Blondie Plays Cupid

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.

This movie is to funny. Especially the part where Baby Dumpling takes the car for a ride. The characters are played perfectly and Baby Dumpling is too adorable . I know a lot of people who will not watch black and white films, this comedy is a great way to get them hooked!

This is the seventh in the Blondie movie series. While there are more contrivances than usual in the series, this is still a pretty funny entry involving firecrackers, a man with a shotgun, a ladder, a car that goes off by itself, and a young couple trying to get married. Of that young couple, one of them is Glenn Ford-years before he achieved stardom in films like Gilda with Rita Hayworth who was in a previous entry, Blondie on a Budget. The other half was Luana Walters who I just found out was in lots of B westerns and would eventually be the first to play Superman's Krytonian mother, Lara, in the 1948 serial named after her son. Interestingly, Ford himself played Supes' adopted father, Jonathan Kent, in the Christopher Reeve version from 1978. My favorite gag is what happens when Dagwood rushes down the ladder! So on that note, Blondie Plays Cupid is highly recommended. P.S. Charles Lane, previously in the first film in the series as a furniture salesman, makes a welcome return here as the train conductor. And, as in Blondie Brings Up Baby, Baby Dumpling's real name is revealed to be Dagwood Jr. though that will be changed to Alexander a few years down the line after original comic strip creator Chic Young does so by then.

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.

Long story, why did I watch this? 1) Seinfeld mentions Glengarry Glen Ross in Comedians/Cars 2) Roku shows "Glenn Ford" as choice #1 when I search Glen 3) I investigate Glenn Ford, this movie from 1940 is available on Amazon Prime 4) I watch the entire movie and LOVE IT!!!!!! 5) goodbye and enjoy! =) P.S. Daisy is frickin' awesome! YAY! =D