Il diamante fatale

One of the weaker entries in the Drummond series, but it's still entertaining. Perhaps I've seen too many of the Drummond films too close together. The humor is not as sharp as earlier entries. The pacing is fine, but the plot and villains don't seem to be up to snuff. The villains don't appear evil or sharp enough to harm a fly, let alone our hero.

There is a nice sequence of that wonderful 30s "lab equipment" working its magic. So much more exciting and dramatic than computer chips and LEDs! Now that's evil!

Once again Bulldog Drummond is planning to marry his fiancée Phylllis. Once again, he gets sidetracked. This time by a mystery involving synthetic diamonds and, of course, murder. This would be the third and final Bulldog Drummond film for both John Barrymore and Louise Campbell. Barrymore would be replaced by H.B. Warner and Campbell by Heather Angel, who returned to the role she played in Bulldog Drummond Escapes. The reason for Barrymore leaving is his alcoholism, which was affecting his performance. Reportedly he had trouble reading lines even when they were written for him on cue cards. You can definitely see something is off with him here. He shouts all his lines, for one thing. I'm not sure of the reason for Campbell's departure. This was the biggest role of her short career and I think she was very good. But I admit Angel was better so I'm not terribly upset over the replacement. The rest of the cast of regulars that would continue on with the series (John Howard, Reginald Denny, E.E. Clive) are fine. Clive has some of the movie's best scenes. There's a nice supporting cast that includes Halliwell Hobbes and Porter Hall.

As with most of the entries in the Paramount series, this is a middling B detective flick with a short runtime. This one passes the hour mark (barely) but the last couple didn't even do that. I don't mind the runtime. It works fine for this type of picture. It's not like Paramount was doing anything innovative or unique with this series, after all. It's just this one is pretty dull. Still, if you're fan of the series you will want to see it. If nothing else, see it for the scene with the cool old-school sci-fi laboratory.

British adventurer John Howard (as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond) is all set to marry girlfriend Louise Campbell (as Phyllis Clavering), in Geneva, Switzerland. Back in Scotland Yard, ace investigator John Barrymore (as Colonel Nielson) sends the couple books as a wedding present. He couldn't make the wedding. While looking over their gifts, Drummond and Phyllis are amazed at the delivery of a stunning diamond. Supposedly artificial ("glass"), the jewel is actually a valuable new synthetic diamond. Almost immediately, the diamond is replaced by a dead body. Of course, Drummond must cancel his wedding to solve the crimes...

This was the last appearance by Mr. Barrymore in the "Bulldog Drummond" series. Frequently shouting, "Don't call me inspector!" it's Barrymore's least successful characterization of Colonel Nielson. Reportedly, alcohol was taking a heavy toll on the acclaimed actor, although he would manage a few more effective roles before expiring. Mysterious guest star Porter Hall (as Max Botulian) picks up some of the slack. Generally, the story is an improvement over the previous episode, with capable direction by James Hogan and editing by Edward Dmytryk. Howard and the regulars are joined by Elizabeth Patterson (as Aunt Blanche), a fine addition.

***** Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938-03-17) James Hogan ~ John Howard, John Barrymore, Porter Hall, E.E. Clive

This entry begins with another wedding about to take place. One of the gifts is a huge diamond, brought by Algy, and created by his father in law. It turns out that he has a process for making diamonds for as cheap as a shilling each. This, of course, would upset the balance of trade and the diamond industry would be destroyed. He still wants credit for his findings, but it brings a whole host of bad people into the mix. The best scene is Tenny riding a motorcycle and crawling onto a moving car. He, of course, is the best character in all of the movies I've seen, and once again is called on to fix things. There are murders. There are notes destroyed. The whole state of the world's economy is never really taken care of. Ours is not to worry about such things, I guess. There are several cases of mistaken identity which makes this a lot of fun.

Sharp dialog and decent plotting make this another of the better entries in the Bulldog Drummond series. This time, John Howard as Hugh Drummond is entangled in a murder and diamond theft in Switzerland and tracking the heavies back to England. Nice locations, some train and airplane travel, explosions, and a bullwhip vs sword fight make for a nice adventure. Barrymore as Nielson doesn't have much to do, nor do Phyllis or even Algy, but faithful Tenny is on hand, of course (even riding a motorcycle!). For those keeping score, in this one, Drummond starts out in Switzerland about to marry Phyllis, and for once Algy isn't worried about anything.

Also interesting is how this little potboiler was well ahead of its time with the invention of artificial diamonds and corporate conspiracies to suppress rival technology.