Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by
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 ...
and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by
Gerard Fairlie
Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was a Scottish writer and scriptwriter on whom Sapper (H. C. McNeile) supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulld ...
. Drummond is a
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
veteran who, fed up with his sedate lifestyle, advertises looking for excitement, and becomes a gentleman adventurer. The character has appeared in novels, short stories, on the stage, in films, on radio and television, and in graphic novels.
Overview
After an unsuccessful one-off appearance as a policeman in ''
The Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'', the character was reworked by McNeile into a gentleman adventurer for his 1920 novel ''
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, ...
''. McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, four short stories, four stage plays and a screenplay before his death in 1937. The stories were continued by his friend
Gerard Fairlie
Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was a Scottish writer and scriptwriter on whom Sapper (H. C. McNeile) supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulld ...
between 1938 and 1954.
Drummond is a
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
veteran, brutalised by his experiences in the trenches and bored with his post-war lifestyle. He publishes an advertisement looking for adventure, and soon finds himself embroiled in a series of exploits, many of which involve Carl Peterson—who becomes his nemesis—and Peterson's mistress, the ''
femme fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
'' Irma. After his first adventure, Drummond marries his client, Phyllis Benton. In later episodes, Benton becomes involved in Drummond's exploits, often as the victim of kidnapping by Drummond's enemies.
In 1921 an adaptation of the first novel was staged in London, with
Gerald du Maurier
Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he ...
playing the role of Drummond; the play was further adapted for the 1922 silent film ''
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, ...
'', with
Carlyle Blackwell
Carlyle Blackwell (January 20, 1884 – June 17, 1955) was an American silent film actor, director and producer.
Early years
Blackwell was born in Troy, Pennsylvania. He studied at Cornell University before J. Stewart Blackton discovered him an ...
in the lead role. Several other Drummond films followed, either based on McNeile's stories or with unique storylines.
Fictional biography
The Bulldog Drummond stories of
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 ...
follow
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond,
DSO,
MC. Drummond is a member of "the Breed", a class of Englishman who were patriotic, loyal and "physically and morally intrepid". Drummond is a wealthy gentleman, formerly an officer in the fictional "
Royal Loamshire Regiment", who, after the First World War, spends his new-found leisure time looking for adventure. McNeile first wrote the Drummond character as a detective for a short story in ''
The Strand Magazine
''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...
'', but the portrayal was not successful and was changed for the novel
''Bull-dog Drummond'', which was a
thriller. The character was an amalgam of McNeile's friend
Gerard Fairlie
Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was a Scottish writer and scriptwriter on whom Sapper (H. C. McNeile) supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulld ...
, and his idea of an English gentleman, although writer J.D. Bourn disputes Fairlie's claim to be a model for the character, noting that "he was still at school when Sapper created his ... hero". Drummond also had roots in the literary characters
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
,
Sexton Blake
Sexton Blake is a fictional character, a detective who has been featured in many British comic strips, novels and dramatic productions since 1893. Sexton Blake adventures were featured in a wide variety of British and international publications ...
,
Richard Hannay and
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...
.
Drummond's wartime experience had given him a series of abilities akin to that of a hunter: stealth—"he could move over ground without a single blade of grass rustling"—and the ability to incapacitate others—"he could kill a man with his bare hands in a second". During his time on the
Western Front he would take himself on solitary raids through
no man's land
No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...
. Drummond was also proficient in
jujutsu
Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
and boxing, was a crack shot, played cricket for the
Free Foresters
Free Foresters Cricket Club is an English amateur cricket club, established in 1856 for players from the Midland counties of England. It is a 'wandering' (or nomadic) club, having no home ground.
The Free Foresters were founded by the Rev. Will ...
, and was an excellent poker player. In addition to Drummond's physical attributes is his common sense, which allows him to equal and beat his opponents, even if they have a superior intellect.
Drummond is characterised as large, very strong, physically unattractive and an "apparently brainless hunk of a man", He is six feet tall, weighs around 14 stone, and has a "cheerful type of ugliness which inspires immediate confidence in its owner". Throughout his exploits, Drummond is joined by several of his ex-army friends and colleagues, including Algy Longworth (who would appear in many of the films, as Drummond's sidekick), MC; Toby Sinclair,
VC; Peter Darrell and Ted Jerningham. Drummond's ex-
batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
from his military days, James Denny, runs Drummond's flat on
Half-Moon Street in
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
, London, along with Mrs Denny. (Denny appeared as Drummond's sidekick in the radio series, a version of the character named ''Tenny'' appeared in the films) Drummond is a gentleman with a private income; he is also construed as "a brutalized ex-officer whose thirst for excitement is also an attempt to reenact the war", although the character was later described by
Cecil Day-Lewis, author of gentleman detective
Nigel Strangeways, as an "unspeakable public school bully".
The novel ''Bulldog Drummond'' begins when Drummond places an advertisement in a newspaper looking for adventure to lift the ennui of his life in post-war London. The response comes from Phyllis Benton, who is concerned for the health and well-being of her father, over whom Henry Lakington and Carl Peterson have a hold. At the end of the novel Drummond and Phyllis marry, and remain married throughout the course of the McNeile and Fairlie series of books, in contrast to the films, which generally portray Drummond as unmarried. Phyllis becomes integral to the plot of some of the novels: she is kidnapped by Irma Peterson in several stories, including ''The Black Gang'' and ''The Female of the Species''.
In the matter of his personal tastes, Drummond is a member of the fictional Junior Sports Club, a
gentleman's club on
St. James's Square, London. His preferred drink is beer although he also enjoys drinking martinis and is knowledgeable about wines. Drummond owns both a
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
and a
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
.
Although Drummond's actions are intended to maintain the conservative status quo of Britain, academic Hans Bertens considers that instead, he comes across as "a murderous exponent of a fierce competitive individualism".
Carl and Irma Peterson
The first four books deal with Drummond against Carl Peterson, who becomes Drummond's
arch-enemy. Peterson is also a master of disguise and uses several aliases. Peterson is killed in the fourth book, ''The Final Count'', although Fairlie brings him back for his final novel, ''The Return of the Black Gang''. Drummond forms a grudging respect for Peterson, and offers an honourable duel to the death at the end of ''The Third Round'', instead of the usual summary justice that normally befalls members of Peterson's gang. The writer Richard Usborne sees the mass-murdering terrorist Peterson as "quite a sympathetic character. Almost, in fact, a hero", and wrote that "authors ... fall in love with their big villains ... Sapper came to love Carl Peterson dearly, and so did Drummond".
The title of the fifth Drummond book, ''The Female of the Species'' refers to
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work.
...
's line "the female of the species is more deadly than the male". Irma is described by Jonathon Green as "the slinky epitome of a twenties '
, and by Lawrence Treadwell as dark, sexy and from an oriental background, "a true ''femme fatale''". After Carl Peterson's death in ''The Final Count'', Irma swears revenge on Drummond and kidnaps his wife—whom he had met in ''Bulldog Drummond''—with the intent of killing him in the ensuing chase. Irma Peterson appears in six of McNeile's books, and in a further five by Fairlie.
Works
Novels
All were published through
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint (trade name), imprint of Hachette (publisher), Hachette.
History
Early history
The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged 14, with Messrs ...
.
Drummond has also appeared in other works. In 1983 Jack Smithers wrote the spoof ''Combined Forces'',
and in 1990
Kim Newman
Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula (1931 ...
—under the name Jack Yeovil—wrote the short story "Pitbull Brittan", which features Drummond.
Short stories
These short stories are all by McNeile.
Stage
McNeile and
Gerald du Maurier
Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he ...
adapted the first novel, ''
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, ...
'' for the stage, where it was shown at
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...
during the 1921–22 season. du Maurier played the title role in a run of 428 performances. Du Maurier again played the role on 8 November 1932 in a special charity performance at the
Royal Adelphi Theatre attended by King
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
Born duri ...
. The play also ran in New York during the same season, with
A. E. Matthews
Alfred Edward Matthews (22 November 186925 July 1960), known as A. E. Matthews, was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades. Already middle-aged when films began production, he enjoyed inc ...
as Drummond. McNeile also wrote ''The Way Out'', which was staged at the
Comedy Theatre
The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011, , London in January 1930 with
Ian Hunter as Drummond. A third Drummond play, ''Bulldog Drummond Hits Out'', was co-written by McNeile and Fairlie. It went on a tour of the UK in 1937 with
Henry Edwards as Drummond, and opened on 21 December 1937 at the
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...
, London, where it had a short run. Fairlie later turned the storyline into the novel ''Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor'', published in 1938.
In 1974 the play ''
Bullshot Crummond'', by Ron House, was staged with Alan Shearman as Crummond. The play was subsequently made into the 1983 film ''
Bullshot''.
Film
In 1933
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
was set to direct a Bulldog Drummond film with a screenplay by
Charles Bennett entitled ''Bulldog Drummond's Baby''. The rights to the character of Drummond were then held by
British International Pictures
Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), originally British International Pictures (BIP), was a British film production, distribution and exhibition company active from 1927 until 1970 when it was absorbed into EMI. ABPC also owned appr ...
, who would not sell the rights to use the characters for Bennett's screenplay. Bennett and Hitchcock turned the film into ''
The Man Who Knew Too Much'' without Drummond.
Radio
A
''Bulldog Drummond'' radio series ran on the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
from 13 April 1941 to 12 January 1949. An attempt was made at a revival between 3 January and 28 March 1954. Drummond was initially portrayed by
George Coulouris
George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor.
Early life
Coulouris was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, the son of Abigail (née Redfern) anNicholas Coulouris a merchant of Greek o ...
, before being taken over by
Santos Ortega and Ned Wever after 1942;
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...
took over in 1954.
Television
A 30-minute episode of ''
Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Presents'' featured Drummond in "The Ludlow Affair", first broadcast on UK television on 16 December 1956. Drummond was played by
Robert Beatty
Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.
Early years
Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, O ...
; he was aided by Kelly, played by
Michael Ripper
Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor.
He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...
.
A 1973
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
playing Drummond, as well as a number of other such heroic characters, including
and James Bond.
Adaptations of the first and fourth novels appeared in Super Detective Library #3 and #13 respectively. In 2004
, a thinly disguised, elderly version of Drummond, called "Hugo Drummond", is one of the three Secret Service agents tasked to hunt down the heroes of the piece.
The Drummond series proved popular with contemporary audiences, with ''Bulldog Drummond'' selling 396,302 copies between 1920 and 1939, exceeding the 100,000-copy benchmark for "best-sellers". At his peak in the 1920s, McNeile was the highest-paid short-story writer in the world,
and it was estimated that in the last five years of his life he was earning around £10,000 a year (approximately );
'' estimated that during his writing career he had earned £85,000.
'', the critic observed that "if you like a good knock-down-and-drag-out yarn with excitement and violence on nearly every page, you can't go wrong on Bulldog Drummond";
for the novel ''Bulldog Drummond at Bay'', the reviewer considered that "as a piece of fictional melodrama, the book is first rate".
'' also characterised McNeile as a mass-market thriller writer, which contrasted with its consideration of his earlier works.
Throughout the Drummond stories, much of the language used by McNeile's characters relating to ethnic minorities or Jews is considered by the academic Joan DelFattore to be "intensely conservative by modern standards"; Green observes that while the characters of other contemporary writers, such as
of the period, McNeile's go far beyond the 'polite' norms". J.D. Bourn considers his language to be "rather distasteful", while the academic
observed that "Drummond is a bundle of chauvinisms, hating Jews, Germans, and most other foreigners". The author and publisher
comments that for the readers of the 1920s and '30s, McNeile was seen at the time as "simply an upstanding Tory who spoke for many of his countrymen".
Drummond later became a model for other literary characters created in the 1940s and '50s:
of the original dust jackets on McNeile's books.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drummond, Bulldog