Blondie on a Budget (1940)

Blondie on a Budget, written by Richard Flourney and directed by the reliable Frank R. Strayer, was the fifth Blondie movie and one of three Blondie movies released in 1940; there were 28 in all between 1938 and 1950.  Character actor Don Beddoe, who plays Dagwood's fishing buddy Marvin in the film, appeared in 29 films in 1940.  He has an important role in Blondie on a Budget, playing Dagwood's "beard", i.e., when Blondie (Penny Singleton) calls the poetically named Swan Lake Trout Club to tell Dagwood (Arthur Lake) that Baby Dumpling (Larry Sims) has a loose tooth Marvin imitates Dagwood's voice and says he will be right home, though he makes the mistake of calling Blondie "lovey," something Dagwood never does.  Meanwhile Dagwood is not fishing but in "lovers lane" with the glamorous Joan Forest (Rita Hayworth, still not a star after thirty movies) so she can reminisce about their old romance, rather than taking him to the fishing club as she had promised; she had originally shown up at his house because of a business deal with his boss, though this is one of the few Blondie movies with no Mr. Dithers.

Dagwood is innocent in all this, of course, even when Joan can't start her Packard roadster and they have to get towed.  While they wait for the car to be fixed they decide to take in a movie at a theatre complete with ticket seller, ticket taker and two ushers, one who opens the door and the other with a flashlight who signals where there are seats.  Dagwood is feeling guilty so he tries to hide in his seat and imagines everyone around him looks like Blondie, even an Asian woman and her young child.  Dagwood faints and as he is leaving the theatre he runs into Marvin, who takes him home and rehearses with him, in Blondie's voice, what he should say to Blondie.  Then Marvin gives Dagwood his own fishing rod and creel so that Blondie thinks he has been fishing.  No sooner does Dagwood get home when Blondie questions him about "lovey," finds Joan's gloves in his pocket, and opens the door to two policemen who have Dagwood's rod and creel (with his name on it) that they found in lover's lane.

That evening Dagwood gets a call from the manager of the movie theatre who tells Dagwood that he just won $200 in a drawing at the theatre.  Dagwood goes down to the theatre but doesn't have his ticket (he tore it up so that Blondie didn't see it) nor did he sign the entry form, since Joan had done that for him, so he has to call Joan (who he swore to Blondie he would never see again) to come to the theatre to verify the signature.  When the manager, with an amused smile, hands over the $200. Joan asks Dagwood what he is going to do with the money and he says he is going to buy Blondie the fur coat she wants but couldn't afford because of the budget.  When Joan asks Blondie's size Dagwood says he doesn't know so she volunteers to go with him to try on the coat, since she is just about Blondie's size.  Meanwhile, Blondie is feeling bad for suspecting Dagwood and takes the last $200 our of their bank account so he can join the trout club, stopping at the fur store to take one last look at the coat she wants.  Of course at the store she sees Joan trying on the coat for Dagwood (they don't see her) and draws what she thinks is the obvious conclusion.

Blondie takes Baby Dumpling to the bus depot to get a bus to Reno and meets a lawyer who asks her if her husband beats her, drinks, fails to support her.  Blondie realizes she may be wrong about Dagwood and heads back home.  Meanwhile Dagwood has arrived home with the fur coat and finds the house empty and a note in the stewpot, where Blondie knew he would look.  He has a bottle of champagne which he now tries to open and spills all over the floor; Daisy the dog licks it up.  When Dagwood goes to bed he puts pillows in the bed next to his and covers them up as if Blondie were still there. Blondie and Baby Dumpling return and everyone is reconciled, at least for now. 

This is one of the more stylish and poignant entries in the Blondie series, with strong elements of fantasy, subjectivity and surrealism; e.g., the usual white paperboy is replaced by African-American Willie Best, who thinks Daisy is after him when she just is making her usual run to get the paper and bring it in.