Blondie's Reward (1948)

Director:

Abby Berlin

Writers:

Chic Young (comic strip characters)
Edward Bernds (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 June 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Dagwood gets in trouble at work when he buys the wrong property for his boss and when he is accused of punching out a client's son. |

Plot Keywords:

Bar Bell | False Accusation | Based On Comic Book | Swamp | Building Contractor

Cast

Penny Singleton	...	Blondie Bumstead
Arthur Lake	...	Dagwood Bumstead
Larry Simms	...	Alexander Bumstead
Marjorie Ann Mutchie	...	Cookie Bumstead (as Marjorie Kent)
Jerome Cowan	...	George M. Radcliffe
Gay Nelson	...	Alice Dickson
Ross Ford	...	Ted Scott
Danny Mummert	...	Alvin Fuddle
Paul Harvey	...	John D. Dickson
Frank Jenks	...	Ed Vance
Chick Chandler	...	Bill Cooper

Runtime:

66 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 Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #12753)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

This would be the last "Blondie" film directed by Abby Berlin. With the next entry, screenwriter Edward Bernds would take over as the director for the remainder of the series.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Beware of Blondie (1950)

Will Dagwood Fall for Another Scam and Face Demotion -- Again?

This time around, Ed Vance (Frank Jenks) and Bill Cooper (Chick Chandler once again) intercept Dagwood (Arthur Lake) outside of a Realtor's office to attempt to swindle the funds which Mr. Radcliffe (Jerome Cowan) has entrusted Dagwood to bid a purchase option upon prime acreage, to offer swampland, thus potentially yielding an event which may lead to Dagwood's demotion to office boy.

"Blondie's Reward" (Columbia 1948), Chapter 23 in this series, marks the swan song of Abby Berlin as Director of the Bumstead film family. Written by Edward Bernds, this one is filled with the desires of various characters to achieve a "Reward" of sorts.

Mr. Radcliffe has the notion to impress wealthy industrialist John D. Dickson (Paul Harvey) with plans to construct a potential plant, thereby hoping to procure that cherished prime Real Estate, to cinch a tentative deal.

What Mr. Dickson wants is for his daughter, Alice (Gay Nelson), to dump her opportunist fiancé, for whom he has no use.

What Blondie (Penny Singleton) wants, in the meantime, is for Dagwood to use his days off from the office to varnish the wooden floors at the Bumstead residence. Dagwood obliges and begins in their dining room, inside which he varnishes himself into a corner and must escape through a window, which causes confusion after a police officer observes this.

Alexander (Larry Simms) and Alvin Fuddle (Danny Mummert), passing football with Alvin's college-age cousin Ted Scott (Ross Ford), are asked to vouch for Dagwood's person in a film relying upon a plot of mistaken identity.

What Alexander and Alvin want is a set of mail-order barbells, in order to practice athletics, as cousin Ted.

What Ted wants, when Blondie enlists him to drive to the Dickson estate, to retrieve Radcliffe's blueprints for Dagwood, is to impress Alice Dickson, which he does by putting her fiancé in his place although Ted is identified as Dagwood Bumstead.

When Mr. Radcliffe receives word of the social blunder, he pleads with Blondie to play along with his plan, which does not include that boxing match between Dagwood and Mr. Dickson, an unexpected visit by Alice to thank Dagwood for his "heroics," nor the return of those con artists.

"Blondie" films can serve as gems of escapism from daily life or from heavier fare--or from nonsense fare. Even as this series winds down, its later chapters may seem a bit more relaxed than their predecessors. But "Blondie's Reward" does hold its own, by proving that its creative staff still manages to add fresh ideas to this series.