biography
Arthur Lake (1905-1987)Born Arthur Silverlake in Kentucky on April 17, 1905, Arthur Lake was born into show business, as his parents had a vaudeville act which he joined while still a youth. In the late 1910s, the family made its way to California, where Arthur Lake would soon enter films as a juvenile lead. In 1924, Lake signed with Universal Studios and acted in many silent short subjects, nearly all of them comedies. But when Lake's contract was up in 1930, Universal dropped his option, sending his career into decline. Lake freelanced at Monogram, RKO, and other studios until signing a contract with Columbia Pictures in 1938 to portray Dagwood Bumstead in the Blondie series of films. The popularity of the first film, Blondie, in 1938 led to three follow-up films in 1939 and the introduction of the CBS radio series of the same name. 
Suddenly, Lake was famous but soon became so identified with the role that he rarely portrayed another character. In total, Columbia released
28 Blondie films, but the series---and Lake's career---ended following the release of Beware of Blondie in 1950. In 1957,
Lake returned to the Dagwood role in the short-lived Blondie television series, with Penny Singleton being replaced by Pamela Britton.
When the series was canceled, Lake retired from the screen and concentrated on his sizable business interests and dabbled in stage acting.
He retired in the early 1970s and passed away on January 9, 1987, at the age of 81. Lake's wife, Patricia, whom he married in 1937,
was raised as the niece of actress Marion Davies but was actually the daughter of Davies and newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst.Penny Singleton (1908-2003) Born Dorothy McNulty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 15, 1908, beautiful brunette Penny Singleton practically grew up onstage, starting out in vaudeville while still a child. Singleton's song-and-dance routine was highly successful, ensuring her a lot of Broadway exposure by the late 1920s. By the mid 1930s Singleton was a song-and-dance veteran, yet her career had reached its peak. She then left New York for Hollywood, picking up small supporting roles in films. Upon marrying Dr. Lawrence Singleton in 1937, she ceased using 'Dorothy McNulty' and changed her name to Penny Singleton. The following year, when actress Shirley Deane backed out of the role of Blondie, Singleton bleached her hair blond and was signed by Columbia. 
While the film series and radio show had become a success, Singleton's marriage withered and soon ended. She then married producer Robert
Sparks, in 1941. Sparks produced the first twelve films in the Blondie series before he enlisted in the Marines during World War II.
Singleton stuck with Blondie until the series fizzled in 1950. She returned to her performing for live audiences in the 1950s, and
in the early 1960s signed on to voice the character of Jane Jetson in Hanna-Barbera Productions' The Jetsons, first aired by ABC
in the fall of 1962. Singleton stuck with the role after her husband's death in 1963 and continued to lend her vocal talents to
Jetsons animation through the late 1980s. Penny Singleton passed away on November 12, 2003, following a stroke. |
the films of arthur lake and penny singletonBlondie on a Budget (1940)
In Blondie on a Budget, Rita Hayworth portrays Dagwood's old girlfriend, Joan. Also pictured is Larry Simms as Baby DumplingBlondie Plays Cupid (1940)
Lobby card from Blondie Plays Cupid, one of the funniest films in the seriesBlondie Goes to College (1942)
Lake and Singleton in a promotional photo from Blondie Goes to CollegeFootlight Glamour (1943)
Singleton and Lake camp it up in Footlight Glamour, one of just two films in the series that did not include 'Blondie' in its title; the other film is It's a Great Life (also released in 1943)Leave It to Blondie (1945) 
LEFT: Lake and Singleton in a promotional photo from Leave It to Blondie. RIGHT: Lobby cardBlondie's Big Moment (1947)
With Anita Louise in Blondie's Big MomentBlondie's Reward (1948)
Lobby card from Blondie's Reward, with Larry Simms as Alexander and Marjorie Ann Mutchie as Cookie.Blondie's Big Deal (1949)
In Blondie's Big Deal, Dagwood gets roughed up by thugs who want to steal his formula for fireproof paintBlondie's Hero (1950)
In Blondie's Hero, the penultimate film in the series, Dagwood prepares to join an Army Reserve unitBeware of Blondie (1950)
From Beware of Blondie, the 28th and last of Columbia's Blondie series. Also pictured is Dick Wessel |
filmographyThis listing is for Blondie films only and does not include other film appearances by Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton:
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This page premiered July 21, 2003.
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