Blondie (1957 TV series)

Blondie
Genre	Sitcom
Based on	Blondie comic strip by Chic Young
Directed by	Abby Berlin Paul Landres
Starring	Pamela Britton Arthur Lake
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	25 mins.
Production companies	Hal Roach Studios King Features Productions
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	January 4 (1957-01-04) – July 5, 1957 (1957-07-05)
Related
Blondie (comic strip) Blondie (1968 TV series)

Blondie is the first of two television series based on the comic strip by Chic Young. The show first aired on January 4, 1957 on NBC and ran for one season. Pamela Britton starred in the title role and Arthur Lake played Blondie's husband Dagwood Bumstead, reprising his role from the Blondie film series. ^[1]

A pilot episode was filmed in 1954 with Hal Le Roy as Dagwood opposite Britton's Blondie. The series was released in its entirety on September 25, 2018 by ClassicFlix. ^[2] As of 2024, it airs on Shout! TV.

Cast

• Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead ^[3]
• Pamela Britton as Blondie Bumstead ^[3]
• Florenz Ames as J.C. Dithers ^[3]
• Ann Barnes as Cookie Bumstead ^[3]
• Stuffy Singer as Alexander Bumstead ^[3]
• Harold Peary as Herb Woodley
• Elvia Allman as Cora Dithers
• Lucien Littlefield as Mr. Beasley
• Hollis Irving as Mrs. Woodley

Episodes

Nº	Title [4]	Directed by	Written by	Air date
1	"Sudden Wealth"	Hal Yates	John L. Greene	January 4, 1957 (1957-01-04)
2	"It's for the Birds"	Hal Yates	John L. Greene	January 11, 1957 (1957-01-11)
3	"The Folks Who Came to Dinner"	Hal Yates	Warren Spector & Gordon T. Hughes	January 18, 1957 (1957-01-18)
4	"The Other Woman"	Unknown	Unknown	January 25, 1957 (1957-01-25)
5	"Home Sweet Home"	Hal Yates	Jack Ellinson & Charles Stewart	February 1, 1957 (1957-02-01)
6	"Get That Gun"	Hal Yates	Frank Gill, Jr.	February 8, 1957 (1957-02-08)
7	"The Feud"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	February 15, 1957 (1957-02-15)
8	"The Quiz Show"	Hal Yates	Unknown	February 22, 1957 (1957-02-22)
9	"Husbands Once Removed"	Unknown	Unknown	March 1, 1957 (1957-03-01)
10	"The Payoff Money"	Paul Landres	George Beck & Jo Conway	March 8, 1957 (1957-03-08)
11	"Hard Luck Idol"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	March 15, 1957 (1957-03-15)
12	"Oil for the Lamps of Blondie"	Unknown	Unknown	March 22, 1957 (1957-03-22)
13	"Blondie the Breadwinner"	Unknown	Unknown	March 29, 1957 (1957-03-29)
14	"The Glamour Girl"	Unknown	Unknown	April 5, 1957 (1957-04-05)
15	"The Rummage Sale"	Paul Landres	Unknown	April 12, 1957 (1957-04-12)
16	"Deception"	Paul Landres	Don Nelson & Jay Sommers	April 19, 1957 (1957-04-19)
17	"Puppy Love"	Gerald Freedman	George Carleton Brown & Frank Gill Jr.	April 26, 1957 (1957-04-26)
18	"Made to Fire"	Paul Landres	Gordon T. Hughes & Warren Spector	May 3, 1957 (1957-05-03)
19	"Blondie Redecorates"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	May 10, 1957 (1957-05-10)
20	"Blondie's Double"	Paul Landres	Unknown	May 17, 1957 (1957-05-17)
21	"The Spy"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	May 24, 1957 (1957-05-24)
22	"Cupid's Question Column"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	May 31, 1957 (1957-05-31)
23	"The Tramp"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	June 7, 1957 (1957-06-07)
24	"Follow That Man"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	June 14, 1957 (1957-06-14)
25	"The Party"	Paul Landres	John L. Greene	June 21, 1957 (1957-06-21)
26	"Howdy Neighbor"	Unknown	Unknown	June 28, 1957 (1957-06-28)

Production

William Harmon was the producer, Hal Yates was the director, and John L. Greene was the director. ^[3] The show was a Hal Roach Jr. production. Toni and Nestle sponsored it on alternate weeks. It was broadcast on Fridays from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. ^[5]

Critical response

A review in the trade publication Variety found little to like in the premiere episode. It said that the TV adaptation "adds no new dimensions, either in wit or humor, to the comic strip." ^[3] In contrast, it added, "the comic strip humor is diluted, the cliched lines and situations standing out like sore thumbs." ^[3]

Further reading

Blondie Goes to Hollywood, by Carol Lynn Scherling. Albany, 2010. BearManor Media. ISBN   978-1-59393-401-9.

References

1. Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (2007). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present (9 ed.). Random House Publishing. pp. 154–155. ISBN   978-0-345-49773-4 . Retrieved May 23, 2024.
2. "Blondie - the Complete 1957 Television Series - ClassicFlix".
3. "Blondie". Variety. January 16, 1957. p. 31. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
4. "Blondie - the Complete 1957 Television Series - ClassicFlix".
5. "Nestle, Toni Will Split 'Blondie' Tab". Variety. January 2, 1957. p. 17. Retrieved May 20, 2023.

External links

• Blondie at IMDb