Blondie Has Servant Trouble (1940)

Director:

Frank R. Strayer

Writers:

Albert Duffy (story)
Richard Flournoy (writer)

Release Date:

25 July 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A HOT TIME AHEAD FOR THE BUMSTEADS...BUT A GRAND TIME AHEAD FOR YOU! (original poster - all caps)

Plot:

Mr. Dithers has a house he can't unload because it is rumored to be haunted. When he lets the Bumsteads move into it...

Plot Keywords:

Butler | Dog | Insanity | Mansion | Employer Employee Relationship

Cast

Penny Singleton	...	Blondie Bumstead
Arthur Lake	...	Dagwood Bumstead
Larry Simms	...	Baby Dumpling Bumstead
Danny Mummert	...	Alvin Fuddle
Jonathan Hale	...	J.C. Dithers
Arthur Hohl	...	Eric Vaughn
Esther Dale	...	Anna Vaughn
Irving Bacon	...	Mr. Crumb, the Mailman
Ray Turner	...	Horatio Jones
Walter Soderling	...	Morgan
Fay Helm	...	Mrs. Fuddle

Also Known As:

Blondie Has Trouble

Runtime:

70 min | USA:72 min (original US 16 mm television syndication prints)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6273)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The sixth of twenty-eight Blondie movies starring Penny Singleton as Blondie Bumstead and Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Blondie Goes Latin (1941)

Remember loving this one when I was an impressionable kid...

A good mixture of mirth and fright are the kind of scary movies I enjoyed as a kid, and this one--BLONDIE HAS SERVANT TROUBLE--was at the top of the list. Any film with a haunted house theme always got my attention--still does--and when my favorite comic book characters are included, it's a no brainer that I'd love it.

In this one, Dagwood asks for a raise when Blondie complains about their money situation preventing her from hiring a servant. Mr. Dithers agrees, but only on one condition. The Bumsteads must stay for a week in a house he has trouble renting because it's rumored to be haunted.

That's the set-up, and of course they do move in and undergo all sorts of strange goings on until the mystery behind all the mishaps is explained. Baby Dumpling proves brighter than his parents in guessing some of the clues and even the dog is smart enough to know there are spooks around.

DANNY MUMMERT is still the precocious Alvin Fuddle with the genius IQ, JONATHAN HALE is still Mr. Dithers and IRVING BACON plays the unlucky mailman who gets stomped on when the Bumsteads get spooked and leave the house like speeding bullets. Bacon had a remarkable career as the mailman, as well as some choice roles in a number of classic films like SPELLBOUND (the ticket man at the train terminal who has the film's final double take).

Still remains my favorite in the series on a nostalgic basis--although I'm sure a few of the others were a good deal funnier.