Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)

disgusting, overrated, pointless

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

A lot of fun.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Newly engaged Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond is looking forward to the arrival of his fiancée Phyllis but plans for a peaceful visit don't last long. She hasn't been there long when she is kidnapped by Irena Soldanis and Mikhail Valdin. We soon learn why she was kidnapped; Irena wants revenge on Drummond because she blames him for her late brother's execution. She leaves a series of cryptic clues that are intended to make him suffer before they exact their ultimate revenge. Drummond follows the clues along with friend Algy and faithful butler Tenny. The kidnappers specifically told Drummond not to let Colonel Neilson of Scotland Yard get involved but the colonel decides to follow despite Drummond's instructions not to… this involves a series of impressive disguises.The adventure sees John Howard taking over the lead role and Louise Campbell taking over as Phyllis; Howard does a fine job as Drummond and Campbell is okay but not as good as Heather Angel was when the character was first introduced. The story may be a little cliché but it is still fun. The various clues aren't too convoluted; there is a good chance that the viewer will solve one or two before they are explained. There is a fair amount of action packed into the film's short runtime leading up to a gripping denouement. Mixed in with the drama there are some funny moments; Col Neilson's ingenious disguises were both amusing and surprisingly believable. The baddies are fairly cliché dastardly Central Europeans but that doesn't mean they aren't entertaining. Overall I'd say this is a fun action adventure that contains absolutely no offensive material.

Another amazing experiment in the detective form, as filmmakers tried to do their own detective work on what works.In this experiment, the detective is something of a nitwit, but with a charming fiancée. She is kidnapped of course and our detective has to "find" her by following all sorts of clues. Some of these need detecting and are pretty ludicrous. Others are simple; "go back to where you were." The experiment in the form involves the surrounding characters: two buffoons, and a wily inspector from Scotland yard. He's the detective behind the detective, usually in disguise. Its a double fold that doesn't quite work. So the experiment fails. But if you wander into this, the Scotland Yard man is John Barrymore playing his stage persona.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Overall, this entry in the Bulldog Drummond series is just an average B-feature, but it does have some good moments. This was the first feature in the series to star John Howard as Drummond, and it also has the usual supporting characters, with E.E. Clive and Reginald Denny as Drummond's sidekicks, Louise Campbell as Phyllis, and John Barrymore as Colonel Neilson. Howard, Clive, and Denny have some good lighter moments together during the course of events, and Barrymore, as you would expect, makes very good use of his opportunities, leaving you wishing there had been more scenes involving his character.The story idea is interesting if lightweight, with villains played by J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman using a series of riddles and puzzles, along with a kidnapping, in their attempts to lure Drummond into a trap. The series of puzzles gets a bit far-fetched, but it does hold your interest, and perhaps with a little more careful writing and editing it could have made a pretty good movie. Barrymore's series of disguises and other tactics is probably the most entertaining part of it all, and these also help to keep the tone light. Otherwise, there's nothing particularly impressive, but it has just enough to be worth seeing for those who enjoy the genre.

Drummond and his pals spend their time following the instructions of a pair of continental criminals who want revenge and, using his kidnapped fiancee as a prod, keep them running hither and yon to no particular purpose. Everyone seems ashamed to be in this turkey, especially John Barrymore, who spends much of his time underacting. If you are particularly enamoured of this series, which never exceeds watchable, or are a fiend for John Barrymore -- which makes some sense at any rate, give it a look. Otherwise, avoid it.