Bulldog Drummond's Peril (1938)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

James P. Hogan

Writers:

Herman C. McNeile (novel)
Stuart Palmer (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 March 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

In this episode captain Drummond tries to find the killer of various people. All assassinations were provoked by a diamond of great value...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Wedding Present | Explosion | Bulldog Drummond | Colonel

Cast

John Barrymore	...	Col. Neilson
John Howard	...	Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond
Louise Campbell	...	Phyllis Clavering
Reginald Denny	...	Algy Longworth
E.E. Clive	...	Tenny
Porter Hall	...	Dr. Botulian
Elizabeth Patterson	...	Aunt Blanche
Nydia Westman	...	Gwen Longworth
Michael Brooke	...	Anthony Greer
Halliwell Hobbes	...	Prof. Bernard Goodman
Matthew Boulton	...	Sir Raymond Blantyre
Zeffie Tilbury	...	Mrs. Weevens
David Clyde	...	Constable McThane
Clyde Cook	...	Constable Sacker
Austin Fairman	...	Roberts

Runtime:

66 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Finland:K-16

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the motorcycle is chasing the truck, at one point both are driving on the right side of the road, despite the fact the scene is set in England, where they drive on the left.

Quotes:

Phyllis Clavering: And this was supposed to be our wedding day.
Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond: Oh, I'm sorry, darling, but if there's a registery office still open…
Col. Neilson: And if there isn't, you'll probably break into one!

Movie Connections:

Followed by Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1939)

His peril becomes my confusion.

Capt. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is finally marrying his long standing fiancé Phyllis, while on a retreat in Geneva. During a reception party, Hugh and Phyllis receive a flawless man-made diamond from friend Gwen's scientist father. Sir Raymond Blantree, a guest at the party and jewel magnate, sees the diamond and plans to get both it and Prof. Goodman (Gwen's father) before the discovery decreases the value of all jewels around the world (smirk). Hugh, Algy, and Tenny chase Blantree, and his accomplice Greer, back to London, but being of position, Blantree is able to avoid police persecution by Col. Neilson, who is still fed up with Drummond's wild adventures. Blantree tries to buy the formula from Goodman, but he refuses to sell, saying he will give it away. Blantree learns that Goodman plans to borrow equipment from a rival gemologist Dr. Botulian and plans to have Greer impersonate Botulian to get the formula, but the doctor has plans of his own for obtaining the formula. Will one of their plans succeed despite the efforts of Drummond and company? Good entry in the series, but it didn't live up to its potential with plenty of setup and weak execution. Biggest problem was at first the audience was intended to left in mystery as to who the real Botualian was, but after two minutes of it, this reviewer was just confused. The first half of the film focused on the villainy of Blantree and then he was discarded in the second half for Botulian, and frankly both of them were limp adversaries. I had to laugh at Blantree's idea of the man made gems weakening the financial value of pure gems, apparently the executives at QVC would have given Bulldog more of a run for his money. Rating, 6.