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Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1938)

 
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 31, 2020 3:57 pm    Post subject: Arrest Bulldog Drummond (1938) Reply with quote



I love the classic mysteries from the 1930s and 1940s — like the Bulldog Drummond series! Very Happy

But when I watched this one YouTube today I was delighted by the fact the mystery centered around an inventor who wanted to end world war by developing a ray that detonated all forms of explosives!

What a cool idea! Cool

The well-designed device used in the movie had two projectors that emitted twin beams of light which, when brought together on the target, caused the explosives at that location to detonated!

Shine these beams on tanks, cannons, and soldiers — and all their weapons go BOOM! Shocked

However, the inventor's benevolent plan to give his invention to the British government so they could neutralize all the weapons of any nation which attacked them — from bombs to handguns — was thwarted by an evil man who had less noble intentions! Sad

The YouTube video below has a poor picture quality, so I couldn't get a good screen shot of the ray machine. But you can see it in action at the 00:7:30 mark in the video.

The inventor demonstrates his invention by using an elaborate tabletop model which includes tiny weapons of war — complete with small amounts of gunpowder in each one which explode the moment the ray hits them! Very Happy

Watching this movie, we wonder who can stop this evil villain who kills the inventor and takes over his device? Shocked

Enter our hero, Bulldog Drummond! Cool

Bulldog Drummond's team of assistants includes a brave and loyal butler played brilliantly by E.E. Clive. His constant demonstrations of dedication and proper British manners are a joy to behold.

But he's also a man of action!

In one amazing scene, he jumps onto a motorcycle and pursues two villains in a truck relentlessly for ten full minutes during a high speed chase until he finally tricks them by leaping onto the rear of the speeding vehicle, crawling over the roof, and then leaning down into the driver's side window to point his gun at the driver's head and ordering him to stop! Very Happy

When I saw that scene, I started humming the theme to Indiana Jones! Cool

I was impressed by the scene later in the movie, in which the villain focuses the ray on a warehouse filled with fireworks while Drummond's loyal assistant is inside. The results are both suspenseful and comical!

The combination of the roguish, devil-may-care Hugh Drummond and his amazing British butler — who is much more than a comic sidekick — makes this whole series an absolute joy to watch.

I discovered that Amazon offers a "NEW" DVD of this movie for $13.49 (with free Prime shipping), and it has the following review by a "verified customer".
________________________________________________

5.0 out of 5 stars "Get the Reel Vault copy!"

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020. Verified Purchase

Reel Vault currently has the best version of this film. Looks like 35mm was the source material. Beautiful print. Only downside is a DVDR.

________________________________________________

Here's the poor Youtube version I watched today . . . and enjoyed tremendously.
Smile

_____ Arrest Bulldog Drummond - 1939 Full Movie


__________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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Pow
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Joined: 27 Sep 2014
Posts: 3400
Location: New York

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2021 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another fun aspect of watching these marvelous films from past eras, Bud, is spying members of the supporting cast.

Some I know immediately who they are; others I recognize the face but not the name.

Then, it's off to IMDB to look up their bio and film & TV credits to see where else I have seen these wonderful actors.

H.R.Warner (Colonel J.A. Nielson) in this film was also the pharmacist Mr. Gower in the holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life." He was Jesus Christ in "The King of Kings" (1914), and he appeared as himself in another great classic, "Sunset Boulevard" (1950).

Leonard Mundie who is the inventor of the deadly ray cannon showed up in parts in the entertaining "Captain Blood" (1935) which made Errol Flynn into a major star. Mundie was in "The Mummy" (1932), and terrific "Lost Horizon" (1937).

I well remember his scary performance from the Adventures of Superman" episode "The Ghost of Scotland Yard."

And it is always fun to see George Zucco once again playing a heavy which he always did so well.
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Pow
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 8:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I was surprised that the legendary actor John Barrymore appeared in one of the Bulldog Drummond films.

He played a supporting role which further surprised me considering his status in the industry.

Perhaps his tragic alcoholism was reducing his being able to be hired as the lead in film productions by this point.

Christopher Plummer did a splendid one-man show portraying Barrymore.
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Jan 09, 2021 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pow wrote:
I was surprised that the legendary actor John Barrymore appeared in one of the Bulldog Drummond films.

He played a supporting role which further surprised me considering his status in the industry.

Actually, he was in three of the films: Bulldog Drummond's Peril, Bulldog Drummond's Revenge, and Bulldog Drummond Comes Back.

In that third film, Colonel Neilson (Barrymore) secretly trails Drummond while the poor man is forced to solve a series of difficult riddles posed by the villains. Failure to solve the riddles will mean the death of beloved fiance'!

Barrymore disguises himself as a crusty old sea captain and keeps a watchful eye on this longtime friend — never once being recognized by either Drummond's group nor the villains who threaten to kill the heroine if Drummond allows the police to aid him in any way!

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
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