TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

dougdoepke Catch that inferno consuming the lodge; it's an unexpectedly somber note inside the usual Blondie amusement. Must be stock footage since it's too real for a budget series. Seems our favorite movie family is taking a vacation lakeside. Trouble is the inn they're staying at is almost vacant and about to be foreclosed by a mean guy who owns the lodge across the lake. When B & D find out, they pitch in to help the old couple who are about to lose their livelihood. Meanwhile, Baby Dumpling and Daisy go missing. Oh my, what will Mom and Dad do now.There's more action here than usual with more cast extras. Still the Bumstead antics are funny as usual, especially Daisy the dog who steals the show. Too bad they don't give canine Oscars. Daisy deserves one for her flawlessly natural silliness. Then too, shouldn't overlook MacBride (Morton) who was such a good meanie. Here his clashes with Dagwood are little gems. And what about Donald Meek, he looks meek but is he. But whatever you do, don't let Dagwood fix your vacuum cleaner unless you want to visit the moon. Anyway, it's solid Bumstead fun, again showing what a perfect pairing they were.

JohnHowardReid Penny Singleton (Blondie), Arthur Lake (Dagwood), Larry Simms (Baby Dumpling), Danny Mummert (Alvin Fuddle), Donald Meek (Jonathan Gillis), Donald MacBride (Harvey Morton), Thomas W. Ross (Matthew Dickerson), Elizabeth Dunne (Mrs Dickerson), Robert Wilcox (John Larkin), Harlan Briggs (Holden), Irving Bacon (mailman), Milt Kibbee (creditor), Emmett Vogan (conductor), and "Daisy".Director: FRANK R. STRAYER. Screenplay: Richard Flournoy. Story: Karen DeWolf, Robert Chapin, Richard Flournoy. Based on characters created by Chic Young. Photography: Henry Freulich. Art director: Lionel Banks. Gowns designed by Kalloch. Film editor: Viola Lawrence. Music director: Morris W. Stoloff. Producer: Robert Sparks.Copyright 25 July 1939 by Columbia Pictures Corp. No recorded New York presentation. U.S. release: 20 July 1939. Australian release: late 1939. 7 reels. Original running time variously reported as 61, 68 and 71 minutes. Impossible to check of course, as all present prints run 75 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Blondie saves a friendly resort hotel from bankruptcy.NOTES: Number 3 of the 28-picture series. COMMENT: Dagwood's boss, Mr. Dithers, does not come into this one at all — the film seems to improve by his absence and also by the infusion of new writing talent on the story. Karen DeWolf and Robert Chapin collaborated on the story with screenwriter Richard Flournoy.The plot is stronger and much more entertaining than the first films in the series. Also the film's budget is larger (no doubt as a result of the commercial success of the first films). This is reflected not only in the more painstaking direction by Frank R. Strayer, and better film editing by Viola Lawrence, but in the large number of extras, the spectacular fire sequences, and the large number of sets.

lugonian BLONDIE TAKES A VACATION (Columbia, 1939), the third installment to Chic Young's comic strip characters of the Bumstead family, is a continuation from BLONDIE MEETS THE BOSS which concluded with Mr. Dithers (Jonathan Hale), Dagwood's boss, granting the Bumstead family their long awaited vacation.In this venture, as usual, nothing seems to go right. As they prepare themselves to leave on their vacation, Blondie (Penny Singleton) becomes upset over Dagwood's (Arthur Lake) frightened reaction towards her new hat. Then, on the train bound for Lake Kanoby, Blondie is reading "Old Mother Hubbard" to her son, Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms),while their dog Daisy, hidden away between the luggage, barks whenever she hears the word "Bone." This starts to annoy an irritable passenger (Donald MacBride) sitting close by, to the point of reporting the situation to the conductor, who places Daisy in the baggage car, causing Baby Dumpling to address this mean man as "The Big Bad Wolf." Also on board the train is Jonathan N. Gillis (Donald Meek) a kindly old gentleman who takes an immediate liking to the Bumsteads. Upon their arrival at the Lake Hotel, Blondie and Dagwood are refused accommodations from the manager, who turns out to be Harvey Morton, the "big bad wolf" on the train. They then head on over to the Westview Inn, located on the other side of the lake, owned by Matthew and Emily Dickerson (Thomas W. Ross and Elizabeth Dunne), an elderly couple in financial straits, thanks to Morton's scheme in phasing them out and taking over their establishment. Instead of enjoying their time away from home, the Bumsteads find themselves helping the Dickersons, with Dagwood acting as manager; Blondie the host-es; Baby Dumpling doing what he does at home, the dishes; and Daisy dreaming of being back home.Funny and sentimental with a touch of suspense, particularly towards the end as the abandoned Lake Inn catches fire, with Baby Dumpling and Daisy trapped inside one of the rooms, making this one hot item in the series. BLONDIE TAKES A VACATION leaves a good feeling in having a young married couple taking the time to help an elderly couple in need. While Donald MacBride is the villain here, his initial encounter with the Bumsteads isn't properly developed. First seen on the train with his foot resting on Dagwood's hat on the floor, and apologizing for his error, Blondie becomes the instigator, stirring up the passenger by insulting him, leading to rivalry between the two. Had his Harvey Morton character shown no remorse instead of apologizing, Blondie's anger towards this man would have been understandable. Morton may have no right in turning away paying guests like the Bumsteads, however, if this didn't happen, the Dickersons wouldn't have had the help they needed to survive. Donald Meek plays a likable character who turns out to be an arsonist, a secret known only by his nephew, John Larkin (Robert Wilcox), who later suspects his uncle for starting the Lake Inn blaze, while Morton accuses Dagwood and having the sheriff (Arthur Aylesworth) placing him under arrest. However, unknown to everyone, there happens to be a sole witness who knows how the fire started.Series regulars as Danny Mummert as Alvin Fuddow and Irving Bacon as the neighborhood postman (who gets knocked down by the entire family as they rush from the house to the taxi), are seen briefly during the film's opening. (It's funny that the Bumsteads didn't bother to close their front door after departing). The story then breaks away from routine domestic affairs after shifting to the train and hotel.Another quieter entry in the series with some amusing moments worth mentioning: Dagwood's attempt in fixing a vacuum cleaner, to put on the switch and having it float into the air as the dust bag fills up like a balloon; Daisy wiping the dishes dry with a dish rag towel attached to her tail; and Baby Dumpling's encounter with a skunk as it runs into the air conditioning system of "the big bad wolf's" hotel, with the smell causing peddles to drop from the flowers and the vocalist (Christine McIntyre) of the dining room getting all choked up while attempting to sing "Love in Bloom," followed by the hotel guests making an immediate exit in droves. Pew! Distributed on commercial television in the 1970s, and years later on video cassette and DVDs, with sing-along introduction and King Features trademark conclusion, the original theatrical introduction, featuring Columbia logo and drawings of comic strip characters superimposed to the actors portraying them, has been restored as presented on American Movie Classics from 1996 to 2001. What's more in store with the Bumsteads? Find out with its next installment, "Blondie Brings Up Baby." (**1/2)

james362001 This film, third in the Blondie series, takes a refreshing change of pace. The Bumsteads finally get to take a two-week vacation. The vacation isn't exactly trouble-free though. There is much concern for Baby Dumpling. This film takes a dramatic turn when Baby Dumpling gets caught inside a hotel on fire. The next film in the series is BLONDIE BRINGS UP BABY.