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La Police privée de Bulldog Drummond

Original title: Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
  • 1939
  • Approved
  • 56m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
739
YOUR RATING
Heather Angel and John Howard in La Police privée de Bulldog Drummond (1939)
CrimeMysteryRomanceThriller

Captain Drummond and his girlfriend want to marry but a hidden treasure in the house in which they want to celebrate their marriage is complicating the situation.Captain Drummond and his girlfriend want to marry but a hidden treasure in the house in which they want to celebrate their marriage is complicating the situation.Captain Drummond and his girlfriend want to marry but a hidden treasure in the house in which they want to celebrate their marriage is complicating the situation.

  • Director
    • James P. Hogan
  • Writers
    • Garnett Weston
    • Herman C. McNeile
  • Stars
    • John Howard
    • Heather Angel
    • H.B. Warner
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    739
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • James P. Hogan
    • Writers
      • Garnett Weston
      • Herman C. McNeile
    • Stars
      • John Howard
      • Heather Angel
      • H.B. Warner
    • 22User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos5

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    Top cast22

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    John Howard
    John Howard
    • Captain Hugh C. 'Bulldog' Drummond
    Heather Angel
    Heather Angel
    • Phyllis Clavering
    H.B. Warner
    H.B. Warner
    • Colonel Nielson
    Reginald Denny
    Reginald Denny
    • Algy Longworth
    E.E. Clive
    E.E. Clive
    • Tenny
    Elizabeth Patterson
    Elizabeth Patterson
    • Aunt Blanche Clavering
    Leo G. Carroll
    Leo G. Carroll
    • Henry Seaton
    • (as Leo Carroll)
    Forrester Harvey
    Forrester Harvey
    • Professor Downie
    Clyde Cook
    Clyde Cook
    • Constable Hawkins
    David Clyde
    David Clyde
    • Constable Jenkins
    Neil Fitzgerald
    • Stationmaster
    Elspeth Dudgeon
    Elspeth Dudgeon
    • Mrs. Thomas - Housekeeper
    Jimmy Aubrey
    Jimmy Aubrey
    • Passage Workman
    • (uncredited)
    Louise Campbell
    Louise Campbell
    • Woman in Drummond's Dream
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Porter Hall
    Porter Hall
    • Man in Drummond's Dream
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian
    • Moving Man
    • (uncredited)
    J. Carrol Naish
    J. Carrol Naish
    • Man in Drummond's Dream
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Gerald Rogers
    • Police Sergeant Peters
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • James P. Hogan
    • Writers
      • Garnett Weston
      • Herman C. McNeile
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.1739
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    Featured reviews

    6utgard14

    "He's the whole cheese, I tell you."

    The penultimate Bulldog Drummond movie from Paramount starring John Howard finds Drummond once again on the verge of marrying Phyllis. But, once again, something interrupts their plans. This time it's in the form of murder and a search for hidden treasure at Drummond's family estate. There's a different vibe to this one than others in the series. It almost doesn't feel like a Bulldog Drummond movie at all. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I pretty much like any movie of the 'old dark house' variety and this one fits that bill nicely.

    John Howard and Heather Angel are both fine. The interrupted marriage plot is already stale by this point but they do what they can with it. E.E. Clive is great as Tenny. He was typically the highlight of these movies and this is no exception. Reginald Denny and H.B. Warner also return. Denny is especially slapsticky this time around. Mrs. Trumbull herself, Elizabeth Patterson, plays Phyllis' aunt. She's a nag but a fun one. Great character actor Leo G. Carroll plays the villain. I don't think that's a spoiler since he almost always played the villain. Makes use of lots of footage from previous Drummond movies for a dream sequence. It's not poorly done but it raises some eyebrows given the already-brief runtime. After a slow start, it turns out to be an enjoyable B mystery thriller of the 'old dark house' variety. Effective atmosphere and good sets help. It is one of the best of the series, as several other reviewers here note. But I can't rate it as high as some of them do because, while good for a Drummond film, it's really not all that special judged against other similar movies of the era.
    7djensen1

    Adventure starts at home

    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.
    7Spondonman

    Murky and murderous

    This one started so...comically...that I thought it was going to be a poor entry in the Bulldog Drummond series, with seemingly endless clownish slapstick from Denny & Clive. But it warms up after 20 minutes into an effectively atmospheric thriller, with Drummond yet again in the throes of getting married while adventure takes hold of the situation.

    It's surprisingly bloodthirsty, with the baddie killing 3 including an unarmed bobby pointblank - when it happens it's treated by everyone with everyday calmness.

    But what really makes it for me are the catacombs/dungeons sets - the film was shot on a shoestring budget (witness the dream sequences) and yet these sets were so convincing I wondered if they were genuine for a while. They must have been re-used but I can't remember seeing them in any other film. Of course the grainy darkness of the print I was watching helped a lot, but it's worth watching for these scenes anyway. But talk about a corny, contrived ending!
    Snow Leopard

    Good B-Feature Once it Gets Going

    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.
    6blanche-2

    Hugh again tries to get 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.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During the dream sequence, all of the scenes are actual clips from previous movies where circumstances prevent the marriage of Drummond to Phyllis Clavering.
    • Goofs
      As Algy is moving the repaired Ming vase and falls by the study door, he sets it on the floor. Tenny then brings in Professor Downie who steps on the vase and breaks it. The shot shifts to a wide shot and there are no pieces of the vase on the floor by the door.
    • Quotes

      'Tenny' Tennison: [as spikes descend upon them] Pardon me, sir, but we're in for a spot of trouble.

    • Connections
      Features Bulldog Drummond en péril (1938)

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • April 14, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      56 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Heather Angel and John Howard in La Police privée de Bulldog Drummond (1939)
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