Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Although I saw an edited version Bulldog Drummond Comes Back there was still enough there to enjoy. Especially enough of J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman as ruthless a pair of brother and sister villains you'll ever find.These two have it for Drummond played by John Howard. He was instrumental in having Freeman's husband captured and executed in France and they've now captured Howard's long suffering Tess Truehart type fiancé Louise Campbell. But they don't kill her outright nor do they kill Howard. Naish and Freeman are enjoying toying with him like a pair of feral cats with a wounded mouse. Howard refers to Freeman as Lady MacBeth and she's that big a schemer.Butler E.E. Clive and cricket friend Reginald Denny are in on the chase, but John Barrymore as Scotland Yard's Inspector Neilson is ordered out. You don't tell Scotland Yard what to do however.The only real flaw in this Reginald Denny who in most films is amusing as Drummond's silly twit of a friend. But in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back he's downright annoying. Bulldog Drummond Comes Back is a pretty good B film from Paramount Studios and while Howard is no Ronald Colman he gives a good account of himself in all his Bulldog Drummond films.

In this one the bride becomes a kidnap victim and Drummond and the boys must hunt her down. This time the motive is revenge and the killers are more artistic than they usually are. The problem with these B adventures is that the villains don't seem to know when to stop. They are so caught up in the artistic merit of their goals, they are set up for failure. There is so much face to face contact among the principals, that is seems odd that a quick move might not solve the problem. I'm also interested in how Drummond always asks advice of the people least likely to be of help to him. Of course, it all works out in the end and another wedding is foiled.

In this entry in the Bulldog Drummond franchise, the Captain (John Howard) finds himself on the trail of a pair of villains who have kidnapped his fiancée Phyllis Clavering (Louise Campbell). What makes the story interesting are the written and audible clues that Irena Soldanis (Helen Freeman) and her brother-in-law Mikhail Valdin (J. Carrol Naish) leave for the detective. The motive behind the kidnapping hearkens back to a murder trial that sent Irena's husband to the gallows, courtesy of Drummond."Bulldog Drummond Comes Back" seems to be a follow up to the same year's "Bulldog Drummond Escapes". In that film, the running gag had Drummond's sidekick Algy (Reginald Denny) fretting over the birth of his first son; this time out, Algy is worried about making the christening. Scotland Yard's Colonel Neilson is portrayed by the venerable John Barrymore this time around, and as befits his reputation, is actually top billed above the film's lead character. He earns it though, with a repertoire of disguises necessitated by the villains' threat to kill Miss Clavering if Scotland Yard gets involved.But in this, my third viewing of a Bulldog Drummond movie, the scene stealer is once again Drummond's butler Tenny (E.E. Clive), who's deadpan repartee and mannerisms make for beautifully understated comic relief. He's also a bit more adventurous this time out, inviting himself along as Drummond and Algy take after the bad guys. It's interesting to note that it was Tenny who figured out one of the clues to be the old disappearing ink trick.Note the scene in which Tenny hitches a ride on the back of the car which shanghais Drummond outside the Anglers Rest. Tenny looks into the rear window of the vehicle, and clearly visible inside is the back of a person's head. However inside the auto, Miss Soldanis and the kidnapped Miss Clavering are in the back seat, but with a shade pulled down over the window! I've seen J. Carrol Naish now in a number of films, and he looks different every time out. Here, as the creepy villain Valdin he looks almost Oriental in appearance, in a characterization that would have done Peter Lorre proud.Before the mystery is over, Drummond, Algy and Phyllis must escape a death trap before succumbing to lethal gas. Ever the enterprising butler, Tenny makes use of a Scotland Yard auto to remove a fallen tree from the road and arrive just in time to make the save. One thing though, can you really shoot the pin out of a door hinge with a handgun? If you can overlook some of the less plausible elements in this and other films in the Drummond series, they're worth the effort in entertainment value. I'm still waiting though to see if Captain Drummond ever winds up at the altar; in both "Escapes" and "Comes Back" he winds up still single at the end of the film.

Weaker entry in the Bulldog Drummond series, with John Howard in the role. Usual funny banter and antics, but not much plot. Barrymore gets something to do as the inspector, swapping disguises to follow Drummond, Algy, and Tenny on a wild goose chase (mostly in circles; perhaps the budget was tighter than usual) to rescue poor Phyllis, who is being held captive by people who want to lure Drummond to his doom. For those keeping score, in this one, Drummond is planning to ask Phyllis to marry him and Algy is worried about missing the baby's christening. It's fun to see Algy and Tenny dressed up as fisherman to blend in at The Angler's Rest, but little of it rises above silly.