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Captain High 'Bulldog' Drummond has just returned to England. As he is driving home in the dark, a young woman jumps out in front of his car. He misses her, but she falls to the ground. As he tries to revive her, he hears a shout for help, then gunshots. As he goes to investigate, the woman drives away with Drummond's car. He is soon able to trace her to nearby Greystone Manor, and when he goes there to meet her, she urges him to help her get out of a desperate situation.This is my first Bulldog Drummond movie. I didn't know Ray Miland was the main actor. Wasn't he a great actor at one time? This is a grade B picture that is studio make an watchable. It's just over an hour long.The best part for me was the first scene where Bulldog flies in from an international trip (he's flying) and customs asks him if he has anything to declare and he says - "no, you can check." Times have changed.It's a watchable film, as I say and Miland is good.
Hitchcoc
As with most of the items in this series, one must put aside a great deal of incredulity. There are far too many coincidences and events dependent on the victim, for the bad guys to be as successful as they are. That said, there is a great deal of byplay among the principles, including the police department and others makes it a good deal of fun. The thing that really stretches things is that the young woman whom we focus on is semi-conscious much of the time and participate a bit too much in the plot to conceal her. There are, however, so many opportunities to escape or to get help, the ultimate rescue seems a little unnecessary. Ray Milland as Drummond is quite good. I always found him unflappable in his many portrayals (even the Hitchcock classic). He has suavity down to a science. The byplay with the butler is quite delightful. I'm still not sure why they were hanging on to this girl (she seemed like excess baggage) and what the mystery was, but I still had a fine time. I have six of these films and look forward to the next one.
Barney Bat
The 1937-1938 series of Bulldog Drummond films released by Paramount, starring first Ray Milland, then John Howard as Captain Hugh C. Drummond, and based on the classic mystery/adventure novels by H. C. "Sapper" McNeile, are first-rate mysteries, and BULLDOG DRUMMOND ESCAPES is a worthy series opener. The whole series (composed of eight films) captures the spirit of the books much more than the rather boring Ronald Colman film made in 1929, which is, for some reason, ridiculously overrated by critics, who, at the same time, dismiss the Milland-Howard films as mediocre programmers. The Colman film put the emphasis on the love story, which is only subsidary in the books, had little or no action, and neglected to give any sense of real menace to the villains. The Paramount series, on the other hand, kept the love interest subsidiary, were full of edge-of-your-seat action, and included first-class villain actors as menaces in the various films, such as J. Carrol Naish, Eduardo Cianelli, Porter Hall, and Leo G. Carrol I really can't talk about the plot of this or any other series entry, as that would constitute a "spoiler" by IMDB standards, but suffice it to say that it is rather loosely based on BULLDOG DRUMMOND, the first of Sapper's books. Ray Milland is Drummond, and an excellent one, but he was too big a star to remain tied to one character for more than one movie, so John Howard took over for the subsequent seven films. Sir Guy Standing, who plays Colonel Neilson, the ever-flustered Scotland Yard man who would like to solve his cases without Drummond bothering him, also did only this one film, the role being taken for the next three by John Barrymore, and for the final four by H. B. Warner. Heather Angel plays the heroine, Phyllis Clavering, in this one and in the final four, while Louise Campbell is Phyllis in the middle three. Reginald Denny is Drummond's loyal but not-too-bright pal Algy Longworth, and repeats his role in all the other films in the series. E.E. Clive is Drummond's indispensible and imperturable valet Tenny (inexplicably changed from Denny in the books). Clive also kept his role throughout the entire series. So, anyone who is a fan of the Drummond books, should, if they want to see the best screen treatment of their hero, check out these films and ignore the abstracted praises of the Colman film.
