Bulldog Drummond's Bride

The final Bulldog Drummond movie in the Paramount series stars John Howard and finally has Drummond marrying longtime fiancée Phyllis (the delightful Heather Angel). But before they get hitched there's another last-minute interruption in the form of a bank robber, a radio, and a trip to France. The cast of regulars (Reginald Denny, E.E. Clive, H.B. Warner, and Elizabeth Patterson) are all fine. Eduardo Ciannelli plays the villain and hams it up nicely. There's even more comedy than usual in this one. Some of it is funny but most of it is just stupid, particularly where Algy is concerned.

Bulldog Drummond would return to the movies after WW2. First at Columbia, then Fox and MGM, with yet more actors playing the role (including Tom Conway and Walter Pidgeon). But none of those would be quite as enjoyable as the Paramount series. Which isn't saying a lot since these movies were never better than time-passers anyway. But I can honestly say I never found any of the movies bad, just ranging from 'ok' to good. Even this final one, while weaker than the others, is still watchable. And it's not even an hour long so it's hard to argue against giving it a shot when you have time to kill.

BULLDOG DRUMMOND'S BRIDE is another of the short-lived but prolific Paramount series of movies and it's my favourite yet. This one involves a group of bank robbers whose latest heist interferes with Bulldog's marriage (in what seems to be a common plot point in these movies). What follows is a neat little escapade in which there's plenty of comedy to get your teeth into, alongside brisk pacing and a predominance of action which really helps. Add in the usual suspects, villains, wisecracking heroes and a good eye for the era's detail, and you have a short and snappy programmer that doesn't let up.

(Flash Review)

This is a whimsical and sneaky little detective story. There has been a bank theft of 10,000 pounds and is hidden in a radio in the same room where the police captain and his fiancé will live. The police captain is hot on the trail yet he supposed to be getting married. Which will be his priority and what will his wife do if the marriage doesn't happen today? Full of physical and occasionally preposterous comedy and pacing that clips along as you watch the captain try to solve the caper and calm his fiancé. Fun little film from the 30s.

Finally, Bulldog Drummond (John Howard this time) is heading for matrimony in this movie based on the story "Bulldog Drummond and the oriental mind" by H. C. (Sapper) McNeile. Will he be devoured by a bank robber with some odd twists?

The characters are already caricatures; so, they do not need a dufus such as Algy (Reginald Denny) for comic relief. Being the finale in the Paramount Drummond Series they speed through the story with an explosive ending.

The version I watched had subtitles and when Drummond gave a verbal message to a friend the subtitle says (speaking pig Latin) - talk about lazy.

One thing that irks me is a scene where they use matches and touches to highlight a room that they could have just turned on the overhead light and do so moments later (after fumbling around in the dark.)

Phyllis and Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond again try to be married in 1939's "Bulldog Drummond's Bride," the last of this particular Bulldog Drummond series.

When robbers blow up a London bank and steal 10,000 pounds, they hide the money in a radio. That radio, however, is in the apartment that Phyllis and Hugh will live in once they are married - should that event ever take place.

Naturally Hugh is up to his neck in trying to solve this robbery and chasing down the radio. Phyllis waits, promising Hugh that she intends to be married to someone else the next day after their wedding should that not occur.

These films had a jaunty, fun feel to them because of the cast - John Howard is a delightful, easygoing and dapper Bulldog Drummond, the lovely Heather Angel is the long-suffering Phyllis, E. E. Clive is Tenny the butler, and Reginald Denny is Algy.

This particular film relies a lot on comedy and slapstick, with poor Denny getting the brunt of it. The mystery takes a back seat. However, I still found this enjoyable. I've only seen one other Bulldog Drummond, "Arrest Bulldog Drummond," and I'd like to see more. The print quality isn't particularly good, but they're still fun.