The Return of Bulldog Drummond – 1934 | 73 mins | Mystery, Thriller | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Based on H.C. “Sapper” McNeile’s second Drummond novel “The Black Gang”, The Return of Bulldog Drummond is the closest incarnation to the author’s original concept but also one of the least successful and uneasy adaptations of the series. The film was relatively toned down when compared with the novel but Drummond’s thuggish behaviour and black-clad followers give way to an unpleasant fascist undercurrent throughout the film.

Retired British military officer Capt. Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond (Ralph Richardson) is the leader of the “Black Clan”, a secret organisation crusading to rid England of crime by means of a purge against foreign undesirables. When World Peace Conference delegate Brunel is assassinated en-route to Birmingham, Drummond and his sidekick Algy (Claud Allister) kidnap arms dealer Charles Latter (Wallace Geoffrey) and set about threatening a foreign consortium to leave the country within 24 hours after the “Black Clan” pay them a visit. The ringleader of the syndicate is Drummond’s old adversary European arms dealer Carl Peterson (Francis L. Sullivan), who kidnaps Drummond’s wife (Ann Todd) to use her as bait to capture her husband. After walking into Peterson’s trap, Drummond is drugged and placed in a car that is driven into a nearby river; he narrowly escapes drowning and sets about liberating his wife from the gang’s lair. Meanwhile, Algy organises for the “Black Clan” to intervene and rescue Drummond and his wife.