ARREST BULLDOG DRUMMOND (1939)
Article #1081 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 2-29-2004
Posting Date: 7-28-2004
Directed by James P. Hogan
Featuring John Howard, Heather Angel, H.B. Warner

Captain Hugh Drummond tries to solve the murder of an inventor of a stolen death ray.

I’ve covered several of the Bulldog Drummond movies, and though I find the series thoroughly enjoyable, as of yet, the fantastic aspects have been very slight. This is probably the one so far that would have the most attraction for fans of the fantastic; the death ray (which explodes gunpowder from a distance) puts it definitely in the realm of science fiction, and the main villain is horror mainstay George Zucco (this isn’t giving away the plot; we know it’s Zucco from the beginning). As usual with the Drummond series, it’s all done with a light touch. There is also a talking blackbird, a good joke involving the word “duck”, a running joke involving the phrase “Don’t call me inspector”, and Drummond’s usual cohorts Algy, Tenny and Colonel Nielsen (played respectively by Reginald Denny, E.E. Clive, and H.B. Warner).