''Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police'' is a 1939 English Castle murder

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by James P. Hogan, based on the

H. C. McNeile Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H. C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''Temple Tower''. It is one of many films featuring the British sleuth and adventurer

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

. In 1930, Fox produced ''

Temple Tower ''Temple Tower'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code crime film directed by Donald Gallaher and starring Kenneth MacKenna, Marceline Day. and Peter Gawthorne. The film depicts the character of Bulldog Drummond, a British adventurer ...

'', directed by

Donald Gallaher Donald Gallaher (June 25, 1895 – August 14, 1961) was an American actor who appeared in 25 films between 1903 and 1949. He also directed five films, including ''Temple Tower'' (1930). His name is sometimes misspelled "Gallagher". Early years ...

and starring

Kenneth MacKenna Kenneth MacKenna (born Leo Mielziner Jr.; August 19, 1899 – January 15, 1962) was an American actor and film director. Family MacKenna was born as Leo Mielziner Jr. in Canterbury, New Hampshire, to portrait artist Leo Mielziner (Decembe ...

and

Marceline Day Marceline Day (born Marceline Newlin; April 24, 1908 – February 16, 2000) was an American motion picture actress whose career began as a child in the 1910s and ended in the 1930s. Early life Marceline Newlin was born in Colorado Springs, Color ...

, which was also based on the McNeile book. The story is set 28 miles outside

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in Rockingham, as a sign on the railroad station states.

Plot

An absent-minded Professor Downie (

Forrester Harvey Forrester Harvey (27 June 1884 – 14 December 1945) was an Irish film actor. From 1922 until his death year Harvey appeared in more than 115 films. He was credited for about two-thirds of his film appearances, but some of his roles were un ...

) makes a call upon Capt. Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

) as he is making plans for his much-delayed wedding to fiancée Phyllis Claverling ( Heather Angel) in his ancestral home Temple Tower. The professor informs Drummond that a fortune was buried in one of the walled off storerooms underneath his estate, and that Downie was in possession of a book written in code that would lead them to discover the treasure. Unfortunately for the professor, someone else also wanted the riches and Drummond once again is dragged into the plot as the code book is stolen, Professor Downie is murdered, and Phyllis is kidnapped.

Cast

* Heather Angel as Phyllis Clavering *

as Captain Hugh C. "Bulldog" Drummond *

H.B. Warner Henry Byron Warner (born Henry Byron Lickfold, 26 October 1876 – 21 December 1958) was an English film and theatre actor. He was popular during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in '' The King of Kings''. In later years, he successfu ...

as Colonel Nielson * Reginald Denny as Algy Longworth *

E.E. Clive Edward Erskholme Clive (28 August 1879 – 6 June 1940) was a Welsh stage actor and director who had a prolific acting career in Britain and America. He also played numerous supporting roles in Hollywood movies between 1933 and his death. Biog ...

as Tenny * Elizabeth Patterson as Aunt Blanche *

Leo G. Carroll Leo Gratten Carroll (25 October 1886 – 16 October 1972) was an English actor. In a career of more than forty years, he appeared in six Hitchcock films including ''Spellbound'', '' Strangers on a Train'' and ''North by Northwest'' and in thre ...

as Henry Seaton/Andrew Boulton *

as Professor Downie * Clyde Cook as Constable Hawkins * David Clyde as Constable Jenkins *

Neil Fitzgerald Neil Fitzgerald (15 January 1893 – 15 June 1982) was an Irish actor. Cornelius James Fitzgerald was born at Henry Street (now O'Brien Street), Tipperary, the son of James Joseph Fitzgerald, a grocer, and Ellen McGrath. He was educated in Trini ...

as Station Master *

Elspeth Dudgeon Elspeth Dudgeon (4 December 1871 – 11 December 1955) was a Scottish character actress. With a career spanning nearly two decades, she was involved in 67 films, only 14 of which included her name in the credits. Her best known appearance ...

as Housekeeper * Louise Campbell as Woman in Drummond's Dream (uncredited)

Notes

The film uses flashbacks from previous Drummond films and dream sequences extensively, which has led some to criticize it as tiresome. Oddly, despite the phrase "secret police" in the title, there is nothing relating to any secret police in the plot except Col. Neilsen's quip when several of the characters are together. The production values are high as the sets are of high quality, but the script has not received much acclaim.

References

External links

* * * * * Films based on Bulldog Drummond 1939 films 1930s English-language films American mystery thriller films American black-and-white films Films directed by James Patrick Hogan Films based on mystery novels 1930s mystery thriller films Paramount Pictures films 1930s American films {{1930s-thriller-film-stub