The Blondie Comic Goes to Radio

Blondie started as a comic strip in daily newspapers decades ago. They didn’t begin as a joke a day strip, they had continuing plot lines and stories. The comic became so popular that it spread to nationwide syndication.

Popular entertainment at the time centered on the radio. Television wasn’t a thing and computers were science fiction.

The Blondie radio show had storylines not necessarily from the comic. I sampled the radio shows to see what the attraction was.

The first radio show was “The Fashion Show for Men.” This show originally aired on October 30, 1939.

Dagwood is volunteered to be part of a charity fashion show. Dagwood, the bad at his job, glutton, and lost guy, mansplains fashion to Blondie. Seriously Dagwood. Naturally he goes for a suit himself, gets something hideous and pays too much.

Blondie is able to bail out Dagwood and make money for her charity.

Eighty-five years ago this was probably original and witty. Today this was cliche filled and predictable. For some mindless fun, it was pretty good. Like the comic in the paper.