really cool to let very young children play with firecrackers, dynamite and drive. Oh, those wacky Bumsteads.

Two of the biggest names in Columbia Pictures history got some exposure in supporting parts in the Blondie Series. Blondie On A Budget had Rita Hayworth playing an old flame of Dagwood's. And in this film Blondie Plays Cupid Glenn Ford plays a prospective bridegroom trying to elope with his beloved Luana Walters under the watchful eye of her shotgun toting father Will Wright.

It's 4th of July weekend and it's a long one that Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton get to spend with her aunt and uncle in the country. But after a series of the usual comic missteps the Bumsteads get involved Ford and Walter and their efforts to elope. Ford's a geologist who is drilling for oil on Wright's property and would very much like to do some drilling with Walters. Wright can't stand the sight of him though, he's tore up his farm considerable without any oil. No guy like that is going to have his daughter.

The Bumsteads get into their usual shenanigans, my favorite is when Irving Bacon the mailman finally gets even with Dagwood for plowing into him every morning while racing for his bus.

That running gag in the Blondie comic strip and on film was always a source of great amusement. I knew a Dagwood like character at my former job only he had some flex time work hours, from 7:30 am. to 3:30 pm. When the hour struck, God help you if you were in his path as he raced for the subway. I still remember him almost plowing into one of the bosses one day.

Ford shows signs of the affable charm that would make him a leading star for 25 years in his part. There are also some good gags involving 4th of July firecrackers and they play a big part in giving Blondie Plays Cupid a happy ending.

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'.