Bulldog Drummond - Die Rache der schwarzen Witwe

This is the tenth Bulldog Drummond film, and the first starring John Howard, who was to make the character his own in memorable fashion. John Barrymore gets top billing, despite the fact that he is in only a supporting role, but then that's stars for you! Barrymore plays Inspector Neilson, which he was to do for two more films, but he looks tired and world-weary, in fact as if he had been on a binge the night before (which is not unlikely). Barrymore dons some excellent disguises during the film, with false noses and moustaches and odd accents, which must have delighted him. We have almost as much fun with them as he does. The boring Louise Campbell plays Phyllis Clavering, who is always about to marry Drummond but constantly being prevented from doing so by some new crime erupting, or being kidnapped, or whatever. (The next year the more exciting Heather Angel was to resume this role, which would be a great improvement.) E. E. Clive and Reginald Denny as Tenny the Butler and Algy respectively, are here again (having missed the intervening film with John Lodge as Drummond), and are as marvellous as ever. This film has an extra dimension of interest. The wonderfully sinister villains played here by J. Carroll Naish and Helen Freeman not only kidnap Phyllis but put Drummond, upon whom they seek revenge, through an ingenious 'treasure hunt' ordeal, where they leave him coy notes which he has to decipher quickly, and also gramophone records where he is given instructions on where to go and what to do next. This is certainly an excellent added layer of intrigue to a mystery story, and is a story device which should be used more often in films. It all becomes really interesting as we follow the frustrated Drummond from rendezvous to rendezvous, as he is 'given the runaround' with the clock ticking. There are of course comic moments, and a great deal of quaintness is on hand at the seaside tavern where you walk in, order your beer, choose a gramophone record and put it on the Victrola which is sitting on the bar. Never saw that before! The earliest form of jukebox! This is a particularly good Drummond movie, and is well worth watching.

In foggy old London town/ Did Drummond chase the poesy 'round/ Assisted by a secret corps/ Led by "Colonel" Barrymore.

In this Bulldog Drummond adventure, starring John Howard, he must follow a playful string of clues to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend. The villains, intent on revenge, hiss and taunt at every turn. Thankfully, they drag out the game long enough for the hero to thwart their efforts. John Barrymore plays the resourceful Colonel Neilson who finds a way to aid Drummond.

As adventures go, this is rather weak. The trail of clues is obtuse and repetitive. It all ends with a ticking cliche.

Now John Howard is Bulldog Drummond in this 1937 film, "Bulldog Drummond Comes Back," with John Barrymore getting top billing.

Phyllis (Louise Campbell), the fiancée of Bulldog, is kidnapped. In order to find her, Bulldog, who has wronged the kidnappers, has to solve a series of clues. It's all to trap him.

The villains are J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman, and John Barrymore is the Colonel. He did two Bulldog films. What a great actor -- it's kind of sad to see him here. He uses some disguises very effectively.

Tenney (E.E. Clive) is very good as Bulldog asks for his approval on a poem, and Tenney provides him with further help. And poor Algy (Reginald Denny) is trying to get back for his baby's christening. Somehow Bulldog always lures him away from family.

I like John Howard in this role. He's handsome, smooth, and sophisticated. He's best remembered (by me anyway) as Katharine Hepburn's fiancée in The Philadelphia Story.

The story idea is interesting if lightweight, with villains played by J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman using a series of riddles and puzzles, along with a kidnapping, in their attempts to lure Drummond into a trap. The series of puzzles gets a bit far-fetched, but it does hold your interest, and perhaps with a little more careful writing and editing it could have made a pretty good movie.

Entertaining.

Bulldog Drummond was a popular character in 1920's and 1930's adventure novels by H.C. McNeile. Drummond was a wealthy WWI veteran and war hero (in real life, McNeile was also a veteran and war hero, having won the Military Cross, Britain's second highest medal for valor).

This film is notable for having excellent sets and atmosphere. Catch Drummond's big drawing room in the first scene! It's very evocative of an English gentleman's abode. There are really nice matte shots later of an old mansion, and several scenes in realistic looking pubs.

The plot is pretty thin, but honestly, the books were the same way. E.E. Clive, who appeared in all seven films with John Howard, is a standout! He brings a wealth of acting experience to the role.

Don't look for especially clever plots in these films. Watch them for the fun and the good 1930's atmosphere.

During the 1920s-1950s, there were TONS of different actors who played the lead in the Bulldog Drummond films--too many. In fact, because of this massive turnover, the series never really caught on with the public. However, at least for a while, John Howard was able to provide some stability--appearing as Drummond in seven films. While none of these films were terrific, they were generally better than the other films of the series.

This one finds Drummond about to get married--for the thousandth time! In fact, that was a huge running joke with many of the Drummond films--he was always just about to get married when disaster strikes in the form of some mystery. Here, Drummond cannot get married because his fiancée is kidnapped! It seems there is a strange couple who say they are doing this to destroy Drummond because he was responsible for the capture of their loved one! What makes this different from many of the Drummond films is that his fiancée is not a passive victim--she often goes out to try to solve the mystery herself and seems to love the excitement of the Drummond lifestyle!

Overall, a decent addition to the series and interesting and worth seeing. Not the best of the Howard films (the villains and their cause seem weak), but also certainly not the worst. Average, but good for B-movie mystery/suspense fans (like me).