It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

(*Fave movie quote*) - "It takes only one false move to make a man a crook."Now 80+ years old - "Bulldog Drummond Escapes" is a fairly entertaining crime-investigation drama set in the "damsel-in-distress" mode.A dashing, young, Ray Milland plays the Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond character with considerable vitality and gung-ho enthusiasm.Why Milland's character was nicknamed "Bulldog" was never explained - But, I thought that a much more appropriate moniker for this love-struck dude would have been "Puppydog".With its story's location set out in the foggy, English countryside - It really killed me that as Drummond was driving down a totally deserted road - (Right out of the blue) - A very complicated case for him to solve (literally) fell right into his lap.All-in-all - This brisk-paced, 65-minute Crime/Drama/Romance was an enjoyable view.

Captain High 'Bulldog' Drummond has just returned to England. As he is driving home in the dark, a young woman jumps out in front of his car. He misses her, but she falls to the ground. As he tries to revive her, he hears a shout for help, then gunshots. As he goes to investigate, the woman drives away with Drummond's car. He is soon able to trace her to nearby Greystone Manor, and when he goes there to meet her, she urges him to help her get out of a desperate situation.This is my first Bulldog Drummond movie. I didn't know Ray Miland was the main actor. Wasn't he a great actor at one time? This is a grade B picture that is studio make an watchable. It's just over an hour long.The best part for me was the first scene where Bulldog flies in from an international trip (he's flying) and customs asks him if he has anything to declare and he says - "no, you can check." Times have changed.It's a watchable film, as I say and Miland is good.

Three Bulldog Drummond films were made in 1937 in quick succession, this being the first, and the only one starring Ray Milland as Drummond. It was the eighth Drummond film to be made. It came out in April, 'Bulldog Drummond at Bay' came out in July, and 'Bulldog Drummond Comes Back' came out in September. Each had a different leading man, the next two in succession being John Lodge and John Howard. In this one, the young Ray Milland was amusing and engaging, but over-acted in a way which was not helpful. He portrayed the hero as someone with adolescent, almost juvenile, attitudes, thereby turning Drummond into a rather idiotic parody, and making the whole film too much like a comedy, despite its scenes of danger and distress. The producers instantly realized they had made a mistake and had endangered their plans for a series of films, so they sought someone with more gravitas. The next film used John Lodge once. But after that, inspiration finally came in the form of John Howard, who was perfect casting and would go on to make many Drummond films, with just the right combination of gravitas mixed with a residual boyish sense of fun, openness (never Milland's strong point), and solid, sporting good humour. In this film, Phyllis Clavering is introduced for the first time, and inspired casting occurred when Heather Angel played the part. The producers made a big mistake in having Phyllis played for three more films by the boring Louise Campbell, but Heather Angel would reappear the next year five films later (Phyllis does not appear in one of them), and carry on for several films to great effect. Phyllis enters the world of Drummond as a helpless imprisoned maiden in distress, whom he rescues. Eventually she ends up suspended in his arms, kissing him, with marriage beckoning. (As all Drummondonians know, this marriage would be 'interruptus' on numerous future occasions.) Guy Standing is boring as Inspector Nielson in this film, and they got rid of him too. E. E. Clive as Tennie the Butler, and Reginald Denny as Algy are in fine fettle for this episode, and were to grace the series for a long while with their charm and talents. There is a curious scene in this film where the villains are driving through the gates of a great house in a Rolls Royce. This shot is actually cut from the 1929 'Bulldog Drummond' and re-used! Much of this film is spent with Algy Longworth desperately trying to phone the hospital to see if his wife has had her baby yet. In 'Bulldog Drummond Comes Back', he will be desperately trying to make it to that same baby's christening, while Drummond will be desperately trying to marry Phyllis, the villains preventing both of these things. This film is entertaining and lively if one is not fussy, and has humour as well, so it is good viewing. As Tennie the Butler would say: 'That is my thought exactly, Sir.'

For my first introduction to the Bulldog Drummond franchise, I must say I was rather pleasantly entertained. The film is decidedly played in a much lighter vein than the Charlie Chan stories of the same era, and with a cast of characters that complement each other nicely. Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond (Ray Milland) however is not without his shortcomings as a detective, as he gets blind sided more than once and rescues the wrong girl before finally resolving the mystery.In retrospect, the set up is one of the bigger plot holes in the movie. Miss Phyllis Clavering (Heather Angel) hijacks Drummond's auto in the middle of nowhere, only to return to the Greystone estate where she's being held captive. There we're introduced to a villainous cast of characters headed by Norman Merridew (Porter Hall), who masterminds a counterfeiting scheme following the murder of Miss Clavering's brother.For his part, Drummond is aided by hapless partner Algy Longworth (Reginald Denny), and Scotland Yard Commissioner Sir Reginald Nielson (Guy Standing). However it's Drummond's butler Tenny (E.E. Clive) who almost steals the show as the deadpan foil for his master, getting him out of more than one scrape before it's over. His best effort is when he nonchalantly drags a body in a blanket to Drummond's closet as if it were a routine occurrence.Pay attention to a conversation between Phyllis and Drummond when she describes the letter she found in the garden. She states that it was blurry and covered in mud making it hard to read. Earlier however, when we see that same letter switched to prevent it from reaching Colonel Nielson, it appeared in perfect condition.There's a running gag that gets a bit overdone regarding Algy's first encounter with fatherhood. He's constantly thwarted trying to get in touch with the hospital to find out what's happening. Of course everything works out well, as the old boy is rewarded with a son.All in all, "Bulldog Drummond Escapes" is a fun story, complete with clever word play, the old shoes behind the curtain trick, a lights out gimmick and the advantage between good and bad guys shared equally. Drummond even gets the girl in the end, planning marriage as it were, though I understand other adventures stood in the way before that happened. I'm inclined to check them out based on this introduction to the series.