Cupido Perigoso

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.

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.

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.

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.