Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937)

Strong and Moving!

Just so...so bad

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Now John Howard is Bulldog Drummond in this 1937 film, "Bulldog Drummond Comes Back," with John Barrymore getting top billing.Phyllis (Louise Campbell), the fiancée of Bulldog, is kidnapped. In order to find her, Bulldog, who has wronged the kidnappers, has to solve a series of clues. It's all to trap him. The villains are J. Carrol Naish and Helen Freeman, and John Barrymore is the Colonel. He did two Bulldog films. What a great actor -- it's kind of sad to see him here. He uses some disguises very effectively.Tenney (E.E. Clive) is very good as Bulldog asks for his approval on a poem, and Tenney provides him with further help. And poor Algy (Reginald Denny) is trying to get back for his baby's christening. Somehow Bulldog always lures him away from family.I like John Howard in this role. He's handsome, smooth, and sophisticated. He's best remembered (by me anyway) as Katharine Hepburn's fiancée in The Philadelphia Story. 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. Entertaining.

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.

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.

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.