Blondie's Blessed Event

Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms) decides it's time to be called by his real name "Alexander". Daisy has just had her babies er ah puppies that is. When Dagwood (Arthur Lake) runs home he thought it was Blondie (Penny Singleton). Blondie's time is about to occur as well. Alexander and Alvin (Danny Mummert) are doing the housework. Later at the hospital Dagwood explains to Alexander why Blondie must be in the hospital and the truth about that stork business. Alvin sets Dagwood straight almost telling too much. Well, Alvin and Dagwood both told the truth. Right? (Very good and tender father and son scene) At just the right time, Blondie has the baby and it's a...you'll have to watch the film to find out. This is one of the finest Blondie movies ever made in the series. It is okay for children to watch. Parents should watch this delightful film with the kids. Mary Wickes plays the broadway-bound maid. The next film in the series is BLONDIE FOR VICTORY.

This episode was released not too long after the famous Bette Davis film, THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Series writer Richard Flournoy may have borrowed an idea or two from the classic story. Sure fits, as you will see.

It's all woven into the continuing story, from the previous episode; Blondie announcing she's expecting, and now the birth of baby "Cookie." To add to the festivities, Daisy gives birth to five cute puppies, including mischievous Elmer. I agree with the last reviewer, Blondie never looked like she gained an ounce while pregnant! To tell you the truth, it may have had to do with dress styles at the time. Maternity clothing was just NOT popular.

Mr. Dithers again plays the part of Dagwood and Blondie's "adopted" father, and with some really good scenes. He sends Dagwood away to Chicago on business to get his mind off the new baby --and enter sly playwrite George Wickley ( played by Hans Conried), acting very much like Monty Woolley in THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER. Dagwood befriends George and before you know it, he becomes a permanent houseguest, much to Blondie's dismay.

Here's the kicker. Fresh from the latter film, comedian Mary Wickes also makes an appearance, playing an obnoxious housekeeper called Sarah, who takes over the house and Blondie's prize kitchen. Blondie wants one thing, and one thing only. To be alone with her family and throw both George and Sarah out of the house!

There's a poignant scene with Baby Dumpling --who adores "Uncle George" and does not want him to leave, definitely complicating Blondie's master plan.

It also shows off young Larry Simms' acting skills. Interestingly, Baby changes his name to Alexander, although Dagwood mentions his real name is Dagwood, Jr. How series creator Chic Young and/or Robert Flournoy came up with that name is a mystery. Hilariously, there's also the long debate as to whether Daisy was a male or female dog? That would run through the entire series.

Note Stanley Brown plays Archie's competitive co-worker Ollie, later replaced in the series by Jack Rice.

Look for popular character actor Tom Kennedy (brother of comedian Edgar Kennedy) as a cop, also Arthur O'Connell as an interne and Sylvia Field (from DENNIS THE MENACE) as a nurse.

Not to be missed for this memorable cast.

Remastered in dvd box sets that contain five to ten episodes. Thanks again to MOVIES Net for rerunning this classic during their Saturday morning comedy slot.

BLONDIE'S BLESSED EVENT (Columbia, 1942), directed by Frank R. Strayer, the eleventh installment to the popular family series based on Chic Young's comic strip characters is, what the title says, "Blondie's Blessed Event." What the title doesn't incline is an uninvited house guest whom Dagwood had earlier befriended who makes himself so much at home that he doesn't want to leave. Aside from the birth of the new offspring named Cookie, there's another blessed event is the birth of Daisy's five puppies, and without a male dog around or seen(if one counts Daisy being a male dog "herself"), having a litter of puppies comes as a surprise, even more of a miracle for Blondie being in her ninth month and having a normal waist line.

Plot summary: Blondie (Penny SIngleton) is expecting (pregnant by today's terms), and the birth can occur at any time. Being a father again has made husband Dagwood (Arthur Lake) such a nervous wreck, complicating matters at both home and at the office. As a favor for Blondie, Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale), Dagwood's boss, agrees to help out by sending him to Chicago for a few days to attend a business convention where he is to make a speech. While in Chicago, strolling up and down the hallway rehearsing his speech, Dagwood encounters a guest next door named George Wickley (Hans Conried), a struggling playwright, who immediately takes advantage of Dagwood's good nature by eating his "Dagwood sandwich" and rewording his written speech in exchange for a meal. The convention proves successful for Dagwood as he makes the front page of various newspapers, thanks to George's revised speech. In gratitude, Dagwood tells George that whenever he's in town, to look him up. (Bad mistake!). Upon his return home, Dagwood helps with the household chores, assisted by his son, Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms) while Blondie is at the maternity hospital. After the birth of their newborn daughter (Norma Jean Wayne), the Bumsteads return home via taxi to find George Wickley from Chicago sitting on his suitcase waiting at their front door. True to his word, Dagwood invites him to be his guest. Blondie becomes furious when George takes charge, eating them out of house and home, hiring Sarah Miller (Mary Wickes), an obnoxious housekeeper yearning to become an actress, takes charge in minding the baby and the household chores. The last straw occurs after Dagwood gets his much needed raise from Mr. Dithers, with the help of George speaking on his behalf. Blondie has a showdown with George, ordering him to leave. Things really get complicated as Baby Dumpling, now insisting on being called Alexander, who wants "Uncle George" to stay, for reasons of his own.

Enjoyable entry with real life situations to what many can relate to re-enacted on screen, particularly with older child's jealously towards a newborn member and not getting the attention he once had as a only child, relying on an outside source for attention. How many have been put into a situation in accommodating for a guest who overstays his welcome? Such as the case with the Bumsteads with their guest not having a clue, or purposely overlooking that fact, that he's an intrusion. Great father and son bonding taken place as Dagwood and Baby Dumpling team up by helping with the household chores during Blondie's stay at the hospital, adding humor to the situation with father vacuuming the house, Alexander emptying out the vacuum cleaner bag to take out everything imaginable, ranging from bathroom rug to Elmer, one of Daisy's pups, followed by a scene in the waiting room where Dagwood makes every attempt to explain to his son that babies do not come by stalk, as he imagines. With Alvin Fuddow (Danny Mummert), Alexander's know it all best friend, sitting in on this, this ought to be good. In spite of many commotions to follow, Blondie does find time to sing "Lullaby" while putting Cookie to sleep.

Fine character actors add to the humor, especially from future television veteran actors, Hans Conried and Mary Wickes who make their unpleasant characters likable; Paul Harvey as William Lawrence in another one of many business tycoon roles; Tom Kennedy as a traffic cop who unwittingly gives the Bumstead baby the name of Cookie; and Stanley Brown returning as one of Dagwood's co-workers, Ollie Shaw. Series regular Irving Bacon as Bert Crump, the harassed postman, pulls all stops to avoid getting run down by Bumstead while delivering the morning mail, but to no avail.

BLONDIE'S BLESSED EVENT, which runs at 67 minutes, had a successful run (1996-2001) every Sunday morning as part of "Family Classics:" on American Movie Classics, with much of the 28 episode series restored to original theatrical opening credits. Video cassette and DVD copies include sing-along opening titles formerly shown on commercial television back in the 1970s, and shown on Turner Classic Movies (TCM Premiere: November 6, 2021), compliments of King Features. (**1/2) Next installment: BLONDIE FOR VICTORY (1942).

Hans Conreid in one of his early films plays a ham actor who takes over the Bumstead household after Dagwood asks him for a visit. Unfortunately Conreid times his visit just as Blondie brings home her new baby girl in Blondie's Blessed Event.

Some elements of The Man Who Came To Dinner are present in this Blondie film. Conreid and Arthur Lake meet at a Chicago hotel where Dagwood is representing the J.C. Dithers Construction Company and makes a speech that Conreid writes for him. It's an Architect's Convention and Dagwood speaks on the topic of Be Your Own Architect. For his efforts Conreid partakes of one of Dagwood's special sandwiches.

But after he arrives Conreid takes over the Bumstead household and the identification with The Man Who Came To Dinner is made clearer with Mary Wickes coming as a no nonsense maid and aspiring actress. Poor Penny Singleton is being driven out of her house and home and can't enjoy her new baby.

Truth be told and certainly the topic wasn't discussed, but the way Singleton was playing it there was a wee bit of what would now be called post partum depression.

As usual Dagwood once again comes close to being fired, but fates and Hans Conreid pull it out for him. Conreid looks like he's having a ball, not only playing the aspiring actor/playwright, but essaying a pair of other roles as the Bumstead crisis calls.

This installment of Blondie and Dagwood begins with learning that Blondie is pregnant and about to give birth. However, she looks no larger than usual! Many women would love to look this svelte and still have a healthy baby!! Considering that the pair sleep in separate beds, it's actually a wonder they EVER had any kids...and this one is about as chaste and Production Code-friendly as you'll find.

During the pregnancy, Dagwood is a nervous wreck and is driving EVERYONE around him crazy. It's so bad that Mr. Dithers sends Dagwood to a convention to make a speech just to get rid of him and give Blondie a break! During this time away, Dagwood gets help from an out of work playwright. George Wickley (Hans Conreid) is a real moocher and he helps Dagwood because he's hungry. Later, after the baby arrives, Wickley shows up at the Bumstead house and makes himself right at home...and is a total nuisance. But Dagwood is a wimp and has a hard time tossing out his new friend. Where will all this end?!

This is a pleasant film with a problem that was amazingly easy to solve...yet wasn't until the very end. They milked this idea foe a lot but still managed to have an enjoyable installment. I particularly enjoyed seeing Baby Dumpling growing up. He insists on being called Alexander* and has more backbone that his addle-brained father. Well worth seeing.

*IMDB points out in an earlier movie in the series that Dagwood tells Baby Dumpling his real name was 'Dagwood Jr.'. Well, they apparently forgot about this or perhaps Chick Young came up with the name Alexander in the interim!