Blondie (also known as The New Blondie) is an American sitcom that aired on CBS during the 1968–69 television season. The series is an updated version of the 1957 TV series based on the comic strip of the same name. The series stars Patricia Harty as the title character and Will Hutchins as her husband, Dagwood Bumstead. Jim Backus played Dagwood's boss Mr. Dithers, with his real-life wife, Henny Backus, playing Cora Dithers. The series also featured Peter Robbins as the Bumsteads' son, Alexander, Pamelyn Ferdin as their daughter, Cookie, and character actor Bryan O'Byrne as the hapless mailman, always getting run over by Dagwood hurrying out the door, late for work.
| Blondie | |
|---|---|
 The Bumstead family. | |
| Also known as | The New Blondie |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Based on | comic strip Blondie by Chic Young |
| Written by | Danny Simon |
| Directed by | Norman Abbott Peter Baldwin Bruce Bilson Gene Nelson |
| Starring | Patricia Harty Will Hutchins Peter Robbins Pamelyn Ferdin Jim Backus |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 (1 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Al Brodax |
| Producer | Joe Connelly |
| Running time | 24 mins. |
| Production companies | Kayro Productions King Features Syndicate |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 26, 1968 – January 9, 1969 |
| Related | |
Synopsis
editBlondie stars Patricia Harty and Will Hutchins as Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead, a suburban couple raising two precocious children. Plots mixed typical sitcom tropes from home life and work life. The series is best remembered for its opening theme, which featured the comic strip characters in animated form before transforming into the actors playing the characters.
Like the 1957 version, which lasted only one season, the series was not a hit, lasting a total of 13 weeks before being canceled, with the final episode remaining unaired.[1] Two further episodes were planned, "The Dying Swan" and "Dagwood's Private War", but were never completed.
Cast
edit
- Patricia Harty as Blondie
- Will Hutchins as Dagwood Bumstead
- Jim Backus as Mr. Dithers
- Pamelyn Ferdin as Cookie
- Peter Robbins as Alexander
- Henny Backus as Mrs. Cora Dithers
- Bobbi Jordan as Tootsie Woodley
- Bryan O'Byrne as the mailman Mr. Beasley
Ferdin and Robbins would later reunite on the 1969 television special It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown and the 1969 film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, being the last time Robbins played Charlie Brown.
Production notes
editThis version of the series, jointly produced by CBS Productions (which owns the distribution rights in the United States), King Features Syndicate and Kayro Productions, ran from September 26, 1968, to January 9, 1969.
Cast member Pamelyn Ferdin recalls the series was cancelled so abruptly that the cast was dismissed during the lunch break while an episode was being filmed.[citation needed]
Episode list
edit| Nº | Title | Directed by | Written by | Air date | PC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Sayanora Dagwood" | Norman Abbott | Gary Belkin and George Tibbles | September 26, 1968 | 1 |
| 2 | "My Camp Runneth Over" | Peter Baldwin | Gary Belkin & John McGreevey | October 3, 1968 | 8 |
| 3 | "Blondie-Flower Child" | Norman Abbott | Unknown | October 10, 1968 | 4 |
| 4 | "The Gladiators" | Gene Nelson | Danny Simon | October 17, 1968 | 9 |
| 5 | "Angel in Disguise" | Bruce Bilson | Unknown | October 31, 1968 | 10 |
| 6 | "Dither's Damned Dog" | Norman Abbott | Unknown | November 7, 1968 | 2 |
| 7 | "Dagwood the Wheeler Dealer" | Norman Abbott | Unknown | November 14, 1968 | 6 |
| 8 | "Blondie's Good Citizen" | Norman Abbott | Unknown | November 21, 1968 | 3 |
| 9 | "Blondie's Birthday" | Gene Nelson | Unknown | December 5, 1968 | 13 |
| 10 | "Marriage Menders" | Norman Abbott | Lois Hire | December 12, 1968 | 5 |
| 11 | "Blondie's Masquerade" | Gene Nelson | Unknown | December 19, 1968 | 11 |
| 12 | "Once Upon a Guru" | Norman Abbott | Unknown | December 26, 1968 | 7 |
| 13 | "Pick on a Bully Your Own Size" | Peter Baldwin | Unknown | January 9, 1969 | 14 |
| 14 | "Run Buddy Run" | Gene Nelson | Bob Mosher | UNAIRED | 12 |
References
edit- ^ Tucker, David C. (2010). Lost Laughs of '50s and '60s Television: Thirty Sitcoms That Faded Off Screen. McFarland. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-786-44466-3.
Further reading
edit- Blondie Goes to Hollywood, by Carol Lynn Scherling. Albany, 2010. BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-401-9.