Blondie Goes to College

Okay, in a strictly logical world, sending B&D to college makes little sense. But this is movie world, where it's contrived situations that count, whether it's good guys winning every gun battle or B&D taking a respite from 40's suburbia. So it's off to college for our comic strip heroes and military school for baby Dumpling and Daisy. Maybe Dagwood will get a promotion for his college effort. And what could be more comically promising than an addled Dagwood among the advanced learning. Now if he can only follow the double-talk origin of the word 'survive', he might even pass etymology class. Then there's the rowing team where he can't stay upright, and football practice where the basic concepts rival etymology. Frankly, I got a lot of laughs out of his good-natured flops.

Then happily we can add eye candy with June Blair as Daggie's aggressive car buddy, plus other coed lollipops from the 40's. Also, mustn't forget coed Blondie who's grabbed by handsome big-man-on-campus, Larry Parks. And if that's not enough, she's quickly conscripted into the top campus sorority. Looks like the Bumstead household may be in trouble, except this is the movies, so thankfully it's back to suburbia once the crop of college laughs are harvested.

No, the entry may not be the series best, but it's hard to beat comedic actors Lake and Singleton. Plus the series concept of a loving family with a wacky husband, a plucky wife, and an unlucky mailman practically guarantees chuckles.

(In passing-I may be wrong, but having Baby Dumpling in military school may well reflect the patriotic urgency of the 1942 production period.)

If you're a movie buff, this is an unforgettable episode to watch, for all the young up and coming stars. Super cast at work and a fairly good story that takes Blondie and Dagwood out of the same old domestic routine.

Time to go back to college! Why not? After watching an exciting football game, Dagwood gets the urge to head back to college and become some sort of a sports hero? In an interesting twist, even Baby Dumpling goes to school, in this case miltary school.

There's also a very poignant side story; Blondie secretly admits to Mr. Dithers --she is expecting! Mr. Dithers' expressions are priceless, and he's also behind Dagwood, urging Blondie to let him get the old college bug out of his system once and for all before the new baby arrives. Dithers, in way, was like Dagwood and Blondie's adopted father at times. It shows. Nice touch, and why loved Mr. Dithers.

Of course, there's some fractured romantic situations. Blondie is wooed by football hero Larry Parks while young Janet Blair has a crush on Dagwood? Also look for popular character actress Adele Mara as "Babs" and rugged Lloyd Bridges as Ben. Top casting all the way.

Applause to writer Lou Breslow, long time writer at 20th Century Fox, credited for writing two of Laurel and Hardy's comedies, including the classic, GREAT GUNS a year earlier. He also wrote ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945).

By the way, catch the outrageous "double talking" professor scene. A Gem. Clyde Bruckman, who wrote many short films for the Three Stooges, wrote the original story, and probably suggested this bit. It has the feel of something the Stooges would do.

Followed by the much awaited BLONDIE'S BLESSED EVENT. Always on dvd. Thank you to the MOVIES Net for running these golden oldie episodes Saturday mornings.

Baby Dumpling steals the show as he is dumped off at a military boarding school while his parents go back to school. KP duty is hilarious...I have never seen so many potatoes.

Dagwood gets it in his mind to go to college, which he and blondie missed out on by getting married. Once there things don't go quite as planned. First they have to pretend they are single for their living situations...and then Dagwood comes up with a scheme to meet Blondie at the registrar's office...but he gets waylaid and then Shanghai's by a sorority girl with a flat tire...meanwhile blonde gets picked up by a jock and overall good guy.

Real light weight comedy...but a fun look at college life of the times.

Big highlight for me was seeing the crew races from train and boat...just like I read about in Boys in the Boat!

BLONDIE GOES TO COLLEGE (Columbia, 1942), directed by Frank R. Strayer, is a so-so entry to the tenth installment of the highly popular movie series. Instead of opening this segment in typical fashion at the breakfast table with Blondie (Penny Singleton) telling husband Dagwood (Arthur Lake) that he's late for work, thus, having Dag rushing out the door and running into the neighborhood postman (often played by Irving Bacon), the story begins at a football stadium where, after watching a scored touchdown with his wife, son and dog Daisy, Dagwood gets the urge to want to return to school and get a college education. Blondie (who is pregnant with their second child but keeps it a secret from Dagwood for the time being), is against the idea, and after discussing this with Dagwood's boss, Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale), he convinces her to let Dagwood take some time off from work and enroll in order to get the college bug out of his system. Taking Dithers's advice, the Bumsteads enroll at Leighton College, and leave their young son, Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms) at a military school. While at Leighton, Blondie and Dagwood pose as a single couple, thus having Blondie chased by the football hero (Larry Parks) and Dagwood getting involved with a pretty co-ed (Janet Blair).

Bright and original idea becomes a bit mediocre at times, but the story does include some funny moments, especially with Dagwood wanting to participate in athletic sports, and failing in almost all of them. One very funny moment that stands in mind for me is when Blondie and Dagwood are in Professor Mixwell's (Cliff Nazarro) classroom where the instructor speaks in nothing but double-talk. Mixwell is "understood" by the other students but confuses Blondie, though Dagwood tries to impress Blondie by pretending to know what Mixwell is saying by "jotting down notes" and looking quite attentive. Otherwise, the rest of the movie is routine with few laughs. The movie closes with the Bumsteads leaving college with Blondie singing "We'll Remember Leighton."

Series regular Danny Mummert returns as Baby Dumpling's next door neighbor friend, Alvin Fuddow, who accompanies him in military school, and of course, the Bumstead dog, Daisy, adding some humor. It's also interesting seeing then unknown actors on the career rise being featured in this film episode, particularly Larry Parks (of the 1946 hit "The Jolson Story") and Janet Blair. Then there's a tall and thin Lloyd Bridges as one of the college students; Adele Mara as Babs; and future TV character actor Sid Melton (the carpenter of TV's GREEN ACRES of the 1960s) appearing as "Mouse." Formerly shown on the American Movie Classics cable channel from 1996 to 2001, broadcast on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: September 9, 2020), BLONDIE GOES TO COLLEGE can be found on either video cassette or the DVD package. Next installment: BLONDIE'S BLESSED EVENT (1942). (**1/2)

For reasons I still can't fathom both Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton decide they need to go back to college and further their education. Both have missed the college experience so Dagwood and Blondie park Baby Dumpling in a military boarding school and head to the halls of dear old ivy.

Columbia Pictures more than most studios used the movie series as part of their programming and the Blondie films afforded them the opportunity to exhibit some of their young hopefuls. In the student body are people like Larry Parks, Sid Melton, Lloyd Bridges, Janet Blair and Adele Mara. Parks is the campus jock who sets out after Blondie and the beautiful Janet Blair is attracted to Dagwood God knows why. Blair's father is Andrew Toombes who is rich and who the Dithers Construction company would like to land as a client. Dagwood always had phenomenal charm, or luck, or something that always landed these clients and usually saved his job throughout the series.

This one has some good moments with Dagwood trying out for many collegiate sports. Best is him blowing the big crew race when he stands up in the canoe and tips over. He's not a big man on campus after that.

Good entry in the Blondie series.