BOOKSTEVE'S LIBRARY

BLOOOOOOONDIE!!!

The comic strip BLONDIE is celebrating its 75th anniversary this month with the most crossovers from other strip characters since Mort Walker's legendary SAM'S STRIP. Here at the Library we celebrate by showing off this item, a paperback collection from 1968 that was meant to cash in on the hot new TV sitcom version of BLONDIE that debuted that fall. Unfortunately, it wasn't all that hot and was quickly a trivia question. My own personal recollection is that it was pretty funny. Patricia Harty was featured as Blondie and Peter Robbins who played Charlie Brown in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS was Alexander. A future Lucy Van Pelt, ubiquitous child star Pamelyn Ferdin, was Cookie and former TV cowboy Will Hutchins was Dagwood. Here's a picture of your Librarian himself with Mr. Will "Call me Hutch" Hutchins taken last year at the Cincinnati Old Time Radio and Nostalgia Convention. He said that not a year passes that somone doesn't ask him if he has copies of those BLONDIE shows (He doesn't), especially one that featured Bruce Lee as a guest star! I guess the point is that a lot can happen to characters in 75 years...but they're still here and that's more than can be said for just about any other strip that shared "the funny pages" with BLONDIE back in the day. Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids!