''13 Lead Soldiers'' is a 1948 American mystery film directed by Frank McDonald and starring

Tom Conway Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders, 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing private detectives (including The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, and The Saint) ...

Plot

Dr Stedman is murdered by an intruder in his study and two toy soldiers are stolen from his desk. The next day, Hugh Drummond reads about the murder in the newspaper. He is approached by a friend, Phillip Coleman, who tells him that he owns two similar figures and that he has received first offers, then threats to sell them. According to Coleman, the soldiers are 900 years old, dating back to the time of

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

. Coleman leaves the two painted lead figures with Drummond for safety and asks him to look into the affair. To flush out whoever is trying to get the figurines they plant a press story that Drummond has bought them from Coleman. When a woman, who introduces herself as journalist Estelle Gorday, visits Drummond's apartment, she recognizes the right figures out of a collection that Drummond has assembled on his mantle piece. Drummond and his friend Longworth then visit Stedman Manor and meet the daughter of the victim, Cynthia. She tells them that her father's figures were very similar to those brought by Drummond but different in detail and that they were part of a set of 13 soldiers that Dr Stedman bought at auction together with an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

palimpsest In textual studies, a palimpsest () is a manuscript page, either from a scroll or a book, from which the text has been scraped or washed off so that the page can be reused for another document. Parchment was made of lamb, calf, or kid skin an ...

. He was translating that when he was killed and the scroll was also taken. Dr Stedman was convinced that the statues were exceedingly valuable and he received an offer to buy them from a man called Vane. Vane offered a multiple of what Stedman has paid and left very angry when rejected. Drummond and Longworth follow an invitation by Ms Gorday. While they are there, Vane breaks into Drummond's apartment and steals the two soldiers. Coleman and Seymour, another friend of Drummond's, shadow him to a

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

flat. Seymour fetches Drummond and they return to Soho. Drummond and Longworth go up. A knife is thrown at them and they find Vane dead and the soldiers missing. The next day, Drummond and his friends are at Inspector McIver's office when Ms Stedman identifies the dead man as Vane. Drummond visits Gorday and tells her that he smelled her perfume at the Soho flat. He searches her place and finds the palimpsest. She admits to working for Vane, who was a collector who owned the other soldiers. Drummond next shows the palimpsest to Ms Stedman in the presence of Coleman. He tells them that he has done research on the soldiers: the figurines show the 13 last leaders of the Anglo-Saxons before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

. Before being defeated, King Harold hid his treasure at a manor near London and had the parchment with a map and instructions written, whilst the figures served as the cipher/key to find the hiding place. After the

battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conque ...

, the soldiers were dispersed. Monks overwrote the parchment and the original writing was only rediscovered by Dr Stedman. Drummond, Cynthia Stedman and Coleman go to the spot shown on the map. The current house dates to King George I and is occupied by an antiques store. Inside, they discover a medieval fireplace and walls. When they inquire about the soldiers, the store owner asks them to leave. Later, Ms Gorday visits Drummond and threatens him with a gun, demanding the palimpsest. She admits to being the daughter of the shop keeper, Mr Prager. He owns the other nine soldiers and wants the four others and the palimpsest. Prager and his daughter hired Vane to find them but were horrified when he killed Dr Stedman. She admits to being at Soho and to throwing the knife at Drummond. Ms Stedman comes to the store with the parchment, shadowed by Seymor and Longworth. They wait outside and meet Ms Gorday/Prager and Drummond when they arrive. Entering, they find Prager dead. Drummond discovers Coleman with all 13 soldiers inside the shop. Coleman attacks but is overpowered. They call the police and find Cynthia, who said Coleman had asked her to come and that she had been hit on the head on arrival. Drummond arranges the soldiers on a pedestal just like in the drawing and their weight distribution opens a secret door. They find the treasure. The arriving McIver takes a figure, causing the stone door to start closing. Coleman tries to flee but is shot and then trapped and crushed by the door. The others manage to leave the secret room when the figure is replaced.

Cast

as Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond *

John Newland John Newland (November 23, 1917 – January 10, 2000) was an American director, actor, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Newland began his career in vaudeville while still in his teens. Aft ...

as Algernon 'Algy' Longworth *

Maria Palmer Maria Palmer (born Maria Pichler, 5 September 1917 – 6 September 1981) was an Austrian-born American actress. Early life Palmer was born and raised in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Vienna, Austria) on 5 September 1917. She first appeared on st ...

as Estelle Prager, alias Estelle Gorday *

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress and former child actress. She is best known for her work in ''The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was the daughte ...

as Cynthia Stedman * William Stelling as Phillip Coleman *

Terry Kilburn Terence E. Kilburn (born 25 November 1926), known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is an English-American actor. Born in London, he moved to Hollywood in the U.S. at the age of 10, and is best known for his roles as a child ac ...

as Seymour * Gordon Richards as Police Inspector McIver *

Harry Cording Hector William "Harry" Cording (26 April 1891 – 1 September 1954) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in the films '' The Black Cat'' (1934) and ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938). Life and career ...

as Edward Vane * John Goldsworthy as Dr. Ashley Stedman

References

External links

* * * {{Bulldog Drummond Films based on Bulldog Drummond 1948 films 1948 mystery films American mystery films American detective films American black-and-white films 20th Century Fox films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Frank McDonald 1940s American films