Blondie Brings Up Baby is the fourth in the Blondie series at Columbia; the first three I wrote about earlier this year. This film has all the effective elements of this populist series -- written by regulars Gladys Lehman and Richard Flournoy, directed by Frank R. Strayer and cinematography by Henry Freudlich -- it has a boy and his best friend, the dog Daisy; a mailman that keeps getting run down by Dagwood on his way out the door; a paperboy on a bicycle who whistles for the dog to come to get the paper; an irascible boss (Jonathan Hale); a friendly neighbor who lends a pie tin; a wealthy neighbor who coddles his child; housewife Blondie (Penny Singleton); a scamming real estate developer who hornswoggles Dagwood; a door-to-door salesman who gives a phony test to Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms) in order to sell an encyclopedia (it cost $85 and Dagwood rips it up), dog catchers who take Daisy after she follows Baby Dumpling to school (tags weren't required in those days?); a spinsterish elementary school principal and even cops who think Dagwood kidnapped someone after a gardener hits him over the head with a shovel as he looks for Daisy and Baby Dumpling.
Is this film funny? Perhaps to some. It demonstrates that there is redemption for those with a good heart and punishment for the flim-flammers. In other words, a pleasant populist fable, with the rich and poor coming together at the end. Some of it is indeed amusing but one can decide for oneself whether to laugh, rather than being subjected to the forced laughter of the laugh tracks on the TV shows that have replaced such B movies as the Blondie series. Blondie Brings Up Baby may be a bit corny but it has genuine compassion and beauty, rich chiaroscuro found at home, in the street and in the office with the help of director Strayer and cinematographer Freudlich.
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