Search - Blondie, Vols. 1 and 2 on DVD

"Incredible...Bumsteadable"...Price

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 04/18/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I found this DVD set for an excellent price and it even included a little metal Blondie lunchbox! For the price, I think it is a bargain although I guess the movies are edited for their syndication run according to other reviews. They seem long enough to me and, according to the Internet Movie Data Base, they originally ran for just 68 minutes. In fact, they often drag. I don't know how they could be longer. Syndication is how I remember watching these movies when I was a kid. That quirky tune brought back a lot of memories as did all the running gags like Dagwood running over the mailman on his way to catch the bus every morning. I also remember Baby Dumpling's hatred for washing dishes, that smart alec next door neighbor kid Alvin, the famous Dagwood sandwiches and, of course, that adorable family dog Daisy.

I do not remember the teaser movie segments at the beginning, though. They run for about 4 minutes and are annoying (I fast forward through them). I also do not like how the discs start playing the first movie automatically. I like the selection screen music and would rather it keep playing until I am ready to watch the film. I also remembered Blondie as being the bright one, but actually Dagwood and Blondie were both very ditsy. Blondie was childish and over-sensitive and Dagwood had a violent streak I had forgotten. He had a seeming ability to knock people out with one blow. The later episodes are not as good as the earlier ones and the re-watchability isn't very high because they tend to drag. Still, if you remember watching these movies on television back in the 1980s (in my case) or earlier and just want to go down memory lane, I recommend this set because the price is "Incredible...Bumsteadable"! Three stars for the films, extra star for the price.

Disc 1:
"Blondie"--This is a very complicated film. The plot includes a new furniture set, a wedding anniversary, an unpaid note, a broken vacuum cleaner, a big business deal, a borrowed car, the police, etc. It really goes all over the place.
"Blondie Meets The Boss"-- This is my favorite Blondie film. The opening kitchen scenes are very funny. The Bumsteads are planning their vacation but Mr. Dithers tells Dagwood he has to cancel it, so he resigns. Blondie goes to meet Dithers to get Dagwood his job back but she is offered the job instead. Excellent one-liners in this one.
"Blondie Takes A Vacation"--This movie has some heavy moments. The Bumsteads finally go on vacation and end up helping an elderly couple who run a hotel that a heartless competitor is trying to run out of business. The competitor's hotel catches fire with Baby Dumpling and Daisy trapped inside. Oh no! Poor Daisy!
"Blondie Brings Up Baby"--A salesman convinces Blondie that Baby Dumpling is a genius, so she enrolls him in the third grade. Waiting for Baby Dumpling outside the school fence, Daisy is caught by the dog catchers. Baby Dumpling tries to find her and meets a crippled girl who needs the inspiration of a dog and little boy to walk again.
"Blondie on a Budget"--Blondie is very tight with money and won't let Dagwood join a fishing club. Her ire is up even more when an old flame of Dagwood's (played by Rita Hayworth) comes for a visit. All sorts of misunderstandings in this one.

Disc 2:
"Blondie Has Servant Trouble"--J.C. Dithers is the executor of an estate claimed to be haunted. He gives the Bumsteads the use of the mansion (complete with servants) to prove it is not. One of the servants, though, is a lunatic out for revenge.
"Blondie Plays Cupid"--The Bumsteads go to the country to visit relatives and meet up with a young couple (the fellow played by Glenn Ford) whose plans to elope are thwarted by the girl's angry father. The father blames his daughter's engineer boyfriend for digging a hole on his property in an unsuccessful attempt to build an oil well. The Bumsteads help them get married and find oil so, I guess, oils well that ends well (heh, heh). Strange, Baby Dumpling is referred to as Dagwood Jr. and not Alexander at the end of this film.
"Blondie Goes Latin"--The Bumsteads are invited to accompany J.C. Dithers on a South American cruise (why he would choose the Bumsteads on a cruise for his health is not explained) but Dagwood has to stay home to close a business deal. In a mix-up that can only happen to Dagwood, he stays on the ship as a drummer in drag. This is a very silly movie (even by Blondie standards) with too many songs.
"Blondie in Society"--The title of this movie doesn't describe the plot at all. Dagwood brings home a destructive Great Dane who eats everything, angers the neighbors, and falls asleep during dog shows. Coincidentally, a big client of J.C. Dither's is after (played by William Frawley) is a lover Great Danes.
"Blondie Goes To College"--This movie doesn't make much sense. Dagwood and Blondie start college and pretend not to be married. The plot is not realistic, but it is a "Blondie" movie after all. Blondie is pursued by the captain of the football team and Dagwood catches the eye of a socialite. Phew, and these are only ten of twenty-eight Blondie films!"