Penny Singleton (Blondie), Arthur Lake (Dagwood), Larry Simms (Alexander), Marjorie Kent (Cookie), William Frawley (Marty Greer), Danny Mummert (Alvin), Joe Sawyer (Sergeant Gateson), Teddy Infuhr (Danny Gateson), Alyn Lockwood (Mary Reynolds), Iris Adrian (Mae), Frank Jenks (Tim Saunders), Dick Wessel (mailman), Jimmy Lloyd (Corporal Biff Touhey), Robert Emmett Keane (J. Collins), Edward Earle (Richard Rogers), Mary Newton (Mrs Rogers), Pat Flaherty (recruiting sergeant), Ted Mapes (fruit salesman), Frank Wilcox (Captain Masters), Frank Sully (Mike McClusky), and "Daisy".
Director: EDWARD BERNDS. Original story and screenplay: Jack Henley. Based on the comic strip created by "Chic" Young. Photography: Vincent Farrar. Supervising film editor: Aaron Stell. Assistant film editor: Henry Batista. Music director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Art director: Perry Smith. Set decorator: George Montgomery. Military technical adviser: Arthur Landau. Producer: Ted Richmond.
Copyright 31 January 1950 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 9 March 1950. U.K. release: 13 February 1950. Never theatrically released in Australia. 6,028 feet. 67 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: After a hectic weekend training session in the Army Reserve corps, a toughened Dagwood reclaims the Bumstead home from confidence tricksters.
NOTES: Second last of the 28-picture series. It was also of course the second last movie for Lake who had become so identified with the Dagwood character, he was unable to obtain any other roles. Miss Singleton, however, did make another movie appearance after "Beware of Blondie" (1950), — in "The Best Man" (1964). And on the Broadway stage, she filled in for Ruby Keeler in the summer of 1971 when Miss Keeler was vacationing from "No, No Nanette". And while Lake's career languished on all fronts, Miss Singleton went on to become a powerful union boss with the American Guild of Variety Artists.
COMMENT: "Blondie's Hero" benefits from an injection of money which allows location filming in an army camp and an escapade (even if it is a bit too long — at least in the 75 minute TV version) in a runaway tank and also from the interweaving of two plots which keeps audience interest at a tolerable level and allows for the introduction of a large support cast.
William Frawley who played a loan shark in "Blondie's Anniversary", here plays a similar type role but an entirely different character, while Frank Jenks who played a real estate clipper in Blondie's Reward is up to the same tricks here. Oddly enough his look-alike Frank Sully also appeared in Blondie's Reward as a cop and here he plays the recruit whose snoring keeps Dagwood awake!
Dick Wessel carries on with his part as the mailman but the scriptwriters fail to work any new variations into this running gag which repeats routines from previous films. Jerome Cowan does not figure in this one at all. Joe Sawyer is in his element as a drill sergeant and "Mary" has a bigger role than usual. Iris Adrian has a brief bit. Miss S.'s part is padded out with a dream sequence that is not particularly successful as a satire of war movies, due to her and Lake's leaden playing and the heavy-handed direction.
The film is at its best in the familiar but still amusing comedy routines with Lake on the obstacle course and in particular with his efforts to stop Sully snoring.
Despite location lensing at the Organised Reserved Corps Training Center at Fort MacArthur, California, and the number of extra players employed, production values are still moderate, whilst direction and other technical credits never rise above the mediocre.
Director: EDWARD BERNDS. Original story and screenplay: Jack Henley. Based on the comic strip created by "Chic" Young. Photography: Vincent Farrar. Supervising film editor: Aaron Stell. Assistant film editor: Henry Batista. Music director: Mischa Bakaleinikoff. Art director: Perry Smith. Set decorator: George Montgomery. Military technical adviser: Arthur Landau. Producer: Ted Richmond.
Copyright 31 January 1950 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No New York opening. U.S. release: 9 March 1950. U.K. release: 13 February 1950. Never theatrically released in Australia. 6,028 feet. 67 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: After a hectic weekend training session in the Army Reserve corps, a toughened Dagwood reclaims the Bumstead home from confidence tricksters.
NOTES: Second last of the 28-picture series. It was also of course the second last movie for Lake who had become so identified with the Dagwood character, he was unable to obtain any other roles. Miss Singleton, however, did make another movie appearance after "Beware of Blondie" (1950), — in "The Best Man" (1964). And on the Broadway stage, she filled in for Ruby Keeler in the summer of 1971 when Miss Keeler was vacationing from "No, No Nanette". And while Lake's career languished on all fronts, Miss Singleton went on to become a powerful union boss with the American Guild of Variety Artists.
COMMENT: "Blondie's Hero" benefits from an injection of money which allows location filming in an army camp and an escapade (even if it is a bit too long — at least in the 75 minute TV version) in a runaway tank and also from the interweaving of two plots which keeps audience interest at a tolerable level and allows for the introduction of a large support cast.
William Frawley who played a loan shark in "Blondie's Anniversary", here plays a similar type role but an entirely different character, while Frank Jenks who played a real estate clipper in Blondie's Reward is up to the same tricks here. Oddly enough his look-alike Frank Sully also appeared in Blondie's Reward as a cop and here he plays the recruit whose snoring keeps Dagwood awake!
Dick Wessel carries on with his part as the mailman but the scriptwriters fail to work any new variations into this running gag which repeats routines from previous films. Jerome Cowan does not figure in this one at all. Joe Sawyer is in his element as a drill sergeant and "Mary" has a bigger role than usual. Iris Adrian has a brief bit. Miss S.'s part is padded out with a dream sequence that is not particularly successful as a satire of war movies, due to her and Lake's leaden playing and the heavy-handed direction.
The film is at its best in the familiar but still amusing comedy routines with Lake on the obstacle course and in particular with his efforts to stop Sully snoring.
Despite location lensing at the Organised Reserved Corps Training Center at Fort MacArthur, California, and the number of extra players employed, production values are still moderate, whilst direction and other technical credits never rise above the mediocre.