Blondie's Secret

This time around, Dagwood's (Arthur Lake) the only responsible employee at Radcliffe Construction Agency--which doesn't sit very well with Blondie (Penny Singleton), who has thrice postponed the Bumstead's annual vacation because Mr. Radcliff (Jerome Cowan) couldn't do without Dagwood's expertise.

"Blondie's Secret" (Columbia 1948), Chapter 24 in this film series marks the first turn for Director Edward Bernds, who continues in this position for the duration. Written by Jack Henley, this one has the family looking forward to a week in a cottage at Lake Hokapoka.

Blondie and Dagwood both dream of vacationing at Lake Hokapoka, he literally, as visions of bathing beauties sharing his high dive brighten his nights, notwithstanding that Blondie would invariably feel jealousy toward any such notion.

But Radcliffe client George Whiteside (Thurston Hall) has other plans for the use of Dagwood's time than spending it away from the office. When he insists that Dagwood revise building plans according to ideas conceived by Dagwood alone, Mr. Radcliffe, naturally, must find a way to postpone the vacation yet again even though it's already September, and Alexander (Larry Simms) and Cookie (Marjorie Ann Mutchie) really ought to return to school.

Radcliffe employee Ollie Merton (Jack Rice) shares a plan with his superior: to sneak Blondie's luggage from the Bumstead residence so that they would have no provisions for any sort of vacation.

Neither have they provisions for meals should they remain in town, for Blondie has already cleaned the icebox. Well, perhaps if she and Dagwood were to shop for groceries the next day, she may consider a brief delay.

When Daisy, however, is alerted to a perpetrator's trespassing, she samples the trousers of his suit. A new plan develops to identify the culprit, which may lead Daisy into hot water with authorities.

Meanwhile, there is a counterfeiting ring going on at this same time. When the grocery store clerk informs Blondie of this, the gangster's moll (holding a purse containing faux moo-la) accidentally switches pocketbooks with Blondie, unbeknown to our heroine.

The confusion which follows leads to a series of odd moments, with different parties attempting to break into the Bumstead residence late the next evening. Blondie alerts Dagwood to the noises which she hears originating from downstairs. Cookie and Alexander hear them afterwards, and then do Daisy's pups.

(Why the by-now-six-year-old puppies don't catch on to intruders before the Bumsteads raises a question in itself. But, perhaps the bigger question regards the living room window, which is shattered around midnight. Early the next morning, when the family exits to await a taxicab, the same window miraculously heals itself, frame, panes, draperies and all.)

(Also, the mailman portrayed by Eddie Acuff is billed as "Mr. Beasley" here, and as "Mr. Johnson" the last time around.)

If "Blondie's Secret" contains some of the largest goofs in this series, it can be forgiven for its charms, which include Daisy's performance at the pound, the gangster's moll's trying to explain the seemingly deliberate mix-up, the radio announcer's reporting upon Daisy's plight, and the taxicab driver's intrigue regarding the Bumsteads' intention to visit Lake Hokapoka.

BLONDIE'S SECRET (Columbia, 1948), directed by Edward Bernds, reunites the Chic Young comic strip family on screen for the 24th time in another one of their madcap adventures. The title might indicate something interesting about Blondie's past, namely being married before and having a long lost husband appearing at their front door, which this is not the case, although might have made a good story. So, what is Blondie's secret anyway? First off, let's examine the situations involved this time around.

Blondie (Penny Singleton) and Dagwood (Arthur Lake) have been planning their long-awaited vacation to Lake Hokapola with their children, Alexander (Larry Simms) and Cookie (Marjorie Kent) all summer, but thanks to Dagwood's boss, Mr. Radcliffe (Jerome Cowan), responsible for having it postponed three times already, is about to do it to them a fourth time. It's now September and summer nearly over. Radcliffe talks Dagwood into correcting the blueprints for Mr. Whiteside (Thurston Hall), a prominent client, but how to tell Blondie. With much persuasion, Blondie agrees to put off their vacation for one more day, and no more. The plans are then completed, but after Whiteside examines them, he finds more errors that puts Radcliffe in a tough situation. Would he dare cancel the Bumstead's vacation again? Fellow employee Ollie Merton (Jack Rice) agrees to help Radcliffe by breaking into the Bumstead home during the night and stealing their luggage, which would prevent them from going anyway. While carrying out his plan, a sudden noise awakens Daisy, the Bumstead dog, causing her to run over to the living room and bite the seat of Ollie's pants as he's climbing out the window. Ollie's plan has succeeded now that the Bumsteads are homebound and Dagwood has no other choice but to come to the office and perfect the blueprints for Mr. Whiteside. Things start to really get complex when Alvin Fuddow (Danny Mummert), the Bumstead's next door neighbor, suggests to Mrs. Bumstead the only way to capture the burglar is to make it known through a radio broadcast that Daisy is rabid, causing the culprit to seek a physician once he hears the news. The plan backfires as Daisy is picked up and sent to the pound for examination. Blondie is told the only way to get Daisy back is for the culprit to come forward, or else the pooch will have to be put to sleep. Will the Bumsteads ever get to go on their vacation? Not without their Daisy. And if that's not enough. While at the butcher shop, Blondie and another customer, Mona (Greta Grandstadt) unwittingly switch purses, with Blondie picking up the one containing counterfeit money. In order to retrieve her purse, Mona and her mobster friends (Murray Alper and William "Bill" Phillips) attempt to break into the Bumstead home while the Bumsteads are asleep to make the switch, the very same night Ollie is to sneak in and return the luggage, leading to enough disturbance to wake up the entire neighborhood. By this time Blondie discovers something that's to become her secret from Dagwood.

While gags and all else concerned appear to be overly familiar, since the "Blondie" series has reached its tenth year on screen, BLONDIE'S SECRET is actually not a bad entry, reminiscent to a good comedy short, thanks to Edward Bernds, in his debut as the series director, in keeping the pace moving and story interesting, even when situations become too complex with enough situations squeezed into 69 minutes of screen time. As usual, Arthur Lake as Dagwood provides the most laughs, especially when awaken due to the commotion downstairs, going downstairs to investigate with his pants put on backwards. Even when Dagwood breaks into tears at the office after learning Daisy may have to be put to sleep is done with humor and a touch of sentiment, especially when crying like a squeaking mouse.

Also seen in the supporting cast are Frank Orth as Mr. Philpont; Alyn Lockwood as Mary, the switchboard operator; Eddie Acuff as Mr. Beasley, the postman; Edward Gargan as the butcher; and Grandon Rhodes as Ken Marcy, among others.

Formerly available on video cassette through King Features, BLONDOE'S SECRET, along with 27 others in the series, had a successful run (1996-2000) on American Movie Classics cable television. How did this series get to last this long? Well, that's Blondie's Secret. Next installment: BLONDIE'S BIG DEAL (1949) (**1/2)

Ed Bernds, who directed many of the THREE STOOGES comedy shorts, officially took over the series with this episode and you can catch some of his "Stooge" touches here, especially with a couple of goofy crooks.

Dagwood and Blondie want to take a vaction, but Mr. Radcliffe keeps on holding Dagwood back at the office, what with making change after change to building blueprints. Thurston Hall, best at playing distinguished elder gents, plays Radcliffe's latest client, Mr. Whiteside.

The fun part to this story are ways to keep Dagwood and Blondie from taking a vacation; Radcliffe has Ollie (Jack Rice) sneak into their house at night and steal their luggage. You have to admit, that's pretty clever. But there's more mix-ups and twists to follow. Daisy bites Ollie, although he gets away, so in order to find out who stole their stuff, Dagwood puts out a fake story all about Daisy being rabid -- to expose the thief. Instead, Daisy is sent to the dogpound and Dagwood and Blondie's vacation is stalled again.

Then there's a funny money situation when Blondie accidentally switches purses with a counterfeiter's gal pal (played by popular actress Greta Granstedt). The two crooks (Murray Alper and Bill Phillips) sneak into the Bumstead's house to get Greta's purse --at exactly the same time Ollie is sneaking in to return the luggage!

Very good comedy writing on the part of Jack Henley, who would go on to write for the MA AND PA KETTLE movie series.

Lots of familiar faces here, like Frank Orth as Mr. Philpotts and Joseph Crehan playing a police sergeant, a role he played dozens of times.

By the way, Dagwood gets to sing "Oh, Susanna." Another salute to Arthur Lake, one funny actor.

Always on dvd, sold separately or the entire series in a box set. Thanks to MOVIES Net for running this series on Saturday mornings.

The more I see of Blondie comedies it is clear that Dagwood Bumstead is one indispensable man working either for Jonathan Hale or Jerome Cowan as he is in Blondie's Secret. It's only at the very end does Blondie discover she has a secret and she persuades one of Dagwood's fellow employees that revealing it would cost him greatly.

I've been reviewing Blondie films of late and I was reminded today that I must remember that this is all based on a comic strip. Knowing that I can accept some of the surreal plot setting such as they have here.

The Bumsteads are finally going on vacation, one that Arthur Lake's boss Jerome Cowan has finally relented and is letting them have it. But hitches develop in a big project that Thurston Hall has given the firm and Lake is the only one it seems that can deal with it.

Which leaves Jerome Cowan to come up with some Lucy Ricardo like schemes to get Dagwood to stay. We also learn that there's a bigger sap than Dagwood working in his company, his friend Ollie played by Jack Rice.

Add to that Blondie gets involved with some counterfeiters quite innocently. Those are the basic ingredients in a film that might have influenced the zany style of Mel Brooks.

You'll have to see it to believe it.

This is the twenty-fourth in the Blondie movie series. The Bumsteads are ready for their vacation but because a client of Mr. Radcliffe wants only Dagwood to correct some errors in some building plans, Blondie reluctantly agrees to a one-day delay despite Dagwood's boss having done that three times already! Then this client wants some more corrections and now Radcliffe has to find a way to delay yet again without upsetting Blondie. His toady, Ollie Merton (Jack Rice), has some ideas...Being the first of the series directed by Edward Bernds, this one has plenty of good laughs as well as a plot that for once doesn't have Dag getting fired, asking for a raise, or Blondie getting jealous of other females around her hubby. (Though if she knew what Dag was dreaming about, she wouldn't like it!) I should note that Alvin Fuddle, as played by Danny Mummert, sounds like the native Texan Mummert really was in this one. Oh, and there's a subplot involving a counterfeiting ring. So on that note, Blondie's Secret is another worthy one in the series. P.S. While Eddie Acuff's postman was addressed as Mr. Johnson in the last one, here he's Mr. Beasley which was the name used in the actual comic strip created by Chic Young as well as the name for the previous regular mailman, Irving Bacon, in the very first Blondie movie 10 years earlier!