LIFE WITH BLONDIE (Columbia, 1946), directed by Abby Berlin, the 16th installment of 28 in the popular family movie series based on Chic Young's famous comic strip, should have been titled "Life With Daisy" since the story involves mostly on the Bumstead dog.
Daisy becomes a dog photographer's model, getting all the attention in the household with Blondie (Penny Singleton) becoming the dog's manager. Husband Dagwood (Arthur Lake) is stuck with the household chores by taking care of the children, Alexander (Larry Simms) and Cookie (Marjorie Kent). One amusing scene that echoes "fear" comedy, finds Dagwood, unable to get a sitter for his daughter, taking Cookie to the office with him to look after her and do his project assignment at the same time. Later when Dagwood is with his boss, Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale) going over some blueprint plans in another room, Cookie, left alone in Dagwood's office to entertain herself, decides to walk outside the window ledge, having no concept of fear on how high up she is. Dagwood and Dithers see her outside the window waving at them, causing the two men to become frantic. But Dagwood succeeds in opening the window to quietly grab his daughter before any slips could occur. Later Daisy becomes the attention of a gangster's moll, Hazel (Veda Ann Borg) who wants the dog all for herself. When she has her gangster boyfriend get his thugs to kidnap Daisy, they hide her out at the Kit Kat Club, where they make plans on having the pooch go through plastic surgery operation so that they can sneak her out of town unrecognized. But of course Dagwood comes to save the day, followed a somewhat cartoonish fighting brawl at the club amongst Dagwood and visiting sailors brought in by Blondie, who happen to be big fans of Daisy, the pin-up pooch. And see what happens when Blondie is confronted by Hazel who demands Daisy be given back to her.
Quite amusing and very cute "sit-com" movie that should entertain both fans of the series and the kids, especially those who love dogs, namely that of Daisy. Also featured in the cast of character actors are Ernest Truex as Theodore Glassby; Marc Lawrence and Douglas Fowley as the gangsters, Pete and Blackie; Bobby Larson as Alexander's new friend, Tommy Cooper (filling in for Danny Mummert as Alvin Fuddow); Eddie Acuff as Mr. Beasley, the neighborhood postman; and Jack Rice as Ollie, an employee rival who is usually after Dagwood's job whenever fired by Dithers, etc.
LIFE WITH BLONDIE is 70 minutes of non-stop old-fashioned entertainment that formerly played each Sunday morning on American Movie Classics from 1996 to 2001. Formerly available on video cassette but currently out of print. (**1/2)
