Scotland Yard greift ein!

Bulldog Drummond's plans to get married are interrupted when a top-secret explosive is stolen. Seems like a very familiar plot that was used in dozens of similar B detective movies, doesn't it? Well it is but there are a few new touches, such as the arm business, that keep it interesting. Most of the comedy in this one is not that funny. Reginald Denny's Algy is especially irritating this time around. E.E. Clive can still be depended upon, however. This movie also finally lets us meet Algy's wife Gwen, played by Nydia Westman. She's an insufferable character whose one joke ("Algy-walgeeeee!") wears out its welcome immediately. For his part, John Howard does fine. He improves considerably whenever he has scenes with lovely Louise Campbell. John Barrymore steals every scene he's in, which isn't as many as I'd have liked. The Great Profile's career was in poor shape at this point, as evidenced by his doing these quickies. Still, he does his job admirably and is enjoyable to watch. Frank Puglia plays the villain in drag and that's a pretty hideous sight. It's very unconvincing that other characters aren't able to immediately recognize he's a man in a dress. Not my favorite of the series but watchable. It's just shy of an hour long and moves along briskly. Can't think of a reason not to watch it if you're a fan of these sorts of programmers.

The title in this film, Bulldog Drummond's Revenge is a bit of a misnomer because John Howard as the intrepid Bulldog is not out for any personal vengeance in this case. What he's looking to do is stop an international crook played by Frank Puglia from stealing a new, but as yet unstable explosive compound. In some of these B films the studios were never really careful.

Howard is once again planning his wedding with his ever faithful Louise Campbell who seems to be more faithful to him than Olive Oyl was to Popeye. A chance visit to his bete noire, John Barrymore as Colonel J.A. Neilson of Scotland Yard has him learn of the experiment of scientist Matthew Boulton. The source is of all people, a Japanese diplomat played by Miki Morita. This was probably the last time, other than in Mr. Moto films that a Japanese was given friendly treatment in an American film.

Matthew Boulton plays Sir John Hackston and of course he's named the stuff Hackstonite. It seems to come in grains and small pebbles and you never can tell when it will blow up, like liquid nitroglycerin that way. Anyway Puglia stages an elaborate plane crash killing Boulton and gets away with the stuff. The rest of the film is Drummond with his team of silly friend Algy, Reginald Denny, and his intrepid butler Tennison played by E.E. Clive. Clive actually proves in the films I've seen to have a head on his shoulders.

Not too bad, but did Louise ever get the slippery Bulldog to finally say 'I do'?

...he can ever stop working on a case long enough.

In this Bulldog Drummond film, Hugh (John Howard) and Phyllis (Louise Campbell) are close to their wedding, when he becomes involved in the protection of a new explosive, recently invented by a scientist. Supposedly this explosive is fragile and will go off if you even brush past the container.

The explosive is in a suitcase, which is stolen. For something that will go off if you breathe on it, this suitcase was thrown, dropped, you name it, and it never blew up.

Phyllis, in her sweet way blew up, however, and wondered if she could marry Hugh Drummond when he's so involved in detective work.

John Barrymore again gets top billing as the Colonel, and he's great. Howard is an excellent Drummond, Reginald Denny is on hand as the confused Algy, and E.E. Clive is the butler who is so much more. It's a nice cast.

These Drummond films are B movies and are enjoyable and entertaining. They shouldn't be judged in comparison to Citizen Kane. The Saint, Bulldog Drummond, Charlie Chan, Mr. Moto - all second features that are delightful.

I had never seen one of these before, so I wasn't aware of the dynamics of Drummond, his fiancée, the butler, and the scatterbrained friend, Algie. Obviously, the play for humor often trumps the seriousness of the events unfolding. In this one, a secret explosive is concealed in a suitcase that finds its way from person to person, with most not knowing that even a small amount of the junk could send everyone up in smoke. The suitcase is jarred, thrown, kicked, run with, but, of course, remains inert. The byplay with the regular characters is okay, once you get used to the fact that 1937's humor is a bit different than 2006. The one character that I couldn't tolerate was Algie's significant other who cackles and squawks and runs off at the mouth. Once we get into the intrigue and figure out who is who, it is a nice little spy story. Drummond, of course, is the playboy type never becomes flustered and treats things that are deadly serious as a joke. One thing that has bothered me in the three I have watched is how seldom the character listen to each other.

This is one of the better entries in the Drummond series. Three of the best entries are from 1937. The real reason they are better may be because of the writer, Edward T. Lowe Jr. He wrote this one as well as 1937's Bulldog Drummond Escapes and Bulldog Drummond Comes Back.

The pace is quick, the dialog good, and there is some very nice physical humor throughout that features reasonable exaggeration without being too farcical. John Barrymore's more restrained performance as Col. Nielsen helps to highlight his bits of physical humor. The supporting cast is in especially fine form.

The plot centers on the theft of a powerful explosive and our hero's efforts to retrieve it and solve the murders associated with the theft. There is nice touch involving a hand and arm.

Lastly, if don't like to see women faint, stay away!