November 29, 2011
It has just come to light that Ned Scott photographed “Blondie’s Anniversary” for Columbia Pictres in 1947. The film starred Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake and Larry Simms. The film was directed by Abby Berlin. This film is a series film based on Chic Young’s comic book characters from his strip “Blondie” which began newspaper syndication in 1938. There were many preceding films in this series before this one in 1947. It’s a comedy as one would expect, and it utilizes many unintended miscues which so often characterize the life of Blondie. These miscues lead to several hilarious turns of events which eventually culminate in happy resolution for the characters. But for Ned Scott, the role played by Adele Jergens (Gloria Stafford, a bank president’s secretary) offered excellent photographic opportunities. Judging by the number and high quality of the prints Ned Scott saved of Adele Jergens in his own personal collection, I can conclude that he enjoyed working with the actress whenever he had the chance. I know he found her easy to work with because she photographed so well in many different roles. Her chief asset was her long blond and wavy hair, and this feature is highlighted in many of the prints he saved. Sitting in his collection is a 16 x 20 print from this movie, and before I found this print below on Ebay auction, I did not have any idea as to the source movie for the large print. Notice the earrings, they were the decisive clue, along with the dress. The large collection print and the Ebay auction print display the same setting and garb, clinching the fact that they were both from the same photo session for Ned Scott.
Adele Jergens photo from “Blondie’s Anniversary” by Ned Scott