User reviews

This is the sixteenth of the Bulldog Drummond films, and it brings to an end the Drummond films as they were before the outbreak of World War II. (They would resume in 1947.) With this film, John Howard also ends his career as Drummond, which had lasted for seven films, all made within two breathless years between September of 1937 and September of 1939. Heather Angel once again plays Phyllis Clavering, E. E. Clive plays Tenny the Butler, Reginald Denny plays Algy Longworth, and H. B. Warner plays Commissioner Nielson, all for the last time. John Howard left the film business to join the U. S. Navy (he was an American), where he ended up winning the Navy Cross and the French Croix de Guerre for conspicuous acts of bravery, becoming in other words a real life hero of the sort he had played in the Drummond films. After the War, he returned to acting but was never again fortunate to shine as a major player. It seems a poor return for a fictional Drummond who became a real Drummond, that he could not resume the role. E. E. Clive died the next year, in 1940. Reginald Denny contributed to the War effort by manufacturing 15,000 target drones for the U. S. Army. He later returned to acting, but was never in another Drummond film. H. B. Warner and Heather Angel went on acting, but they never appeared in another Drummond film either. The team was totally broken up, and 'vintage 1930s Drummond' was over. This film is moderately entertaining, with lots of comedy, so that it is not actually serious. What with people having cans of paint thrown over them and slipping and sliding, Algy staging pratfalls continually, and other such antics, there is barely room for a mystery plot. However, Drummondians will be thrilled to know that ... oh no, I must not say ... that business which was continually being interrupted between Hugh and Phyllis, ... well, that must remain a mystery. The plot, what there is of it, concerns a ruthless villain who has robbed a bank for what then was considered a vast sum, of ten thousand pounds. It is hard to conceive of a time when that was a sum worth getting excited about, worth exploding bombs all over the place, killing people without compunction, and carrying on as if all the gold of the Indies were at stake. But that was then, and this is now. In this film as in so many others of the time, Scotland Yard 'seal off an area with a cordon, and no one can get through'. It seems incredible, doesn't it, that it was even remotely conceivable to seal off a sector of London like that just for a measly little bank robbery? Naturally, the villain gets away in an ambulance disguised as a madman. Maybe it really was time for the world to move on and get real. After this, there were tanks and planes and the Holocaust to worry about, and whether Hugh and Phyllis got married or not was no longer important, with so many women widowed that Phyllis having to wait for another crime to be solved no longer qualified as a tragedy.

Phyllis and Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond again try to be married in 1939's "Bulldog Drummond's Bride," the last of this particular Bulldog Drummond series.

When robbers blow up a London bank and steal 10,000 pounds, they hide the money in a radio. That radio, however, is in the apartment that Phyllis and Hugh will live in once they are married - should that event ever take place. Naturally Hugh is up to his neck in trying to solve this robbery and chasing down the radio. Phyllis waits, promising Hugh that she intends to be married to someone else the next day after their wedding should that not occur.

These films had a jaunty, fun feel to them because of the cast - John Howard is a delightful, easygoing and dapper Bulldog Drummond, the lovely Heather Angel is the long-suffering Phyllis, E.E. Clive is Tenny the butler, and Reginald Denny is Algy.

This particular film relies a lot on comedy and slapstick, with poor Denny getting the brunt of it. The mystery takes a back seat. However, I still found this enjoyable. I've only seen one other Bulldog Drummond, "Arrest Bulldog Drummond," and I'd like to see more. The print quality isn't particularly good, but they're still fun.

(Flash Review)

This is a whimsical and sneaky little detective story. There has been a bank theft of 10,000 pounds and is hidden in a radio in the same room where the police captain and his fiancé will live. The police captain is hot on the trail yet he supposed to be getting married. Which will be his priority and what will his wife do if the marriage doesn't happen today? Full of physical and occasionally preposterous comedy and pacing that clips along as you watch the captain try to solve the caper and calm his fiancé. Fun little film from the 30s.

So when any show gets a bit tired, they decide the guy's gotta get married. Rhoda. the Six Million Dollar Man. Friends. In this one, John Howard is Drummond, Reginald Denny and Heather Angel are the usual co-stars. Colonel Nielson is played by HB Warner in this chapter... and two others! Warner was a major player in so many big films, my favorite role was Chang, in Lost Horizon, two years prior to this. Drummond is supposed to marry Phyllis, but of course, there's a bank robbery that needs his attention. but when he starts investigating, Nielson and the others try to put a stop to things before he can even start. this plot is even more convoluted than usual. bombs. mistaken identity. robberies. fistfights. will Drummond ever get married? you'll have to watch to find out. this one is extra silly. DIrected by Jim Hogan, who had directed a bunch of these. Drummond was invented by Herman McNiele. most of the chapters had fallen out of copyright, but the quality of this one is actually quite good. shown on Film Detective channel.

Lame entry in the Drummond series. Everyone, including the robbers, is after a portable radio that has the loot from a bank heist hidden away in it. Trouble is it's like the writers (3) have no idea what to do with the narrative. Instead the cast gets to run around shadowy stage sets and literally throw bombs when things slow down. Too bad, because the cast includes a number of capable performers, including Howard, Denny, Clive, et al. At the same time, the comely Angel has little more to do than stand around and look pretty. The best part is the bang-up opening that promises more than's delivered. Anyway, there's no suspense or real surprises one would expect from a detective show. Instead, it's like there's really no script, or worse, a deadline to meet. So everyone gets to run around and wing it. All in all, the flick's an unfortunate waste of money and talent. Good thing the series was usually better than this.

BULLDOG DRUMMOND'S BRIDE is another of the short-lived but prolific Paramount series of movies and it's my favourite yet. This one involves a group of bank robbers whose latest heist interferes with Bulldog's marriage (in what seems to be a common plot point in these movies). What follows is a neat little escapade in which there's plenty of comedy to get your teeth into, alongside brisk pacing and a predominance of action which really helps. Add in the usual suspects, villains, wisecracking heroes and a good eye for the era's detail, and you have a short and snappy programmer that doesn't let up.

The final Bulldog Drummond movie in the Paramount series stars John Howard and finally has Drummond marrying longtime fiancée Phyllis (the delightful Heather Angel). But before they get hitched there's another last-minute interruption in the form of a bank robber, a radio, and a trip to France. The cast of regulars (Reginald Denny, E.E. Clive, H.B. Warner, and Elizabeth Patterson) are all fine. Eduardo Ciannelli plays the villain and hams it up nicely. There's even more comedy than usual in this one. Some of it is funny but most of it is just stupid, particularly where Algy is concerned.

Bulldog Drummond would return to the movies after WW2. First at Columbia, then Fox and MGM, with yet more actors playing the role (including Tom Conway and Walter Pidgeon). But none of those would be quite as enjoyable as the Paramount series. Which isn't saying a lot since these movies were never better than time-passers anyway. But I can honestly say I never found any of the movies bad, just ranging from 'ok' to good. Even this final one, while weaker than the others, is still watchable. And it's not even an hour long so it's hard to argue against giving it a shot when you have time to kill.

Finally, Bulldog Drummond (John Howard this time) is heading for matrimony in this movie based on the story "Bulldog Drummond and the oriental mind" by H. C. (Sapper) McNeile. Will he be devoured by a bank robber with some odd twists?

The characters are already caricatures; so, they do not need a dufus such as Algy (Reginald Denny) for comic relief. Being the finale in the Paramount Drummond Series they speed through the story with an explosive ending.

The version I watched had subtitles and when Drummond gave a verbal message to a friend the subtitle says (speaking pig Latin) - talk about lazy.

One thing that irks me is a scene where they use matches and touches to highlight a room that they could have just turned on the overhead light and do so moments later (after fumbling around in the dark.)

The only reason I even give this dull film a 4 is that there is some excellent continuity from the previous film--something unusual for a B-movie. Hugh Drummond (John Howard) is back with the same fiancée (Heather Angel) and her perennially frustrated aunt (Elizabeth Patteson). All too often in Bs, each episode was unique and continuity was almost always a problem--and in most Drummond movies this is definitely true as about 2739 different actors played this character over the years. At the very end of the last film, Drummong and his fiancée were about to be married when the house exploded! Now, they are STILL trying to get married--but they've rescheduled it to take place the next day. The problem is that the plot, apart from that, is amazingly dull and concerns a spy--but it never engages the viewer in the least. Poor writing (aside from the continuity) and lots of listless action make this tough going. Only for die-hard Drummond fans.

Bulldog Drummond's Bride has John Howard teetering once again on the steps of matrimony. Will he get another postponement because some daring crime caper needs him and his expertise to help Scotland Yard? Will Heather Angel finally get him signed, sealed, and delivered at the altar?

A very daring bank robbery in broad daylight is pulled off by Eduardo Ciannelli using nitroglycerin like bottle bombs. And in getting away Ciannelli comes to Drummond's new flat as a painter and pulls a crazy act to get away, but not before stashing the loot.

The accent is more on comedy on this one as Howard, best friend Reginald Denny, and butler E.E. Clive pursue Ciannelli to France where he has fled in pursuit of the loot which he stashed in a radio that Heather Angel took to the continent.

This entry in the Drummond series borders on the silly at times, still fans of the series will like it.

A bank-robbery in London prevents - again - the marriage of Bulldog Drummond with his girlfriend.

But this time when the delinquents are caught it will be celebrated at last.

Or will it?

I'm not a huge fan of these Drummond films.

They are very formulaic.

Plus, their under an hour running time feels like 4 hours.

In fact, this one is a bit more boring than the others I've seen.

It will likely be the last