Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 26, 2026

George Marshall's "Hold That Blonde!" (1945) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I wasn't stealing it. I swear. I was bringing it back to the bank.

Ogden Spencer Trulow III (Eddie Bracken) has a serious problem, one that could ruin him. He cannot stop stealing, all the time, even when he tries his best to keep his hands off other people’s possessions. Wallets, expensive watches, fancy cigarette cases, even police badges keep ending up in his pockets. And now, just an hour ago, he was busted trying to rob the local bank. He did not plan the job. It just happened. In the middle of the night, he somehow walked to the bank, somehow opened its vault, and somehow was ready to walk away with thousands of dollars in his hands and pockets. And right before he was to go home with the loot, somehow it felt really, really good robbing the bank -- the same bank that his famous grandfather had founded many decades ago.

Realizing that Trulow is not a conventional robber, the bank’s president, a great admirer of his famous grandfather, refuses to press charges and instead urges him to seek medical help. Trulow, visibly moved, vows to do so and, less than an hour later, meets one of the city’s most renowned psychologists (George Zucco), who, after a quick examination, identifies his condition as an advanced form of kleptomania. The psychologist also recommends the perfect cure for it -- Trulow must find a special girl to fall in love with. If he does, his mind will be too busy with her, and he will not feel the urge to, consciously or subconsciously, ‘collect’ other people’s possessions.

Back out on the streets, while still pondering the psychologist’s recommendation, Trulow bumps into Sally Martin (Veronica Lake) and instantly becomes obsessed with her, unaware that she has been forced to assist a gang of thieves planning to steal the priceless Romanoff jewels. While Trulow begins following her around and Martin reluctantly allows him to become involved with her ‘partners’, the Romanoff jewels are successfully stolen. However, following a string of complications, one of them being Trulow’s realization that Martin is not a professional thief but a good girl who has been tricked into behaving as one, the Romanoff jewels end up at the wrong place.

If the title of George Marshall’s film was supposed to be a curveball, it is not an effective one, because it takes less than fifteen minutes to realize that Bracken and Lake will be equal partners under the spotlight. In fact, in several key areas, Bracken dominates for a substantial period of time, and very convincingly, too. Lake is predictably charming, but the film is not built around her character. At the center of it are Bracken’s antics, which effectively stretch its narrative in different directions.

The bulk of the comedy produces good laughs, though anyone expecting an avalanche of witty one-liners or equally witty innuendo will likely be underwhelmed. The laughs are generated by confusion and mayhem, virtually all of which emphasize hilarious action, rather than hilarious chatter.

Like all good comedies that emerged during the 1940s, this film maintains a brisk, steady tempo. It never looks rushed, but the final act, where Lake’s ‘partners’ become suspicious of each other, could have been expanded and made less predictable.

Marshall’s director of photography was Oscar winner Daniel L. Fapp, who several decades later lensed West Side Story and The Great Escape.

Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hold That Blonde! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 2K master, sourced from a fine grain. Virtually all visuals that this master produces have pleasing organic qualities. However, the film has not been properly restored, so many of the same visuals reveal various small age-related imperfections, such as nicks, blemishes, and tiny scratches. In a few places, I also noticed some weaving. On a large screen, it is easy to see that grain exposure is not ideal either. However, it is just as easy to see that all grain the current master has retained, which is plenty, is unmolested by any digital work. The grayscale is good. However, occasionally, blacks and whites reveal minor inconsistencies. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any distracting age-related anomalies to report in our review. However, if the volume of your system is turned up a bit higher than usual, you will notice unevenness in different parts of the film. This unevenness is never distracting, but it makes it obvious that the film is quite old. Dynamic intensity is pretty modest, which should not be surprising either. All exchanges are clear and easy to follow.

Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Julie Kirgo and Peter Hankoff.

Hold That Blonde! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may be too obvious what would happen after Eddie Bracken's kleptomaniac bumps into Veronica Lake's thief, but Hold That Blonde! is still a wonderful little film with an irresistible charm. In fact, had its humor been a little sharper and the final act a bit more elaborate, Hold That Blonde! almost certainly would have been mentioned with the best comedies the 1940s produced. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a slightly rough but good new 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.