Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge ** (1937, John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell, Reginald Denny, E E Clive) – Classic Movie Review 12,916

The 1937 mystery film Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge stars John Barrymore as Scotland Yard Colonel Nielson and John Howard as the British sleuth Bulldog Drummond who beats his friend to the stolen formula for a new bomb.

Director Louis King’s 1937 mystery thriller film Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge stars John Barrymore as Scotland Yard Colonel J A Nielson and John Howard as the dapper British officer sleuth Bulldog Drummond who beats his friend to the stolen formula for a new bomb. But both are on the trail of the villains.

John Howard comes back as Bulldog Drummond with useful top billed star support from John Barrymore as Scotland Yard inspector Col Nielson, reteamed from 1937’s Bulldog Drummond Comes Back. It co-stars Louise Campbell as Drummond’s fiancée Phyllis Clavering, Reginald Denny as his friend Algy Longworth, and E E Clive as his valet Tenny.

The film moves along exuberantly, quickly and confidently, as it has to do to make its mark in under an hour. The screenplay by Edward T Lowe Jr is kind of generic and corny, but the plot based on Herman C (‘Sapper’) McNeile’s 1932 novel, The Return of Bulldog Drummond, keeps the film intriguing, particularly the events in the extended climax sequence on the train ferry.

The regular descents into slapstick are awful, demeaning great star John Barrymore, who rolls with the punches, giving a flexible performance in the adversity of his humble circumstances here. He’s the top billed star, with plenty to do, and the show’s class act. John Howard is capable enough as the main character Captain Hugh Chesterton ‘Bulldog’ Drummond, but he hasn’t got the mesmerising star quality of Barrymore, so he is upstaged, though the two men do share a little bit of screen chemistry. E E Clive is fun as Drummond’s valet Tenny, but Reginald Denny is dreadful as Drummond’s dithering friend Algy Longworth, though to be fair that’s the part so it’s not entirely the actor’s fault, and Nydia Westman is even more dreadful as Algy’s silly girlfriend Gwen.

The cheap cramped sets mostly disguised in fog, the miniature model work, the special effects including a plane crash, and the back projections as the actors drive merrily along in the studio all add considerably to entertainment value. It’s also entertaining that nobody ever seems at all surprised at the constantly surprising turn of events! The train ferry setting for a lot of this film is an enjoyable asset. It was a real service of the French National Railway and Britain’s Southern Railway from 1936 to 1980.

There could easily have been a much better film of this material, but it is still good enough for tolerant audiences of mystery thriller films.

A further mystery is the title, which seems to come from another movie entirely.

While Drummond, Algy and Tenny are driving along in the fog, they are the first to discover a suitcase parachuted from an aircraft minutes before it crashes. It contains the explosive chemical hexanite, whose formula has been stolen. Drummond overrules his fiancée Phyllis to unravel the mystery, travelling by train and ship to recover the formula and stop the villain, and Nielson isn’t far behind.

The cast are John Barrymore as Colonel J A Nielson, John Howard as Captain Hugh Chesterton ‘Bulldog’ Drummond, Louise Campbell as Phyllis Clavering, Reginald Denny as Algy Longworth, E E Clive as ‘Tenny’ Tennison, Frank Puglia as Draven Nogais, Nydia Westman as Gwen Longworth, Robert Gleckler as Hardcastle, Lucien Littlefield as Mr. Smith, John Sutton as Jennings, Nielson’s Secretary, Miki Morita as Sumio Kanda Benny Bartlett as Cabin Boy, and Matthew Boulton as Sir John Haxton.

Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge is directed by Louis King, runs 57 minutes, is made and released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Edward T Lowe Jr, based on the novel by Herman C McNeile, is shot in black and white by Harry Fischbeck, and is produced by Adolph Zukor, William LeBaron (executive producer uncredited), Edward T Lowe Jr (producer uncredited) and Stuart Walker (producer uncredited), with Art Direction by Hans Dreier and Robert Odell.

Premiere: December 16, 1937 (New York City). Release date: January 7, 1938 (US).

It is one of eight Bulldog Drummond capers made by Paramount Pictures in the late 1930s, and sold in mid-1954 for re-release by Congress Films, who amateurishly redesigned the opening and closing credits to eliminate any signs of Paramount’s previous ownership.

Paramount did not renew the copyright, and the films fell into public domain.

The Paramount Bulldog Drummond series

Ray Milland starred in the 1937 Paramount Pictures film Bulldog Drummond Escapes, but was replaced in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937) as Bulldog Drummond by John Howard, who played Bulldog Drummond in seven films produced by Paramount. John Barrymore stars in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937). Howard continued opposite Barrymore in Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge (1937) and Bulldog Drummond’s Peril (1938). H B Warner replaced Barrymore in Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938), Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939), Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police (1939), and Bulldog Drummond’s Bride (1939), the last in the series.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 12,916

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