Blondie's Big Deal (1949) User Reviews

Further proof that Dagwood is NOT so stupid after all...

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 16 August 2017]

In the previous film, "Blondie's Secret", his boss admitted that Dagwood was his best and most capable employee. Here in "Blondie's Big Deal", Dagwood invents a fire-proof paint...further proof that the dimwit isn't quite as dumb as he used to be in the earlier Blondie films! The problem, however, is that although not at all dumb, he's not a good judge of character. So, when a guy working for a competitor pretends to be from the insurance industry and is helping them, Dagwood accepts this...not realizing the jerk is only there to make sure the demonstration of the paint is a failure! Can Blondie and Dagwood get to the bottom of this and make the formula a success or will everyone just assume Dagwood is a crackpot?

Apart from featuring Rollo instead of Alvin, Blondie going undercover and Dagwood being smart, this is still a fairly standard series installment. And, considering how likable the characters are, this is not a bad thing in the least. Fun and worth watching.

"It Ain't Just Paint"

[lugonian · 6/10 · 13 March 2007]

BLONDIE'S BIG DEAL (Columbia, 1949), directed by Edward Bernds, is actually a big deal for Blondie's ever loving spouse, Dagwood, considering it is he who comes up with a million dollar experiment that becomes more troublesome for him and his family in this latest theatrical chapter of The Bumstead Family film series based on Chic Young's popular "Blondie" comic strip characters.

After 25 movies in eleven years, the Bumsteads are at it again. Hoping to obtain a business contract from Mr. Forsythe (Stanley Andrews) in building a new school, George M. Radcliffe (Jerome Cowan) agrees to have employee Dagwood Bumstead (Arthur Lake) use his country home as a public demonstration to Dagwood's invention of fireproof paint. After Dagwood spends the entire day painting the cottage, the crowd is gathered together the following morning to witness history in the making. Mayor A.K. Ramsey (Chester Clute) starts off the ceremony by lighting the first match. Poof!!! The house, covered with everything flammable, including gasoline, suddenly goes to blazes, leaving the cottage with nothing more than smoking ashes after its hosed down by the firemen standing by. Naturally Dagwood gets fired (no pun intended), without the notion as to what went wrong. It is later discovered that Dagwood's paint cans were switched with regular paint by a couple of crooks, "Slack" (Ray Walker) and Dillon (Wilton Graff), wanting to take the credit for themselves and make a fortune. With the assistance of Alvin Fuddow's (Danny Mummert) younger cousin, Rollo (Alan Dinehart III), another intellectual, the boy arranges for Blondie (Penny Singleton) to obtain enough evidence against these men by working undercover as their secretary. After Rollo succeeds in having Norma Andrews (Colette Lyons), Dillon's secretary, out of the way by sending her a phony telegram saying that she has won a first prize trip, Blondie steps in and is immediately hired to fill in the vacancy with Rollo, acting as both messenger boy and look-out while standing outside the office window waiting for coded instructions. As Blondie gathers enough evidence needed to clear Dagwood's name, she follows Rollo's plan by switching the paint on them, but in doing that, she is caught in the act, causing Rollo to take the wrong cans back to Dagwood, while the crooks leave Blondie bound, gagged and locked in their office as they go to promote the inflammable paint to Mr. Forsythe, much to the dismay of Mr. Radcliffe.

The writers of BLONDIE'S BIG DEAL make every effort in coming out with something ingenious and original, but while this late entry can be amusing at times, with doses of suspense, the situations, in which the Bumsteads have faced before, are actually recycled and rearranged. Anyone who's come this far viewing this series will notice the similarities. However, this is one of those few instances where Blondie and Dagwood have equal status rather than having much of it going to Dagwood. Blondie takes time away from her household chores to save Dagwood from ridicule at the risk of endangering herself. Rather than having their know-it-all neighbor Alvin Fuddow assisting her, as he has done in the past, the role now given to a boy named Rollo, related to and similar to the likes of Alvin, leaving Alvin to be reduced to a brief scene set in a boys gymnasium. Aside from his ability be show off his smartness, he can defend himself as well, as demonstrated earlier in the gymnasium where Rollo is being taught the method of boxing by none other than Dagwood, with Dagwood returning home with a shiner unwittingly acquired by Rollo.

Larry Simms and Marjorie Kent as Alexander and Cookie, the Bumstead children, have little to do with scenes to call their own while Daisy, the Bumstead pooch and their pups resume their traditional animal antics. Others in the cast include Jack Rice as Ollie Merlon, Radcliffe's "Yes" man and Dagwood's office rival still out for his job; Alyn Lockwood as Mary, the switchboard operator; Eddie Acuff in his eighth and final appearance in the series as postman Mr. Beasley; and George Lloyd as the Fire Chief.

With familiar routines galore, including Dagwood knocking down the neighborhood postman in order to catch his morning bus to work, there's another run-on gag used throughout the screenplay where Dagwood names every invention mentionable credited to Alexander Graham Bell, and being wrong every time. It is only when Rollo points his finger towards the telephone does Dagwood finally get it right, much to Blondie's surprise.

No home run, no foul on this one, otherwise a good recommendation for die hard Alan Dinehart III fans. Formerly available on video cassette through King Features, BLONDIE'S BIG DEAL was one of many in the series to have its successful run on American Movie Classics (1996-2001). And the series continues with its next installment being BLONDIE HITS THE JACKPOT (1949) (*1/2)

Why aren't the Bumsteads on easy street?

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 8 November 2015]

Why the Bumsteads aren't on easy street after Dagwood invents his fireproof paint Blondie's Big Deal fails to answer. But the film does deliver good family humor Bumstead style.

Arthur Lake is always looking to improve himself and it may just have happened. Some chemical experiments of his have resulted in Dagwood inventing a fireproof paint. This could give the Radcliffe Construction Company a leg up on contracts. But Jerome Cowan's unscrupulous rivals Ray Walker and Wilton Graff steal Dagwood's paint and sabotage the experiment conducted on Cowan's fishing cabin. As it burns down Dagwood sees his career go up in flames.

But it's Blondie in this film that is the savior. Penny Singleton and a new genius kid that's moved on the block Mason Alan Dinehart who save the day which includes Dagwood's job, once again in jeopardy.

Funniest bit is the demonstration of the fireproof paint that goes so badly and costs town mayor Chester Clute what we would call a photo op today.

Still this invention should have netted the Bumsteads Gazillions.

Blondie's Big Deal was another enjoyable entry in the series

[tavm · 7/10 · 31 July 2015]

This is the twenty-fifth in the Blondie movie series. Dagwood invents a paint that proves to be impervious to flame. When he demonstrates this to Mr. Radcliffe, he's convinced enough to let him use it on his fishing home! But his firm has a rival for the upcoming school building project and this other firm is not very honest in their dealings...You can probably guess what happens from there if you haven't seen this particular entry yet. Blondie herself, as always, finds out a way to straighten things in the end, taking a more active role this time around with help from a smart kid named Rollo (Alan Dinehart III). There's also a funny sequence in a gym between Dag and Rollo. Anyway, this was another pretty good entry in the series. So on that note, I recommend Blondie's Big Deal. P.S. This was second regular postman Eddie Acuff's final appearance in the series. After a few more movies by 1952, he'd basically retire before he passed on December 17, 1956.

Bland But Watchable

[Snow Leopard · 14 June 2001]

A bland but watchable entry in the Blondie series, "Blondie's Big Deal" has most of the series' usual features, with a story that includes a couple of interesting ideas.

Dagwood has come up with a brilliant invention, a new kind of paint that renders objects completely fireproof. But he is having trouble convincing his boss that it actually works, and at the same time a rival company is trying to steal his invention. Naturally, Dagwood quickly finds himself in a complicated mess, and Blondie has to try to bail him out. Thus begins a series of entanglements.

After a pretty good start, the plot soon becomes fairly routine, and almost completely predictable. But there are a couple of good scenes, and it is mildly entertaining to see how everything comes out.

Their brains may not be too hot, but they're definitely aflame.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 4 January 2024]

Sometimes dimwits outwit nitwits, and for the older goofy Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, the creation of a flame retardant paint has them sitting on an explosive invention. Nobody listens to Dagwood usually, but to see for yourself to believe. His boss (Jerome Cowan) only listens to Dagwood when he sees proof, having not realized that this would get his company the contract to take care of a local school, something that a rival company wants as well. They steal Dagwood's invention, set the experimental building aflame with the old switcheroo, and Blondie sets out to save the day.

A comedy sitcom series of features past its sell date, this shows that dimwitted and middle age doesn't always create the same amount of laughs. Penny Singleton and Arthur Lake have stayed attractive but definitely aged out of cute, as as "Baby Dumpling" Larry Simms, obviously going through puberty. The biggest laughs come from Daisy and the pups begging for steak after Dagwood gets a black eye. Simms' squeaky voiced geeky friend Mason Alan Dinehart gets more footage than the Bumstead kids, popping up to offer scientific advice every few minutes. I smiled more than I laughed, and coming down to the wire of the series am grateful it's nearly done.

Familiar faces, familiar plot!

[JohnHowardReid · 6/10 · 11 November 2017]

Penny Singleton (Blondie), Arthur Lake (Dagwood), Larry Simms (Alexander), Marjorie Kent (Cookie), Jerome Cowan (Radcliffe), Collette Lyons (Norma), Wilton Graff (Dillon), Ray Walker ( Slack), Stanley Andrews (Forsythe), Alan Dinehart III (Rollo), Eddie Acuff (mailman), Jack Rice (Ollie), Chester Clute (mayor), George Lloyd (fire chief), Alyn Lockwood (Mary), Danny Mummert (Alvin), Teddy Wells (boy), Ronnie Ralph (Girard), David Sandell (Marvin), and "Daisy".

Director: EDWARD BERNDS. Original story and screenplay: Lucile Watson Henley. Based on characters created by Chic Young. Photography: Vincent Farrar. Film editor: Henry Batista. Art director: Perry Smith. Set decorator: George Montgomery. Music director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Producer: Ted Richmond. Copyright 10 March 1949 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 10 March 1949. U.K. release: 10 October 1949. Australian release: 18 August 1949. Sydney opening at the Lyceum as a support to "The Lovers": 16 July 1949. 6,011 feet. 66 minutes. U.K. release title: The BIG DEAL.

SYNOPSIS: Dagwood invents a fireproof paint which he demonstrates on his boss' summer home with surefire results.

NOTES: Number 25 of the 28-picture series.

COMMENT: "Blondie's Big Deal" is a more apt title than some of the previous ones, as Miss Singleton has a much larger share of the action than usual and even excludes Mr. Lake altogether from much of the last half-hour.

The script is much as usual, just a routine plot on which to hang some routine and well-tried shenanigans with the principals over- acting atrociously (particularly Lake and Cowan who are allowed to hog the camera with exaggerated reaction shots).

But whilst the script is not particularly amusing, the support cast raise it to a moderately entertaining level. Chester Clute who played a drainage contractor in "Blondie's Reward", here essays the role of the mayor, but he alone of all the players who have doubled up in this series is the only one who has bothered to change his personality. Not only does he disguise his features with a beard but he even disguises his voice so completely he would be, but for his short stature, almost unrecognizable.

Nice to spot George Lloyd as the Fire Chief and Colette Lyons as the secretary. Eddie Acuff goes through his familiar routines but alas they are familiar here as we have seen these variations before! Nice to spot Jack Rice doing his sycophantic bit and Danny Mummert has a few lines in one of the opening scenes. Ray Walker who played Mr. Anthony in "Life With Blondie" here essays the part of yet another of a pair of building contractor twisters (remember this overworked device from previous entries?).

But the real hit of the film is Alan Dinehart III who gives an ingratiating portrayal of the smart Rollo (whatever happened to him?). Miss Singleton tries a new hair style again, and has more to do, but Miss Kent has only a line and Mr. Simms not much more.

The direction is totally routine and uninteresting. Production values are not bad. There is not much of a climax, but they do burn down an old cabin half-way through. Set decorator George Montgomery receives a much larger-sized credit than art director Perry Smith for some unaccountable reason, but whatever it is, all credits are as routine, as capable and - alas! - as undistinguished as the direction.