Bulldog Jack
Director: Walter Forde
Year: 1935
Rating: 6.0
AKA - Alias Bulldog Drummond
As if the Bulldog Drummond film series isn't confusing enough with all the
various actors who played him, the different studios that produced the films
and competing Bulldog films in England and the USA - now there is this variant
on the series. Made in England by Gaumont, it comes a year after The Return
of Bulldog Drummond, also made in England and starring Ralph Richardson as
the title character. In this one a barely recognizable Richardson plays the
villain and Drummond is played by Atholl Fleming. But Drummond and Fleming
are barely in the film. Kind of strange.
Drummond gets a call from a woman saying she desperately needs his help and
is at his apartment waiting for him. His car is sabotaged and on the way
he crashes into another car and is taken to the hospital with the driver
of the other car. On the way Drummond asks his new acquaintance to please
go and pretend to be Drummond and get the woman's story and call him. And
then Drummond basically vanishes for the remainder of the film. Sounds silly
and it is but in a good way. This turns into a fine brew of comedy and adventure
that gets more amusing as we go along. It takes a few minutes to realize
the film is trying to be funny in that quiet subtle English way.
Needless to say things go wrong very quickly. Drummond's friend Algy shows
up and he and the new Drummond banter back and forth for the rest of the
film - quite amusing at times - an older gentleman visits him but is taken
away by the police who turn out not to be the police and then his daughter,
the woman on the phone, shows up and the film comes to a lovely stop. Because
she is played by Fay Wray looking quite stunning and lit like a star - which
after King Kong she was. Surprised she went to England to make this. Both
fake Drummond and Algy are very reluctant heroes initially but manage to
stumble their way through eventually becoming real heroes.
This faux Drummond is played by Jack Hulbert - more a theatrical comedian
than a film star who grows on you as the film proceeds with his awkward green
bean body, gangling English teeth and lantern jaw that nearly hits the floor
and looks like a caricature of a caricature. A gang led by Morell (Richardson)
are behind all the villainy - though he is more benign than most - should
I kill them now or kill them later. Algy is played by Hulbert's brother Claude
who is as odd looking as Jack.
