BULLDOG DRUMMOND COMES BACK (1937)
Article #825 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 6-18-2003
Posting Date: 11-15-2003
Directed by Louis King
Featuring John Barrymore, John Howard, Louise Campbell

Bulldog Drummond tries to rescue his sweetheart when she is kidnapped by a woman intent on taking revenge for the arrest and execution of her husband.

Title check: I didn’t know he was gone. The other Bulldog Drummond movies had titles where I could at least figure out why each of them had that particular title; this one is pretty vague. Perhaps it means that he returns somewhat to an old case, but other than that, I can’t say.

You know, I have to admit to a certain fondness for these Bulldog Drummond movies, not so much for the character himself, but for his cohorts; Algy, Tenny and Colonel Neilson. Oddly enough, in each of the three I’ve seen, a different one of these characters is my favorite; here, it’s Colonel Neilson (played by the great John Barrymore) who seems to be the most fun as he assumes a series of disguises to hide his identity from Drummond while helping him to solve the kidnapping. The plot itself is pretty lightweight, but fun. However, since I’m covering fantastic movies, I think I should point out that whether its enjoyable or not, it is another example, however, of one of those movies with no fantastic elements at all as far as I can tell, so in terms of my own investigations here, it is a red herring. Fantastic movie fans, be warned.