La Police privée de Bulldog Drummond

After five failed attempts, it appears British adventurer John Howard (as Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond) will finally marry girlfriend Heather Angel (as Phyllis Clavering). Drummond and friends gather at his Rockingham Tower mansion. Accident prone pal Reginald Denny (as Algy Longworth), Scotland Yard detective H.B. Warner (as Colonel Nielson) and gentlemanly servant E.E. Clive (as Tenny) are there, of course. While you're wondering, "What could go wrong?" a sneaky-looking new butler arrives, looking like Leo G. Carroll. There is also an unexpected guest, absent-minded professor Forrester Harvey (as Downie). The professor reveals a treasure worth one million pounds is hidden somewhere on the estate...

"Secret Police" must be one of the lowest-budgeted episodes in the "Bulldog Drummond" series. The running time is less than 60 minutes and includes a "dream sequence" involving flashbacks to previous adventures. Most of the action takes place on Drummond's estate. But it's a nicely decorated set and includes some surprises. In fact, this is one of the better entries in the series. Although he never appeared in a classic "Drummond" film, Mr. Howard is fine in the title role. Director James Hogan and writer Garnett Weston manage the story well, especially Mr. Denny and guest-star Forrester Harvey. As the faltering professor "Downie", Mr. Harvey is delightful from beginning to end.

****** Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police (1939-03-24) James Hogan ~ John Howard, Reginald Denny, Heather Angel, Forrester Harvey

Terrific adventure that caps the 1937-39 series nicely, with John Howard comfortable in his role as Drummond and Heather Angel a treat (if not an especially good actress) as poor Phyllis. The whole gang is at the old tower estate, preparing for the Drummond wedding, when an absent-minded scholar shows up with a tale about secret passages and treasure right under their feet! Drummond tries to keep out of it, but a sinister figure enters in the night and causes havoc. Soon, the whole troupe is creeping thru dark passages and avoiding deadly traps.

The dialog isn't quite as witty or sardonic as in previous entries, but the tension is keen. Ciphers, skeletons, spikes, raging torrents, crumbling platforms, and more make this one of the best of the Bulldog Drummond series. For those keeping score, in this one, Drummond is (again) about to marry Phyllis, and Algy seems to have forgotten that he is already married.

"Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police from 1939 was John Howard's last film as Bulldog, and it was a cheap way to go out. It looks as if it was slapped together in a day. With a running time of 56 minutes, there was footage from other films in the series. And the title doesn't match. There aren't any secret police.

Hugh Drummond is again attempting to marry Heather (Phyllis Clavering). Hugh and the bridal party go to the Drummond estate to prepare, Heather's Aunt Blanche (Elizabeth Patterson) accompanying them.

There, they meet a man who claims that the civil war Cavaliers left a treasure buried in the house. Drummond is intrigued. The man, named Harvey, winds up dead.

It's obvious whodunit. There's some secret passageway action and Algy's typical clumsiness, but not much else.

Disappointing.

After a bit of a slow start, this Bulldog Drummond feature is a solid B-movie with some moments of good suspense and effective atmosphere. It has all the familiar characters, with John Howard as Drummond, and E.E. Clive, Reginald Denny, Heather Angel, and H.B. Warner in the recurring roles, plus a young Leo Carroll (billed without the G.) heading the supporting cast.

The first part is a little slow-moving, dwelling rather lengthily on the series's running joke about Drummond's often-postponed wedding to Phyllis. Although it tries to get a bit too much material out of it, this part does include a sequence of flashbacks to earlier 'Bulldog' features that offers some pleasant moments to those who enjoy the series.

The main plot has a familiar premise, with a search for a hidden treasure whose location needs to be deduced from an old cipher. It becomes a race, as Drummond and his friends are determined to find it before a criminal adversary can. While not an especially imaginative story idea, it does lead into a pretty good sequence in the last part of the movie, with some good and rather macabre atmospheric settings as the hunt for the treasure plays out.

This British film from 1939 may surprise you by how much fun it is to watch. It's time for a wedding and the bride and the groom have gone back to open up the groom's family castle for the wedding. The castle has been closed for twenty years. The groom seems to have a history of delaying the wedding. A famous professor shows up with an old diary of a king who is purported to have hidden valuable jewels in underground passageways under the castle. Murder, mayhem and laughs abound. John Howard is good as Bulldog Drummond. Heather Angel is great as his fiancee. Elizabeth Patterson is hilarious as Aunt Blanche. The comedy is explosive in this screwball adventure! Well worth watching and the running time of under an hour goes quickly. I found this movie on a compilation DVD of several tv detectives including 'Dragnet' and a couple of 1930's movie detectives. It was a pleasant surprise. I'd rate this movie as an 8/10.