The Bulldog Speaks!

While I've seen the later Bulldog Drummond movies a few times (produced for the most part in the late 30's and mostly in public domain) I've never ever seen the first talking Drummond movie starring Ronald Coleman which adapts the debut novel by Sapper.

It's a remarkable outing for a number of reasons. One is that it adapts the novel very rigorously, following the misadventures of Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, a man who craves adventure and so puts out an ad to garner some interest. He's contacted by a desperate woman named Phyllis Benton who says her uncle is being held captive in a sanitarium by unsavory folks, some of whom keep a close watch on the girl herself. Drummond is at once intrigued by the girl and later by the mystery when the villains appear on his doorstep. He then goes about the business of bravely and brazenly rescuing all concerned. The story is a remarkable battle of brawn and wits as Drummond and his men match tactics with the villain Peterson, his moll Irma and a devilish doctor named Lakington who runs the sanitarium.

Ronald Coleman is splendid as Drummond, though he is small for the role as described by Sapper. Drummond is supposed to be a bear of a man, but Coleman though dynamic is hardly that. His charm though shines through in this, his first talking part and his distinctive voice adds luster to the proceedings. Claud Alister as Algy Longworth, Drummond's friend and lawyer is very funny in a part mostly for such relief. Wilson Benge as Danny, Drummond's reliable manservant is along for the ride and plays well of Algy's more absurd character. Phyllis is portrayed by a demure an lovely Joan Bennett and it's clear why Drummond falls for her so swiftly. Montagu Love is ideal as Peterson, the villain of the piece, properly menacing both in form and attitude. Irma played by Lilyan Trashman is all the vamp you'd want. Lawrence Grant as Dr. Lakington is downright macabre in how he portrays the evil physician, giving the movie a proper aroma of true horror.    All in all this is a delightful cast in a very entertaining movie.

This one shows the proper romance of a hero and villain facing off with true danger, deceit, and even grudging respect between the opponents. It's easy to see why this was so very very successful.

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The Black Gang!

The Black Gang is the second Bulldog Drummond adventure and once again pits the British strongman against his arch enemy Carl Peterson.

I'm loathe to say too much about the details of this story as some mild surprises are in store in the early stages. Suffice it to say that Britain is under assault from a concerted Communist threat as the enemies of Capitalism use a host of provocateurs and anarchists to stir up trouble in the the working community, threatening the status quo.

Against this threat rises the equally mysterious and equally violent "Black Gang" so named because the dress from head to to in black robes. These mysterious agents descend on the threats to the British welfare and exact punishment, whisking away the offenders to some mysterious site.

Bulldog Drummond is called in to investigate this threat and quickly becomes embroiled with traitors and thugs and hunchbacked bombers. His adventure soon involves Carl Peterson and his beautiful companion Irma as well as Drummond's wife Phyllis.

This is another wonderfully briskly paced adventure that hums along powered by both its charm, wit, and polish. A reader though must be cautioned that the narrative is rife with some pretty rough ethnic slurs, especially some Anti-Semitic ones. Not unlike Sax Rohmer's work, the plight of civilized white society is the focus of the hair-raising events.

Highly recommended.

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Bulldog Drummond!

I don't remember when I first ran across the name "Bulldog Drummond", but it was most likely in one of Philip Jose Farmer's fictional biographies of either Tarzan or Doc Savage. All I knew about the character was that he was British and a significant physical specimen. Getting and reading a Bulldog Drummond story has been a low-grade ambition for many many moons.

So when I stumbled across a Wordsworth edition of the first four novels featuring the character I snapped it up. Such was my condition that I could read the first novel immediately and it was a whopper. "Sapper" who is in reality writer H.C. McNeile, fashioned a peppery adventure full of brawny and brave men and dastardly villains.

Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a World War I veteran, a man who found in the trenches a sense of purpose and a lust for danger and adventure. At home he is bored and like most British heroes leads a life of relative comfort (properly attended to by a just-assumed-to-be-there servant) and then he puts an ad in the paper essentially asking for trouble. He finds it when a beautiful woman answers his ad and he finds himself battling his arch-enemy Carl Peterson for the first time. Peterson is the name for a mysterious master villain who has a big gang of thugs and who seeks to undermine the British government itself to enrich himself and his associates. But as ruthless as Peterson is, we find that Drummond is no less a man of violence, a veritable bear of a man who uses his wits and his brawn to escape sundry dangerous situations.

Drummond is helped by his mates, men and veterans like himself. I was much reminded of Doc Savage's aides as Drummond's main men fell into place, each with a distinctive personality, but all brave and thoroughly gung-ho. We find in Drummond a powerful personality, a man who is comfortable leading others into danger and who is more than willing to take not only the law but destiny itself into his powerful hands.

I've seen some of the Bulldog Drummond movies and they are dandy entertainments, but none of them that I've seen were as good or had the fundamental weirdness of this novel. 

It's easy to see why these adventures were such a hit. The story explodes and propels itself along. I'm most eager to read the sequel at the soonest opportunity.

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