Cinema Revisited: Blonde for a Day (1946)

Directed by Sam Newfield. Cast: Hugh Beaumont, Kathryn Adams, Cy Kendall, Marjorie Hoshelle, Richard Fraser, Paul Bryar, Frank Ferguson, Sonia Sorel. Released June 10, 1946. Running time: 68 minutes.

Everyone knows Hugh Beaumont as Ward Cleaver from the TV series "Leave it to Beaver." He is one of the iconic "dad" characters in television history; a stern-yet-understanding presence that came to be considered the quintessential father figure type. However, Beaumont had a long career before landing that role. One can see him pop up in films with James Cagney, W.C. Fields, Edward G. Robinson, and Alan Ladd.

Hugh Beaumont appeared in dozens of B movies for the smaller studios, including a five-film stint at Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC) where he played detective Michael Shayne. "Blonde for a Day" is one of the better films in the series, all of which were fast-paced, entertaining and exciting in the best B movie tradition. And as with most poverty row studio releases, character actors who showed up everywhere are present in "Blonde for a Day," including Cy Kendall and Frank Ferguson.

There are elements of Ward Cleaver in the Michael Shayne character as played by Beaumont, as that seems to be Hugh's general style of manner and delivery. But he resonates just fine playing more serious scenes, standing up to gangsters by holding a 38 and saying "don't stick your nose too far out this door unless you want it shot off."

The film alternates between being dry and acerbic to being dark and mysterious; elements of film noir that settle comfortably despite the low level expense of the production. Beaumont is cheerful and smiling at one point, serious and measured in another. His Michael Shayne is typically cunning and unafraid. For those of us used to Ward Cleaver from TV, Beaumont is nicely effective in this much different role.

Of course "Blonde for a Day" isn't great cinema in the traditional sense. Director Sam Newfield was a B-movie specialist, not a cinematic stylist, who got a lot done within the parameters of a brief shooting schedule and a threadbare budget. He shoots his movie in order to play out the narrative, allowing the story and the actors to carry the production. In a film like this, that works out just fine.

Now that the entire 5-film series is on DVD, it allows us to not only see a chunk of Hugh Beaumont's pre-TV acting and how well he sustains a very different character than Ward Cleaver, it also gives us the opportunity to appreciate low budget cinema at this level. "Blonde for a Day" invariably would play on double feature programs, supporting an A-picture from one of the major studios. But in neighborhood theaters, it sometimes secured the top of the bill.

It is worth noting that Beaumont's real-life wife, Kathryn Adams, plays his partner-secretary, and effectively so. She even gets to deliver the movie's final punch!

A true understanding and appreciation of film history would not only extend to the earliest days of the moving picture, it would include cinema of all eras, nations, and statuses. This includes the cheap, aggressive B movies from poverty rows studios. "Blonde For a Day" is recommended, as are all of the PRC features with Hugh Beaumont as Michael Shayne.