`BLONDE' IS NO `BOMBSHELL'.

Byline: David Kronke TV Critic

Those cute, modest British comedy-dramas of manners can be tricky propositions. When they work - as did ``The Full Monty'' - they manage both rousing crowd-pleasing scenes and moments of genuine reflection. But when they fall off the table in terms of twee preciousness - say, ``Waking Ned Divine'' - you kind of just want to cringe.

``The Last of the Blonde Bombshells'' falls somewhere in between - it's not so silly as to be distasteful, but neither is it particularly involving. Dame Judi Dench stars as Elizabeth, who as the film opens is attending her husband's funeral. He wasn't a bad man, just a terribly humdrum one, apparently, and his death gets her to reflecting upon her squandered life, particularly before she got married, when she was the star saxophonist in a World War II-era all-girl band, the Blonde Bombshells.

Naturally, Elizabeth decides to round up her colleagues for one more performance - at, of all things, a dance at her granddaughter's high school (following a punk band - hmm, does this scan for you?). Turns out that one of the all-girl players was in fact a boy, Patrick (Ian Holm), who prods her along in her unlikely scheme.

So we get both the requisite getting-the-band-together cliches (will the holdouts return?) and the band's-lousy-at-practice cliches until the fateful moment, which there's no point in ruining for you if you haven't guessed it already. That Patrick turns out to be a Lothario from way back isn't given much of a surprising spin, either.

Dench, as usual, imbues her character with a real sense of mischief and keeps the proceedings moderately engaging - she singlehandedly prevents the film from being DOA - while the normally reliable Holm just seems to be going through the motions. The rest of the cast isn't given enough screen time to make much of an impression, which is a real shame, given that it includes Leslie Caron and Cleo Laine (Olympia Dukakis has a brief, loud role). These ``Bombshells'' could use a little more pop.

The facts

--The show: ``The Last of the Blonde Bombshells.''

--What: Dramedy about the reunion of a World War II-era all-girl band.

--The stars: Judi Dench, Ian Holm, Leslie Caron, Cleo Laine, Olympia Dukakis.

--Where: HBO 

--When: 9 tonight; also Tuesday, Sept. 3, 6, 11 and 15.

--Our rating: Two and one half stars.

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Dame Judi Dench is the leader of a World War II-era all-girl band in the HBO movie ``The Last of the Blonde Bombshells,'' debuting tonight.