** boys' clothing in movies : Blondie movies cast








Blondie Movies: Cast


Figure 1.-- Here we see the Bumstead family. The same characters played the roles in all of the different films. Baby Dumpling's (Larry Lee Simms) suit here is a bit more stylish than what most American boys would have worn. The other cast members wear fairly standard outfits.

The Blobdie films were almost like a TV series. They were made over a relatively short period of time and the main characters from the strip were all played by the same actors. Penny Singleton played Blondie. You might never have thought she was a Flapper. She was the steady practical core of the family, although the films were all centered on Dagwood. Arthur Lake played Dagwood. He goes through some of the motions of the familiar comic strip. Dagwood is always messing up things at work, but everything always comes out right at the end. Lake became very much associated with the role. Jonathan Hale played J.C. Dithers. Larry Lee Simms (1934- ) played Baby Dumpling (Alexander). I don't recogmoze him from any other films. He did, however, have small roles in a number of other films. It is role of Baby Dumpling/Alexander for whih he is best known. Larry played his parts well with a kind of mature, dead-pan approach. Cookie appeared in the final films. She was played by Majelle White. There were always a greater range of characters in the fim than in the strip, in keeping with the needs of the format.

Penny Singleton

Penny Singleton played Blondie. You never would have thought she was a Flapper. (That was of course how Blondie began.) She was the steady practical core of the family, although the films were all centered on Dagwood. Blondie mostly reacted to scenes Dagwood created.

Arthur Lake

Arthur Lake played Dagwood. He goes through some of the motions of the familiar comic strip. Dagwood is always messing up things at work, but everything always comes out right at the end. Lake became very much associated with the role.

Jonathan Hale

Jonathan Hale played J.C. Dithers.

Larry Lee Simms (1934- )

Larry Lee Simms (1934- ) played Baby Dumpling (Alexander). I don't recogmoze him from any other films. He did, however, have small roles in a number of other films. It is role of Baby Dumpling/Alexander for which he is best known. Larry played his parts well with a kind of mature, dead-pan approach. I have been able to find almost no biographical information on Larry. We know that he was born in Los Angeles, which of course helps with a show business career. He began his show business career as a child model when he was 2 years old. It was a 1937 Saturday Evening Post ad that led a Hollywood talent scout to Larry. His first film role was as the toddler son of Jimmy Stewart and Rose Stradner in MGM's "The Last Gangster". It was this appearance that got Larry the role of Baby Dumpling in the Blondie series. As he got older, Baby Dumpling was changed to Alexander. He played the same role through to the end of the series (1950). He reportedly earned $750 week. Certainly not a super star status, but quite a bit of money in the 1940s. As a boy he seems to have bee more interested in technical matters associated with movie making than the craft of acting. The public watched Larry grow up in the series and becoming a teenager. Larry was in the final film of the series--"Beware of Blondie" (1950). While his primary work was in the Blondie series, Larry did appear in other films, including "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) and "Madame Bovary" (1949). As far as I know, he enjoyed his acting experience, but was not overwealmed by it like some child stats. He seems to have made no effort to continue acting after the Blondie series ended. In fact he joined the Navy (1950). After the Navy he enrolled at California Polytech to study aeronautical engineering. After college he worked as an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. We know little about his marriage. One report indicates that and is wife after retirement are iving in Thailand (2006).

Majelle White

Cookie appeared in the final films. She was played by Majelle White.

Danny Mummert (1934- )

Danny Mummert was born in Dallas, Texas during 1934. He played Baby Dumplings's friend and pesky neighbor kid Alvin Fuddle. He looks older than Baby Dumpling, but was acr]tually about the same age. Danny's career as a child actor is largely associated with the Blondie series. He was in most, but not all of the films in the series. He appeared even before Baby Dumpling in the first film--"Blondie" (1938). Like Larry Simms (Baby Dumpling), Danny also grew up before the public in the Blondie series. Like Larry he was also in the final Blondie film--"Beware of Blondie" (1950). He appeared in some other films as well, including some well known films. He was Donna Reed's younger brother in Frank Capra's Christmas classic--"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). When the Blondie series ended, Danny was a teenager. He got a few minor teenage roles. His last major film was another classic-- "Member of the Wedding" (1952). He played Barney McKean. He continued in show business for 2 more years playinging mostly uncredited parts in small films and television programs.








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Created: 10:24 PM 11/2/2006
Last updated: 10:24 PM 11/2/2006