Bulldog Jack (1935)

Masterful Movie

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Why isn't this movie better known? If you're a fan of comedy and/or detective drama, this is the perfect movie for you.Bulldog Drummond breaks his arm in a car accident and can't work, so he enlists the help of the other guy in the collision to stand in for him until he recovers. So begins a hilarious case where "Bulldog Jack" (Jack Hulbert) does his best to behave the way he believes a detective should, only he's pretty dense and makes plenty of stupid decisions with sidekick Algy (Claude Hulbert) including setting a door on fire when they're locked in a small room in order to escape.The case involves a brunette Fay Wray who provides the eye candy in this stylishly-photographed thriller-comedy. If you get a chance to see it, do! What are you waiting for?

The same year that BULLDOG DRUMMOND STRIKES BACK (1934) emerged from Hollywood, Britain supplied its own adventure for the character (incarnated by Ralph Richardson) created by H.C. "Sapper" McNeile, namely THE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND – in which he was pitted, as in the 1929 BULLDOG DRUMMOND, against his frequent antagonist Carl Peterson. A year later, a spoof (note my review of STRIKES BACK, which was itself something of a lampoon!) was produced – also in Britain – and, interestingly, Richardson here changed sides and essayed the chief villain role! Anyway, the narrative – on which the author was himself involved! – begins with the real Drummond, played by one Atholl Fleming, being put out of action after he has promised leading lady Fay Wray (in a brief U.K. stint) his help; partly to blame for this indisposition, star Jack Hulbert – pining for the thrills that are Drummond's bread-and-butter – requests to offer his services but, when he comes face to face with Wray, decides to take the case (since he had been asked by the sleuth himself to temporarily impersonate him!). Also on hand is Drummond's sidekick Algy (played by Hulbert's younger brother Claude!), who is against their getting involved further…but, when the heroine is kidnapped, he joins "Bulldog Jack" (incidentally, the film was bafflingly retitled ALIAS BULLDOG DRUMMOND for the U.S.!) in pursuit.As it turns out, this is guilty of the same criticism with respect to plot that I leveled at the Ronald Colman vehicles which preceded its viewing: Wray is in the care of a grandfather, whose forgery skills are sought by Richardson in order to replace the jewels adorning the statue of an Indian goddess inside the British Museum. While Jack Hulbert does not make for the most sympathetic lead (he had earlier starred in another highly-regarded, but unfortunately only partially available, comedy-thriller by the same director: the 1931 version of THE GHOST TRAIN, whose remake – also by Forde! – made 10 years later I own and have reviewed), the film maintains a good balance between delivering laughs and creating suspense. Also notable here are the settings – as mentioned, the climax occurs in the British Museum (to where the criminals gain access through the lid of an ancient tomb!), while Richardson's hide-out is in a disused branch of the London Underground (he even escapes by assuming control of a train, but is naturally routed by the intrepid hero) – and the editing (including judicious use of overlapping dialogue and cross-cutting).To get back to THE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND for a minute, I chose not to watch it at this juncture because I have a few more of the character's adventures (from his Hollywood run of B-movies) to go through – and, in any case, the three I did check out had earned a spot on the "Wonders In The Dark" poll of the all-time top 3000 films (even if I do not agree with its ranking this the highest)

I'm constantly amazed at the inventiveness of 1930s detective stories. The genre was still being formed and all sorts of crazy narrative techniques were being tried. Most failed of course or even if they hit, they weren't rich enough to be developed and therefore died as well.The Bulldog Drummond franchise was one of the most successful of the era, and also one that had the most experimentation, compared for example with Chan or Holmes. In this edition, the crooks hide behind false identities and motives. The criminal plan is to create a deceptive object. So there are already two "false identities" involved. This film adds a third: the series detective has a surrogate who operates in his name.It doesn't work for me. Probably didn't at the time, except to provide a way to introduce "British" humor. But its a clever idea, huh?Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

This film, simply put, is TERRIBLE! The acting is amateurish, and the characters run around a lot, but the whole thing FLOPS!The only redeeming things about this film are the (always beautiful!) Fay Wray, and the sets of the abandoned subway tunnels.Only die-hard Bulldog Drummond fans should see THIS one....if you can! (It's the "Plan 9" of Bulldog Drummond"!).