Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938)

Perfect cast and a good story

Good idea lost in the noise

An absolute waste of money

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Bulldog Drummond in Africa (1938) , was the 13th and one of the better entries in the 24-picture "Bulldog Drummond" series. This installment not only brings Heather Angel back to the role of Phyllis Clavering, but replaces a rather seedy John Barrymore with the far less hammy H.B. Warner. Of course, the irritating Reginald Denny is still very much on hand, but he is far more subdued than usual in this entry; and it's always a joy to see young Anthony Quinn as the heavy's accomplice. Despite a rather silly start to the tale, the accent here is this installment rotates more firmly on thrills than comedy. Although his work is nothing special, Louis King directs with reasonable competence.

On the eve of his wedding Captain Hugh Drummond is off to Morocco when Scotland Yard's Colonel J.A. Nielson is kidnapped by international criminal Richard Lane. With his fiancée Phyllis Clavering, friend 'Algy' Longworth and his trusty valet 'Tenny' Tennyson, Bulldog flies his own plane 1200 miles only to find the local British Consul ordering him home without delay. Drummond isn't an easy man to get rid of however and they soon mount their rescue plan.There sure were a lot of these Drummond movies made. They are all more or less watchable and this one is no different. The title says they go to Africa.Technically, yes, but Morocco is hardly what comes to mind when you think of Africa.

The movie opens with a trouser-less Drummond (John Howard) and his butler Tenny (E.E. Clive), confined to Rockingham Lodge on the eve of the Captain's wedding to Miss Phyllis Clavering (Heather Angel). Drummond's sidekick Algy (Reginald Denny) is holding their pants hostage to prevent his boss from getting caught up in a distraction that would disrupt the ceremony. Is it possible that they only had one pair of pants each?Scotland Yard's Colonel Nielson (H.B. Warner) meanwhile, is about to be taken hostage himself by an old nemesis, Richard Lane (J. Carrol Naish). Lane hopes to secure information about a newly developed radio-wave disintegrator, but when Nielson becomes uncooperative, Lane hustles him aboard a plane bound for Morocco where he'll have time to work him over for the secret. The early going is marked by a frantic effort to catch Lane and Nielson, as Algy valiantly tries to deliver the pants along the way.The ever patient and ever single Miss Clavering stows away aboard Drummond's plane as the good guys take flight to Africa. The final confrontation there involves a lion, strategically tethered to an uncertain stake with Colonel Nielson the prize should it give way."Bulldog Drummond in Africa" offers it's share of characteristic good humor and camaraderie between Drummond and his cohorts, though this time around some troubling elements are included as well. Nielson's butler Phillips is dispatched by Lane, and Algy takes a bullet in the arm during the finale at Lane's estate.For J.Carrol Naish, this was his second unsuccessful attempt to outwit hero Drummond. He previously vied with John Howard in "Bulldog Drummond Comes Back", though portraying a different character. Heather Angel reprises her role as Phyllis Clavering from "Bulldog Drummond Escapes", the only film in the series with Ray Milland in the role of the title character. Howard and Angel would team up a total of four times, culminating in the 1939 entry "Bulldog Drummond's Bride". Not having seen it yet, I've got my fingers crossed for an invitation to a wedding.

With a story that has a couple of interesting turns, rather effective atmosphere, and a good cast, "Bulldog Drummond in Africa" is one of the most entertaining of the John Howard series of 'Bulldog' features. To the usual good action and likable main characters, it adds some interesting settings that work well given the limited budget.The story opens with some light comedy about the ongoing obstacles to Drummond and Phyillis's wedding plans, and then they are plunged into another adventure when Phyllis herself witnesses Colonel Neilson being kidnapped. The story shifts to Morocco for the rest of the action, where the story takes some interesting turns, with the usual snappy pace. Even though it shows signs of having been filmed on a shoestring, the climactic confrontation with the lions creates some suspense.The cast has Howard, Reginald Denny, and E.E. Clive from the previous features, and they are joined by Heather Angel (returning to the role she had played in an earlier Drummond feature with Ray Milland), who is engaging and energetic as Phyllis, plus H.B. Warner as Neilson. This is the feature in which Warner took over from John Barrymore, who was always so enjoyable in the part, but Warner works well enough in his own right in this feature. His confrontations with the villains give him some decent material to work with.The main characters are given help from the supporting cast, with J. Carrol Naish doing a solid job as the traitorous Lane, and a young-looking Anthony Quinn making very good use of his opportunities. Strictly as light entertainment, it's an enjoyable combination.