Bulldog Drummond at Bay

John Lodge is Captain Hugh Drummond in one of a long series of films (its one of thee films from 1937 all with different Drummond's. The other two are the miscast Ray Milland and the perfectly cast John Howard).

Here Drummond and his friends take on a group of foreign spies trying to get their hands on a new plane. One of the baddies is played to perfection by Victory Jory, who really turns in a highly evil performance. This is one of the darkest of any of the Drummond films with the bad guys really doing a number on anyone and everyone who fall into their hands.

This is a solid, if slightly nasty little film that plays very differently than the seven films that followed with John Howard in the lead. Those films, while good little mysteries of their own, were just a tad lighter than this film. Very much worth a look, especially if one looks at how the character changed in one year by watching Ray Milland in Bulldog Drummond Escapes and John Howard in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back.

Bulldog Drummond Comes Back, Bulldog Drummond in Africa and the John Howard Bulldog Drummond series

For a brief instant Sapper's urbane hero Captain Hugh Drummond was all over the place. From 1929's Oscar nominated BULLDOG DRUMMOND the end of the 1930's there were 14 films with the character made in the US and in England.  Ronald Coleman starred in two (getting an Oscar nomination for his efforts), Ray Milland took a stab as did John Lodge and Sir Ralph Richardson (who also played the villain in ALIAS BULLDOG DRUMMOND)

Drummond was a bored World War One vet who found himself always getting into trouble of one sort or another- perfect for the movies. The character seemed to sit out the Second World War but then was brought back in films with Tom Conway, Walter Pidgeon and others trying to make a go. None of them did, not even an attempt in the 1960's to make him a James Bond like spy.

The interesting thing is that in 1937 there were four films with the character two (well three) of which were with one of the great unheralded film series of all time. To be certain the films aren't great mysteries but they are entertaining and exciting thrillers centered around good people. They were also more consistent than pretty much any other series running at the time even things like Charlie Chan, Doctor Kildare or Andy Hardy. I don't think there is a bad one in the lot and all leave you wanting to see another one.

1937 saw John Lodge play Drummond in BULLDOG DRUMMOND AT BAY a good spy related thriller.  The role was then taken over by Ray Milland for a single adventure-BULLDOG DRUMMOND ESCAPES.  The film was hoped to be the start of a series with Milland in the lead but things didn't work out and Milland went on to other things.

However someone at Paramount saw something in the cast (EE Clive as Drummond's butler Tenny, Reginald Deny as Drummond's best friend Algy and Heather Angel as Drummond's long suffering fiance Phyllis Clavering) and the possibility for a series and the brought in John Howard to take over for Milland and John Barrymore to play Scotland Yard head Col. Neilsen and  a sterling series was born.

To be certain the films are largely interchangeable (the Howard films maybe the most interchangeable of any series)- Drummond is always on the verge of getting married and something happens- and the mysteries aren't mysterious but the interplay between the leads makes it all worth seeing.  Watching the film you get to see a bunch of actors doing their thing at the top of their game. Clive will always be the perfect man servant to me. Reginald Denny will always be Algy so whenever he shows up else were occasionally as a killer or cad I can't believe Algy would do that. Heather Angel is also the perfectly unflappable woman-sure to be an occasional damsel in distress but also perfectly capable of kicking ass. As for John Howard he is the perfect leading man. In a career that stretched 45 years outside of his TV work rarely was he allowed to be this big a hero and command the screen as he does in the Drummond films.

John Barrymore's role as Neilsen is an interesting one. Brought in because he was a name, even if he was on the way down, Barrymore attacked the role with a passion. Allowed to actually take part in the mysteries, he dressed up in various disguises and was there with Drummond or at least sleuthing parallel he actually gave it the old college try. For reasons I'm not too sure of, he was removed after three films. Sadly the films continued on without him- but for those three films we have a great actor doing more than just hitting his marks for money.

I love the series. I fell in love with it back when AMC was American Movie Classics and Bob Dorian was the Robert Osborne of the time. Way back when I was discovering all the great old film series before TCM ate them up and showed them only occasionally.

BULLDOG DRUMMOND COMES BACK was the first of the series and it's set- as most of the series are- on Drummond's wedding day to Miss Clavering.  Things take a turn for the weird when Phyllis is kidnapped and dragged off by a J.Carol Nash for a woman who's husband Drummond locked away. Drummond can get her back but first he has to do certain things.

The film is a tense sort of romp. Outside of the fact that you know that six films follow there is a certain amount of tension as to whether Drummond will get Phyliss back. Barrymore is delightful as Neilsen, playing it often under heavy makeup so that he could help Drummond solve the case without being seen by the bad guys. Its a great deal of fun and it sets up the remaining films and all of the character relationships for the films that follow perfectly.

BULLDOG DRUMMOND IN AFRICA is the first of the non-Barrymore films. It has Neilsen, now played by HB Warner, Kidnapped by Richard Lane a villain played by J. Carol Naish. (seeing this film  for the first time in years and realizing Naish was in an earlier film was what prompted this piece) Lane wants revenge on Drummond and Neilsen for past interference in his crimes. He spirits the Colonel off to Morocco with Drummond in pursuit. Scotland Yard is unhappy about this since they think they are running their own game but that isn't the case- Lane has compromised them.

Another fun film, again largely for the cast interactions (and the appearance of Anthony Quinn) the film has some tense moments thanks to some hungry lions kept as pets as well a hidden time bomb.

Absolutely enjoyable- as are all of the John Howard Drummonds.

(I will be reviewing more Bulldog Drummond films over the next several months)

Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1937)

John Lodge is Captain Hugh Drummond in one of a long series of films (its one of three films from 1937 all with different Drummond's. The other two are the miscast Ray Milland and the perfectly cast John Howard).

Here Drummond and his friends take on a group of foreign spies trying to get their hands on a new plane. One of the baddies is played to perfection by Victory Jory, who really turns in a highly evil performance.

This is one of the darkest of any of the Drummond films with the bad guys really doing a number on anyone and everyone who fall into their hands. This is a solid, if slightly nasty little film that plays very differently than the seven films that followed with John Howard in the lead. Those films, while good little mysteries of their own, were just a tad lighter than this film. Very much worth a look, especially if one looks at how the character changed in one year by watching Ray Milland in Bulldog Drummond Escapes and John Howard in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back

Alias Bulldog Drummond (aka Bulldog Jack) (1935)

Jack Hulbert plays a polo player named Jack Pennington who literally runs into Bulldog Drummond when Drummond's car is sabotaged to stop Drummond from helping the young woman (Fay Wray) back in London. Drummond's arm is broken in the crash and he asks Hulbert to take his place in order to get the information that will let him help the fair damsel.Hulbert of course refuses to give up the ruse and soon with the aid of Algy he's trying to rescue the kidnapped girl and best the villainous Morelle (Ralph Richardson).

Moving like the wind this is a damn fine little comedy mystery. Hulbert is absolutely hysterical as the Drummond wannabe as he blusters his way in and out of danger. His insanity is absolutely charming.(He would repeat the same sort of nonsense to much the same effect three or so years later in Kate Plus Ten an adaptation of an Edgar Wallace story thats gotten better with each viewing. Fay Wray has never looked more stunning. I'm so used to her in American films which seem now never managed to show her beauty the way that this film does. As Morelle Ralph Richardson is a truly demented evil genius. Its clear he's dangerous, however he's so genuinely smooth that you almost by that he could be a nice guy.

The action is first rate with the climatic underground train sequence rightly held out as a key reason to see the film. One can easily imagine that the final twists and turns had audience members seeing this on a big screen shrieking.

This is a really good film and one wonders why its not currently out on DVD or, apparently, available for TV broadcast in the United States other than on the collectors market, since its easily one of the better mysteries of this sort.

Yes you really do want to check this film out.

(I don't know if I'd consider it a Bulldog Drummond film, partly because its so humorous, partly because Drummond isn't really in it and partly because its kind of atypical for the films that are real Drummond films. It is but its not. Can we call it a semi-Drummond film?)