The ''Blondie'' film series is an American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

series based on the comic strip of the same name, created by

Chic Young Murat Bernard "Chic" Young (January 9, 1901March 14, 1973) was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie''. His 1919 ''William McKinley High School Yearbook'' cites his nickname as Chicken, source of hi ...

. The series featured

Penny Singleton Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908 – November 12, 2003) was an American actress, singer, dancer and labor leader. During her 60-year career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the ...

Blondie Bumstead ''Blondie'' is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. The comic strip is distributed by King Features Syndicate, and has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930. The success of the strip, which features the ep ...

and Arthur Lake as

Dagwood Bumstead Dagwood Bumstead is a main fictional character, character in cartoonist Chic Young's long-running comic strip ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie''. He debuted in the first strip on September 8, 1930. He was originally heir to the Bumstead Locomotive ...

. Concurrently the film adventures were continued, with the same cast reprising their roles, in the '' Blondie'' radio series.

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

produced the films from 1938 to 1943, and popular demand brought them back in 1945. Columbia later reissued the ''Blondie'' features, beginning with the first film in the series. Columbia used the series to showcase many of its contract players.

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer and producer. She achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. The press coined th ...

was featured in ''Blondie on a Budget'';

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

in ''Blondie Plays Cupid'',

Larry Parks Samuel Lawrence Klausman Parks (December 13, 1914 – April 13, 1975) was an American stage and film actor. His career arced from bit player and supporting roles to top billing, before it was virtually ended when he admitted to having once been ...

and

Janet Blair Janet Blair (born Martha Janet Lafferty; April 23, 1921 – February 19, 2007) was an American big-band singer who later became a popular film and television actress. Early years Janet Blair was born Martha Janet Lafferty on April 23, 1921, in ...

in ''Blondie Goes to College'',

Shemp Howard Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Lithuanian Yiddish, Litvak accent. He is ...

in ''Blondie Knows Best'', and

Adele Jergens Adele Jergens (November 26, 1917 – November 22, 2002) was an American actress. Early life and career Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Adele Louisa Jurgens (some sources say Jurgenson), she rose to prominence in the late 1930s when she was named ...

in ''Blondie's Anniversary''. Other roles were taken by Columbia contractees

Doris Houck Doris Colleen Houck (September 28, 1921 December 14, 1965) was an American film actress. She appeared in 25 films from 1932 to 1955. Biography Houck was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Houck. In 1942, she changed her last name to Howe. ...

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both intercol ...

Lloyd Bridges Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr. (January 15, 1913 – March 10, 1998) was an American film, stage and television actor who starred in a number of television series and appeared in more than 150 feature films. He was the father of four children, includi ...

Ann Doran Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as the mother of Jim Stark ( James Dean) in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and ser ...

, Stanley Brown,

Richard Fiske Thomas Richard Potts (November 20, 1915 – August 10, 1944), known professionally as Richard Fiske, was an American film actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1938 and 1942. Career Born Thomas Richard Potts, Fiske was born to Frank a ...

Bud Jamison William Edward "Bud" Jamison (February 15, 1894 – September 30, 1944)Okuda, Ted, and Edward Watz. 1999. The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-reel Hollywood Film Comedies 1933–1958'. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. . was an American film actor. ...

Eddie Laughton Eddie Laughton (20 June 190321 March 1952) was an American film actor. Laughton appeared in more than 200 films between 1935 and 1952, and is best known for his work with The Three Stooges. Career Laughton's family immigrated to the United Stat ...

, John Tyrrell, Alyn Lockwood, Jimmy Lloyd, Gay Nelson, and

Ross Ford Ross William Ford (born 23 April 1984) is a Strength and Conditioning coach for the Scottish Rugby Academy. He was previously a Scotland international rugby union player who played as a hooker. He made 110 test appearances for Scotland, maki ...

. Faithfulness to the comic strip was a major concern of the creators of the movie series. Little touches were added that were iconic to the strip, like the appearance of Dagwood's famous sandwiches - and the running gag of Dagwood colliding with the mailman amid a flurry of letters, (which preceded the title sequence in almost every film). The films were typical of family-fare situational comedies of the period, and are endearingly funny in a low-key way. As the series progressed, the Bumstead children grew from toddlers to young adults onscreen.

Larry Simms Larry Lee Simms (October 1, 1934 – June 17, 2009) was an American child actor who appeared in 36 films between 1937 and 1951. Life and career Larry Simms was born October 1, 1934. He worked as a child model from the age of two and was disc ...

as Baby Dumpling (later known as Alexander) reprised his role in all the films. Daughter Cookie was played by three different child actresses, beginning in 1942 with her first appearance (as an infant) in ''Blondie's Blessed Event'', the eleventh entry in the series. Daisy had pups in the twelfth episode, ''

Blondie for Victory ''Blondie for Victory'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. It is the 12th entry in the Blondie series. Plot Blondie Bumstead forms a civilian defense group, Housewives of Am ...

'' (1942). Rounding out the regular supporting cast, character actor

Jonathan Hale Jonathan Hale (born Jonathan Hatley; March 21, 1891 – February 28, 1966) was a Canadian-born film and television actor. Life and career Hale was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Before his acting career, Hale worked in the Diplomatic Co ...

played Dagwood's irascible boss, J.C. Dithers. The Bumsteads' neighbors, the Woodleys, were oddly missing from the series.

Films

Twenty-eight films were produced by Columbia Pictures between 1938 and 1950: # '' Blondie'' (1938) # ''

Blondie Meets the Boss ''Blondie Meets the Boss'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. Based on the Chic Young comic strip of the same name, the film is the second in the '' Blondie'' series, which ...

'' (1939) # ''

Blondie Takes a Vacation ''Blondie Takes a Vacation'' is a 1939 American black-and-white comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Larry Simms. The film is based on Chic Young's comic strip of the same name. This was the th ...

'' (1939) # ''

Blondie Brings Up Baby ''Blondie Brings Up Baby'' is a 1939 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms. It is the fourth of 28 films based on the comic strip. Plot summary Blondie is convinced by a salesma ...

'' (1939) # ''

Blondie on a Budget ''Blondie on a Budget'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake and Rita Hayworth. It is the fifth entry into the long-running Blondie series of films, which ran between 1938 and 1950 ...

'' (1940) # '' Blondie Has Servant Trouble'' (1940) # ''

Blondie Plays Cupid ''Blondie Plays Cupid'' is a 1940 American comedy film starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake and directed by Frank R. Strayer. Also in the cast is Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Cana ...

'' (1940) # '' Blondie Goes Latin'' (1941) # ''

Blondie in Society ''Blondie in Society'' is a 1941 black-and-white comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Larry Simms. It is the ninth of the 28 features in the Blondie film series. Plot Dagwood is given a Great D ...

'' (1941) # ''

Blondie Goes to College ''Blondie Goes to College'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer. The film is a part of the ''Blondie'' series, starring Penny Singleton in the title role. It is the tenth of twenty-eight Blondie movies starring Penny Sing ...

'' (1942) # ''

Blondie's Blessed Event ''Blondie's Blessed Event'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Larry Simms. It is the 11th of the Blondie films. It was the first to feature the character of Cookie. Plot ...

'' (1942) # ''

'' (1942) # '' It's a Great Life'' (1943) # ''

Footlight Glamour ''Footlight Glamour'' is a 1943 black-and-white film and the 14th of the 28 Blondie films. It is one of only two movies in the series that did not feature "Blondie" in the title (the other, '' It's a Great Life'', was released earlier that year) ...

'' (1943) # ''

Leave It to Blondie ''Leave It to Blondie'' is a 1945 black-and-white comedy film and the 15th of the 28 Blondie films. Plot summary Cast * Penny Singleton as Blondie * Arthur Lake as Dagwood * Larry Simms as Baby Dumpling * Marjorie Ann Mutchie as Cookie * Daisy ...

'' (1945) # '' Life with Blondie'' (1945) # ''

Blondie's Lucky Day ''Blondie's Lucky Day'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the 17th of the 28 Blondie films. Plot summary While his boss, Mr. Dithers, is o ...

'' (1946) # ''

Blondie Knows Best ''Blondie Knows Best'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the eighteenth of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood is under the threat of ...

'' (1946) # ''

Blondie's Big Moment ''Blondie's Big Moment'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the 19th of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood is eager to make a good imp ...

'' (1947) # ''

Blondie's Holiday ''Blondie's Holiday'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake. The film is based on the comic strip of the same name. The screenplay was written by Chic Young and Connie Lee. The fil ...

'' (1947) # ''

Blondie in the Dough ''Blondie in the Dough'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is 21st of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood and his boss are frantically se ...

'' (1947) # ''

Blondie's Anniversary ''Blondie's Anniversary'' is a 1947 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Larry Simms. It is the twenty-second of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood is holding a watch, a gift that his bos ...

'' (1947) # ''

Blondie's Reward ''Blondie's Reward'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Abby Berlin and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the twenty-third of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood purchases the wrong rea ...

'' (1948) # ''

Blondie's Secret ''Blondie's Secret'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the twenty-fourth of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Cast * Penny Singleton as Bl ...

'' (1948) # ''

Blondie's Big Deal ''Blondie's Big Deal'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the twenty-fifth of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood accidentally invents a ...

'' (1949) # ''

Blondie Hits the Jackpot ''Blondie Hits the Jackpot'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the 26th of the 28 Blondie films. Plot Dagwood is hired on a construc ...

'' (1949) # ''

Blondie's Hero ''Blondie's Hero'' is a 1950 American comedy film directed by Edward Bernds and starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, Larry Simms, and Marjorie Ann Mutchie. It is the penultimate entry of the 28 Blondie films, which ended with ''Beware of Blon ...

'' (1950) # ''

Beware of Blondie ''Beware of Blondie'' is a 1950 American black and white comedy film and is the last of Columbia's 28 Blondie (film series), Blondie films in 12 years. Plot summary Mr. Dithers goes on vacation, and leaves Dagwood in charge of the office. He arr ...

'' (1950)

Films

References

Further reading