In Blondie in Society, Dagwood borrows fifty dollars to an old friend — and gets repaid with a pedigreed Great Dane, “Champion Chin Up White Tie for Dinner”. A dog that eats everything in sight, but can’t win a dog show to save its’ life.
Blondie in Society (1941) starring Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake
Blondie in Society is a funny, solid entry in the Blondie series. There’s a lot of slapstick comedy, mixed with a loving family sitcom. Dagwood’s a very funny screen clown. Blondie (once again) runs to a divorce lawyer, over a silly reason — Dagwood brought home the dog that ate the family’s dinner! And once again, the lawyer gives her a good idea that sends her back home.
Comedy highlights
- Poor mailman hiding in the tree, to avoid being run over by Dagwood. Which works! Until he falls out of the tree …
- Chin Up eating the family’ dinner (stew) in one gulp. Then eating Dagwood’s sandwich.
- Blondie, upset, turns the new washing machine on suicide overdrive, and rides the new bike through the front door! Knocking over the poor mailman on the way out!
- Getting Chin Up from the animal hospital — that poor man!
- Blondie discovering that Chin Up acts like a show dog when he hears “Under the Old Apple Tree”
- “Musical chairs” on the phone with Blondie, Dagwood, and Mr. Dithers.
- Chaos at the dog show, until Blondie starts singing and Chin up starts behaving. For a little while.
- Fight at the dog fight after Chin Up wins!
Funny movie quotes from Blondie in Society
[Dagwood’s in an oversized dog house in Mr. Dithers’ office]
Dagwood: Will you raise the roof?
J. C. Dithers: I will if you don’t get out of there!
J. C. Dithers: [answering phone] Yes, Blondie, he’s here. Where he normally is. [in the dog house]
Baby Dumpling: Hi, toots!
Blondie: Baby Dumpling, did you say that to me?
Baby Dumpling: I wasn’t talkin’ to your Aunt Hannah.
Cast of characters
- Penny Singleton (Blondie’s Big Deal) … Blondie Bumstead
- Arthur Lake (Blondie’s Hero) … Dagwood Bumstead
- Larry Simms (Blondie’s Reward) … Baby Dumpling Bumstead. Who simply wants to join the boy rangers. By hook or by crook …
- Daisy … Daisy
- The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir … Boy Choir
- Jonathan Hale (Her Husband’s Affairs) … J.C. Dithers
- Danny Mummert (Blondie Knows Best) … Alvin Fuddle
- William Frawley (I Love Lucy, Roxie Hart) … Waldo Pincus. The wealthy client that Dithers wants to land. He wants to buy Chin Up from Dagwood …. When he’s not afraid of being swindled.
- Edgar Kennedy (Duck Soup) … Doctor. Wh only wants to get paid!
- Chick Chandler (The Great Rupert) … Cliff Peters
- Irving Bacon (Blondie Takes a Vacation) … Mailman
- Bill Goodwin IThe Atomic Kid) … Announcer
Additional Cast
- Bess Flowers (We Faw Down) … Dog Collar Saleslady
- Charles Lane (The Invisible Woman) … Washing Machine Salesman
- Grady Sutton (Stage Door) … Doghouse Salesman
Songs
- The Farmer in the Dell
- Traditional
- Played during the opening credits
- In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree (1905)
- Music by Egbert Van Alstyne
- Words by Harry Williams
- Hummed by Penny Singleton
- Sung a cappella by Penny Singleton
- Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? (1864)
- Music from the German folk song “Der Deitcher’s Dog”
- English lyrics by Septimus Winner
- Sung by The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir at the dog show
- Trees (1922)
- Poem by Joyce Kilmer (by permission of Aline Kilmer)
- Music by Oscar Rasbach
- Sung by Penny Singleton and The Robert Mitchell Boy Choir at the dog show
Editorial review of Blondie in Society courtesy of Amazon
Dagwood brings home a pedigreed Great Dane which an important company client wants and which Blondie enters in the big dog show.