Le triomphe de Bulldog Drummond

Although I saw an edited version Bulldog Drummond Comes Back there was still enough there to enjoy. Especially enough of J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman as ruthless a pair of brother and sister villains you'll ever find.

These two have it for Drummond played by John Howard. He was instrumental in having Freeman's husband captured and executed in France and they've now captured Howard's long suffering Tess Truehart type fiancé Louise Campbell. But they don't kill her outright nor do they kill Howard. Naish and Freeman are enjoying toying with him like a pair of feral cats with a wounded mouse. Howard refers to Freeman as Lady MacBeth and she's that big a schemer.

Butler E.E. Clive and cricket friend Reginald Denny are in on the chase, but John Barrymore as Scotland Yard's Inspector Neilson is ordered out. You don't tell Scotland Yard what to do however.

The only real flaw in this Reginald Denny who in most films is amusing as Drummond's silly twit of a friend. But in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back he's downright annoying.

Bulldog Drummond Comes Back is a pretty good B film from Paramount Studios and while Howard is no Ronald Colman he gives a good account of himself in all his Bulldog Drummond films.

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.

Overall, this entry in the Bulldog Drummond series is just an average B-feature, but it does have some good moments. This was the first feature in the series to star John Howard as Drummond, and it also has the usual supporting characters, with E.E. Clive and Reginald Denny as Drummond's sidekicks, Louise Campbell as Phyllis, and John Barrymore as Colonel Neilson. Howard, Clive, and Denny have some good lighter moments together during the course of events, and Barrymore, as you would expect, makes very good use of his opportunities, leaving you wishing there had been more scenes involving his character.

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.

Barrymore's series of disguises and other tactics is probably the most entertaining part of it all, and these also help to keep the tone light. Otherwise, there's nothing particularly impressive, but it has just enough to be worth seeing for those who enjoy the genre.

Bulldog Drummond's in love and ready for marriage. But that'll have to wait because his fiancée has been kidnapped by the brother and widow of an executed criminal Drummond put behind bars. The kidnappers intend to torture Drummond by making him follow a series of clues that lead him into dangerous situations. He must rely on his friends to help him figure out the clues and stay alive in the process.

John Howard's first Bulldog Drummond movie. Many actors played the character over the years (three in 1937 alone) but no one played him more than Howard. He would play Drummond for a total of seven films, all in the span of two years. Interestingly, despite playing the title character, Howard isn't top-billed. That honor goes to John Barrymore, who plays Bulldog Drummond's friend Colonel Nielsen. Barrymore's career was in a poor state at this time and he needed work. You would never know it from his performance as he's a lot of fun to watch. A little hammy at times but that's to be expected with him. John Howard isn't quite as lively as Ray Milland was in the role but he's good in a serviceable B hero kind of way. Reginald Denny continues on as Drummond's sidekick Algy and E.E. Clive as Drummond's butler Tenny. Both are entertaining. Helen Freeman and J. Carrol Naish make good villains. Louise Campbell plays Drummond's love interest Phyllis for the first of three films. She reminds me a little of Maureen O'Sullivan, which is not a bad thing. It's an enjoyable B detective picture. Nothing more special than that but it doesn't have to be. I happen to like these types of pictures. It's an entertaining way to pass an hour.

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).