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ONE SEASON WONDERS: Blondie

BLONDIE










Programming Details:
January 4, 1957 - July 5, 1957
26 episodes
NBC

Starring: Arthur Lake, Pamela Britton, Hal Peary, Florenz Ames, Ann Barnes, Stuffy Singer, Mary Lawrence, Lela Bliss
Created by: Chic Young

Plot: Blondie was the first of two attempts to bring the long running comic strip (and at the time, movie series) to TV. Blondie Bumstead (Britton) was a smart housewife who dealt with her bumbling husband, Dagwood (Lake) and children Cookie and Alexander (Barnes & Singer). Dagwood works for Mr. Dithers (Ames). Rounding out the main cast are the neighbors of the Bumsteads, the Woodleys (Peary & Lawrence) as well as Mr. Dither's wife, Cora (Bliss). 

Brief Pilot Review:
I've never been a big comic strip fan but I've read Blondie from time to time. Having never seen the popular movies from this same era, this pilot (which back then wasn't really a "pilot") was the first exposure I've ever had to a live action Blondie. It played like a pretty standard 50s family sitcom. Somewhere between the zaniness and smartness of I Love Lucy and the gentleness of The Donna Reed Show. There was definitely a little bit of bite to it to keep it engaging but the plot (Blondie worries about Dagwood's status at work) was pretty thin to devote an entire half hour to. 

I enjoyed Pamela Britton more than Arthur Lake. I didn't like at all when Lake would yell "Blondieeeee!" which may have been a signature thing from the movies but just didn't work for me. Lake was better when his back was against the wall at work while Britton was an engaging presence throughout. There were a lot of characters introduced in the pilot and not a lot of them developed much of a personality besides Blondie and Dagwood. I would have liked to have seen more attention given to the kids in the first episode since they are such a prominent part of the comic strip.

What Went Wrong:
Series based on comic strips was definitely a thing back in the 1950s. Blondie had first been filmed as a pilot in 1954 with Pamela Britton and Hal Le Roy. Arthur Lake replaced Le Roy for the series when it finally aired three years later. Lake had starred in the many Blondie movies that had been released since the late 1930s. Blondie the series premiered on Friday nights at 8pm, taking over for another family sitcom - The Life of Riley. 

The series received decent reviews as critics compared it favorably to both the comic strip and movie series. On paper, it seemed like a show that was able to make the leap because it wasn't a one-joke comic strip, it could easily just become a family sitcom. Despite the brand name, it only lasted until the summer. There's not some major reason for that, it just didn't work out. It wasn't a terrible flop but not a hit. A Blondie TV series was tried once more over a decade later. This one starred Patricia Harty, Will Hutchins and Jim Backus. This version was savaged by critics and lasted just 13 episodes. The comic strip of course continues to this day and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2030.

Tomorrow: A look at the second season of That 70s Show!
Wednesday in 2 Weeks: A look at 1970s flop The McLean Stevenson Show!
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