Book Talk: Past favorites, Part III

I must have been 15 because we hadn’t yet moved to California, and I had “outgrown” my interest in books about dinosaurs. The librarian from whom I had been seeking guidance since the third grade knew that, for the past several years, I really enjoyed humorous books, like those written by Erma Bombeck. She suggested a book by Eric Hodgins.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

“Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (1946, 336 pages in hardback) was one of the funniest books I’ve read. It was the basis for the same-named movie, released in 1948, starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. I remember enjoying the movie as much as the book, although I was undoubtedly less critical (and cynical) in those days. And I was quite surprised to see Lex Barker (who played Tarzan in a series of movies based on the books by Edgar Rice Burroughs) playing the role of the foreman of a carpentry crew.

The book centers on Jim Blandings, an advertising executive, who feels cramped in a small apartment in New York. He’s married to Muriel, and they have two daughters, Betsy and Joan, who pretty much monopolize the one bathroom. Muriel’s solution is to tear down a wall, thereby expanding their living space.