Le retour de Bulldog Drummond

This Bulldog Drummond is actually pretty darn good. It could be any detective vs bad guys but that's irrelevant. The story makes sense, is mostly well lighted, the girl is pretty and doesn't faint or scream, Walter Pigeon makes for a good Bulldog brought out of retirement (which he spends raising prize pigs) and annoying Algy is not quite as annoying this time.

Recommended by someone who has only three more to go in their Bulldog Drummond Binge... plus a couple not available !

Starting in 1922 and through the early 1940s, many, many different actors played Drummond--and he even reappeared a few times after that. It wasn't until John Howard finally got the role and managed to play him six times that the series had any stability. Mostly, however, it consisted of an actor taking the helm for only one or two films--and including Ronald Colman, Ray Milland and Tom Conway. In total, there were 24 appearances by 14 actors--so consistency was NOT a strength of the Drummond series!! If they had stuck with only one or two actors, the series might have gained a wider following. So, seeing the American Walter Pidgeon taking on the role isn't that surprise--everyone seemed to be playing him!

In many ways, this iteration of Drummond is different from earlier ones. The light-hearted sense of humor is missing and instead, the film seems a bit film noir in sensibilities. Part of this might be because Algy (the usual comic relief) is more of a minor character in this one. The baddies in the film also aren't afraid to shoot the police, the dialog is more tough and the lighting is, at times, very noir---and Algy brutally plugs one of the gang members at point-blank range. It certainly looked a lot more 50s in style!

This film starts with an incredibly cool and well-designed robbery. Eight guys in trench coats, fedora hats and rubber masks efficiently steal a ton of cash in very workmanlike fashion. To assist them, the carry a backpack radio (like would have been used by troops during the war) to keep in touch with the boss who guides them. They do this all so neatly, you'd assume they will never get caught.

Because three such split-second timed jobs have been executed with military efficiency, the police have decided to consult Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond--who has been retired for some time. He agrees to go undercover and try to insinuate himself into the gang once he locates it--as Drummond always wants to do it the dangerous way! And, he's assisted by a pretty female from Scotland Yard. But can they manage to avoid detection? After all, this is a very smart gang! All in all, I really liked this style Bulldog Drummond film--a lot more than the earlier ones. Because it was much more realistic and gritty, the film seemed less like just another B-series film. It's a shame, though, that this film apparently didn't catch on and was the only one in which Pidgeon starred. My score of 8 is relative to other B-movies as well as the other Drummond films.

By the way, look for a younger Bernard Lee as the nine-fingered man. You probably will recognize his face--he was the original 'M' from the Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore films in the James Bond series. Also, notice that Drummond and Algy refer to British football as 'soccer'. Do the Brits ever refer to this sport as soccer? I thought only silly Americans (like me) call it that. I assumed they used that term since this film was made by an American studio.

Walter Pidgeon and Margaret Leighton make as good a pair here as William Powell and Myrna Loy as that other detective couple; but unfortunately this was the only instance of Leighton and Pidgeon appearing together, while they obviously enjoyed it the more for being just once, crowning all the Bulldog Drummond films wit a witty masterpiece. Although it is a criminal film getting very serious indeed with bank robberies, shoot-outs and fisticuffs enough, it is highly enjoyable and almost hilarious in certain turns. The dialog is everything, the action is just routine, the plot is easy to begin with but gets complicated, but on the whole it is an excellent film. Walter Pidgeon is still doing excellently well for being so old here, while Margaret Leighton steals the show with flying colours - I have never seen her better.

This is a good, easily enjoyed undercover police story, with a bit of the "Big Heist" caper film the British practically made a national genré of. But it is not any sort of a classic, it's not what one could say was action-packed, it concentrates more on suspense.

The problem with it is mainly in its being sold to us as a Bulldog Drummond story. First, Walter Pidgeon might be a versitile actor, and he does this film with his expected competency, and if his character were named John Smith it would be just fine, but he's not right to be Bulldog Drummond. He's a bit too formal, serious, and old to play him, especially after we have seen someone like John Howard fill the role so well. What about the other characters? Algy is now a serious, and colorless, far secondary figure, Tenny isn't in it at all, nor is Mrs. Drummond.

If nothing else, it would seem they just took a cops and robbers story and decided it would sell better on the back of a well known character that had gone dormant, so, without any more consideration than that, they made a Bulldog Drummond movie.

Bulldog Drummond, as portrayed by Walter Pidgeon here, gets a call form the police. There's a new criminal gang terrorizing London, and no one knows anything about it. Pidgeon allows himself to be caught cheating at cards, and supposedly flees the country, while the club considers whether to expel him. David Tomlinson, playing Algy Longworth, is thoroughly confused. Meanwhile, Pidgeon has gone undercover with police sergeant Margaret Leighton to infiltrate the gang, which he does with great ease.

Pidgeon spent most of his quarter-century at MGM squiring around the ladies, and playing well-mannered individuals. Here's a late entry in his leading man resume. While he maintains his genial charm throughout, the movie was a total failure at the box office, and was Pidgeon's last leading man on the silver screen. Perhaps the poor way the parts of the story fit together had something to do with it. Even so, the MGM gloss, great camerawork by Freddie Young, anda generally genial attitude by all hands makes this one watchable.

Pidgeon was a welcome presence for another quarter of a century, never had an unkind word for anyone, a great store of dirty limericks, and a perfect contentment with his lot in life. He died in 1984 at the age of 87.