Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947 film)

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Bulldog Drummond at Bay
"Bulldog Drummond at Bay" (1947).jpg
Directed by Sidney Salkow
Screenplay by Frank Gruber
Based on H.C. McNeile
(as Sapper)
Produced byLouis B. Appleton Jr.
Bernard Small
Starring Anita Louise
Patrick O'Moore
Terry Kilburn
Holmes Herbert
Ron Randell
Cinematography Philip Tannura
Edited by Aaron Stell
Production
company
Venture Pictures
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 15, 1947 (1947-05-15)
Running time
70 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Bulldog Drummond at Bay is a 1947 American adventure crime mystery film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Ron Randell for the first time as the British sleuth and adventurer Bulldog Drummond. The cast also includes Anita Louise, Patrick O'Moore and Terry Kilburn. [1]

Contents

The film is loosely based on the novel Bulldog Drummond at Bay by H. C. McNeile. [2]

Plot

When thieves rob his country estate, Bulldog Drummond uncovers a deadly jewel caper involving foreign agents trying to steal plans for a top-secret British aircraft.

Cast

Production

The Bulldog Drummond series had been popular B movies before the war. In June 1946 it was announced Venture Pictures, a Columbia producing unit headed by Lou Appleton and Bernard Small, had done a deal with the estate of H.C. McNeile to make two Bulldog Drummond pictures, with an option to provide six more (the last one had been Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police (1939)). John Howard had played Drummond in the 1930s but it was decided to use a new actor in the part. [3]

In November 1946, it was announced that Drummond would be played by Ron Randell, an Australian actor who was signed to a long term contract with Columbia off the back of his performance in Smithy. [4] Sidney Salkow would direct with filming to start in December. [5] According to Appleton, "We wanted a new film face and someone with a British way of speaking." [6]

Former child star Terry Kilburn was given an adult role. [7]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin called Randell "an attractive personality... a worthy successor as Drummond." [8]

Leonard Maltin called the film an "innocuous British 'quota quickie'" [9]

Filmink wrote "This was an okay film, a little creaky – Randell wasn’t quite comfortable in the lead. " [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Bulldog Drummond</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

Bulldog Drummond is a 1929 American pre-Code crime film in which Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond helps a beautiful young woman in distress. The film stars Ronald Colman as the title character, Claud Allister, Lawrence Grant, Montagu Love, Wilson Benge, Joan Bennett, and Lilyan Tashman. Produced by Samuel Goldwyn and directed by F. Richard Jones, the movie was adapted by Sidney Howard from the play by H. C. McNeile.

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Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police is a 1939 English Castle murder mystery film directed by James P. Hogan, based on the H. C. McNeile novel Temple Tower. It is one of many films featuring the British sleuth and adventurer Bulldog Drummond. In 1930, Fox produced Temple Tower, directed by Donald Gallaher and starring Kenneth MacKenna and Marceline Day, which was also based on the McNeile book.

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H. C. McNeile British soldier and author (1888–1937)

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Anita Louise American actress (1915–1970)

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Ronald Egan Randell was an Australian actor. After beginning his acting career on the stage in 1937, he played Charles Kingsford Smith in the film Smithy (1946). He also had roles in Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947), Kiss Me Kate (1953), I Am a Camera (1955), Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961) and King of Kings (1961).

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<i>Bulldog Drummond at Bay</i> (novel)

Bulldog Drummond at Bay was the ninth Bulldog Drummond novel. It was published in 1935 and written by H. C. McNeile under the pen name Sapper. It was filmed in 1937 and in 1947.  

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<i>The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date</i> 1941 film by Sidney Salkow

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For a broader look at the character on which this program was based, see Bulldog Drummond.

References

  1. Hal Erickson. "Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947) – Sidney Salkow – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
  2. "Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947)". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009.
  3. "VENTURE TO REVIVE DRUMMOND SERIES: Studio Plans to Make 2 Films of H.C. McNeile Character-- 3 Pictures Arrive Today". New York Times. 26 June 1946. p. 19.
  4. Lookinq at Hollywood Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Daily Tribune 23 Nov 1946: 17.
  5. RON RANDELL TO DO FILM FOR COLUMBIA: ONE-THIRD OF CAST Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES. 23 Nov 1946: 22.
  6. "Ron Randell's good start in Hollywood". The Australian Women's Weekly . Vol. 14, no. 32. 18 January 1947. p. 28. Retrieved 20 April 2017 via National Library of Australia.
  7. ASSORTED NOTES ABOUT PEOPLE AND PICTURES: New York Times 22 Dec 1946: 49.
  8. Billdog Drummond at Bay Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 14, Iss. 157, (Jan 1, 1947): 96.
  9. "Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies.
  10. Vagg, Stephen (10 August 2019). "Unsung Aussie Actors – Ron Randell: A Top Twenty". Filmink.