Ray Milland as Captain Bulldog Drummond. Image: IMDb
Here’s a strange thing we noticed about Welsh actor Ray Milland.
You may know Milland as the cold, calculating villain in Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954), or as the alcoholic writer on a bender in The Lost Weekend (1945).
Milland is not as well known as he ought these days, but Back Then, he was an actor to watch. He began his Hollywood career in lighter movie fare at Paramount in the 1930s, but after the success of The Lost Weekend – for which he won an Oscar – he became that studio’s highest-paid actor.
Before any of this success, and during those early Hollywood days, he starred in a snappy thriller, Bulldog Drummond Escapes (1937). Drummond, the titular character, is a “gentleman adventurer”, a WWI veteran who spends his time getting into – and out of – dangerous escapades whilst solving mysteries.
The 1937 film version isn’t the first Bulldog adaptation; Hollywood started making these movies in the early 1920s. (Some of the notable actors who played Drummond include Ronald Colman and Ralph Richardson.)
Milland starred as Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond just once, in a movie that has, sadly, stumbled into the public domain badlands.
As you know, movies in the public domain can be of poor quality, and Bulldog Drummond Escapes is no exception. We found two versions on YouTube, each as bad as the other. In fact, parts of the movie are nearly unwatchable.
However, it is this quality that, weirdly, helps showcases Milland’s impressive screen qualities.
Look out, Bulldog! Image: tvinsider.com
Bulldog Drummond Escapes is a piquant thriller with lots of British-isms. When we first meet Bulldog, he’s landing a plane, at night, on a short runway, in front of several reporters and photographers. As he gets out of the plane, he shrugs off his perfect landing + accolades from the crowd, then rushes to join a friend at a country estate.
This tells us everything we need to know about Our Hero: his thirst for adventure, his loyalty to his pals, his considerable skill sets, and his disdain for flimflam. We know Drummond is going to deliver Excitement.
We also know the bad guys had better mind their Ps and Qs.
Happily for Drummond, he meets a lovely gal (Heather Angel) who is, unhappily, On The Lam from a small group of spies. She’s smart and resourceful, but is still recaptured by said spies and is taken to the (foreboding-sounding) Greystone Manor. Drummond tries to free her, but likewise ends up a prisoner.
Like any good thriller, this film has mistaken identities, much derring-do, and people brandishing weapons at inopportune moments.
Frankly, we (yours truly) found the plot rather muddled, due to the sloppy handling of this film over the years. Some scenes are so dark it’s hard to tell what’s going on, while notes handwritten on white paper are so bright, they’re impossible to read.
But Ray Milland, though. Even with the fuzzy images and poor reproduction, Milland’s charisma cannot be diminished. Every actor in this film is superb, but our young Milland is obviously destined to be a Star. Not even neglectful public domain exploits can diminish his light.
It’s almost as though he’s in a different movie, as if the poor quality is deliberately designed to make him look stellar.
An unfortunate discovery. Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock (1553076a)
The slide into public domain-dom began when Paramount sold this film, along with seven other Bulldog titles, to Congress Films (II) in the mid 1950s. Congress carefully removed any Paramount fingerprints, including their copyright info, before selling it to Governor Films to show on television. In all of this, copyrights were never renewed.
As for Milland, the first Welshman to win an Oscar, he is the subject of a new biography to be released later this year by UBC Press. And it’s about time. Details about his early life are conflicting – at least in our superficial online searches. For example, sources agree that he had, as a very young man, trained in the venerable Household Calvary of the British Army. However, they disagree about why he left; some say his father (or step-father) cut off his allowance, while others say he bought his way out.
At any rate, this was when he began acting in British films, which led to a contract with MGM then, eventually, Paramount where he worked for about 20 years.
Milland has over 180 film and television credits as an actor, as well as 12 credits as a director, which ain’t bad for a 60-year career.
We hope you’ll have the chance to see Bulldog Drummond Escapes, but we implore you to find a decent streaming version – and if you do, please let us know where you found it.
This post is part of THE THIRD “FAVORITE STARS IN B MOVIES” BLOGATHON, hosted by Films from Beyond (dot) com.
Bulldog Drummond Escapes starring Ray Milland, Guy Standing, Heather Angel. Directed by James P. Hogan. Written by Edward T. Lowe Jr., Herman C. McNeile & Gerard Fairlie. Paramount Pictures/Congress Films, 1937, B&W, 67 mins.
Thank you for crafting this interesting post on “Bulldog Drummond Escapes”. I’ve seen the big starring roles of Milland at the peak of his career as well as some of his 1930’s films. He surely evolved a great deal as an actor between “Bachelor Father” and “The Lost Weekend.” I hope to watch “Bulldog Drummond Escapes” soon. I see it’s going to be on TCM on April 5. I wonder what their print quality is like?
Hi Amy, thanks for stopping by. I bet TCM has a decent print of Bulldog Drummond Escapes, at least I hope they do. The cinematography is probably amazing.
I hear you about poor quality, public domain films, but we take what we can get! I have never seen a Bulldog Drummond film, but this one sounds like the one to start with just for Ray Milland!
Bulldog Drummond seems to have been something of the James Bond of the pre-WII world. Very popular escapist fare. I saw Ronald Colman as Drummond in a 1929 version which was very stylish and a lot of fun. I’d be interested in seeing Milland as this character too.
Thanks so much Ruth for this wonderful contribution to the blogathon! It’s funny how titles like this fall into the public domain by accident, and, just by virtue of being in that category for a lengthy period of time, are not considered to be good candidates for restoration or decent home video releases. I’m definitely going to record the TCM showing in April. And I’m very interested in that new Ray Milland biography!
I really enjoy all those 1930s Bulldog Drummond movies, but the one with Ray Milland does stand out — as you note, his star quality is already evident (and he’s VERY easy on the eye). Films in public domain always have that problem of poor prints, which can hide or distort a film’s quality. Let’s hope an enterprising media company might issue a restored version on dvd/blu-ray in the future. Also good to know a Milland biography is coming out later this year. I read his own autobiography years back (titled Wide Eyed In Babylon), but I’d love to read a more comprehensive view of his career.
Wouldn’t it be great if a media company restored this & the other Bulldog films from the 1930s? Nd yup, I’m lso looking forward to the new Milland bio… although you can’t beat the title “Wide Eyed in Babylon”.
My dad used to rave on about Bulldog Drummond and so that and Ray Milland makes me so want to see this… still amazes me Milland hasn’t been honoured in a blogathon…
I think you’d really enjoy this film, if you found a decent version. And a Ray Milland blogathon is a terrific idea, although due to commitments, I wouldn’t be ble to organize.
I’m sure I’ve seen at least one Bulldog Drummond with Ronald Colman, but not this one with Milland. I hope I can find a decent copy, sounds like a fun movie with a stellar lead.
I invite you to check the 2025 Luso World Cinema blogathon:
This was my first introduction to Bulldog Drummond. Agreed on the horrible copies, but I am glad that they are available at least. I watched it on Fawesome I think and it was still just as bad.
I agree on your assessment of Milland in this. He is downright swashbuckling! The script could use some help but probably one of those movies they made in a pinch
Silver Screenings 
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for crafting this interesting post on “Bulldog Drummond Escapes”. I’ve seen the big starring roles of Milland at the peak of his career as well as some of his 1930’s films. He surely evolved a great deal as an actor between “Bachelor Father” and “The Lost Weekend.” I hope to watch “Bulldog Drummond Escapes” soon. I see it’s going to be on TCM on April 5. I wonder what their print quality is like?
Keep up the excellent posts!
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Hi Amy, thanks for stopping by. I bet TCM has a decent print of Bulldog Drummond Escapes, at least I hope they do. The cinematography is probably amazing.
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I hear you about poor quality, public domain films, but we take what we can get! I have never seen a Bulldog Drummond film, but this one sounds like the one to start with just for Ray Milland!
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You said it – we’ll take what we can get. I sometimes forget to be grateful these films are available to us at all…
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Bulldog Drummond seems to have been something of the James Bond of the pre-WII world. Very popular escapist fare. I saw Ronald Colman as Drummond in a 1929 version which was very stylish and a lot of fun. I’d be interested in seeing Milland as this character too.
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Ooh, I really want to see Ronald Colman as B. Drummond. Yeah, definitely a James Bond vibe.
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I’d never actually heard of him so I’ll be on the lookout for a watchable version!
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I bet it was an amazing & beautifully-shot film when it was first released.
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Thanks so much Ruth for this wonderful contribution to the blogathon! It’s funny how titles like this fall into the public domain by accident, and, just by virtue of being in that category for a lengthy period of time, are not considered to be good candidates for restoration or decent home video releases. I’m definitely going to record the TCM showing in April. And I’m very interested in that new Ray Milland biography!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yeah, the upcoming Ray Milland biography sounds terrific. And I hope you enjoy the TCM showing of Bulldog Bulldog Drummond Escapes. 🙂
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I really enjoy all those 1930s Bulldog Drummond movies, but the one with Ray Milland does stand out — as you note, his star quality is already evident (and he’s VERY easy on the eye). Films in public domain always have that problem of poor prints, which can hide or distort a film’s quality. Let’s hope an enterprising media company might issue a restored version on dvd/blu-ray in the future. Also good to know a Milland biography is coming out later this year. I read his own autobiography years back (titled Wide Eyed In Babylon), but I’d love to read a more comprehensive view of his career.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wouldn’t it be great if a media company restored this & the other Bulldog films from the 1930s? Nd yup, I’m lso looking forward to the new Milland bio… although you can’t beat the title “Wide Eyed in Babylon”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My dad used to rave on about Bulldog Drummond and so that and Ray Milland makes me so want to see this… still amazes me Milland hasn’t been honoured in a blogathon…
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I think you’d really enjoy this film, if you found a decent version. And a Ray Milland blogathon is a terrific idea, although due to commitments, I wouldn’t be ble to organize.
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Likewise, maybe one year… maybe someone might get inspired by your post.
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I’m sure I’ve seen at least one Bulldog Drummond with Ronald Colman, but not this one with Milland. I hope I can find a decent copy, sounds like a fun movie with a stellar lead.
I invite you to check the 2025 Luso World Cinema blogathon:
https://criticaretro.blogspot.com/2025/04/announcing-fifth-luso-world-cinema.html
Best,
Le
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Thanks for stopping by, Le. I’d really like to see Ronald Colman as Bulldog Drummond.
Looking forward to the Luso World Cinema blogathon. Just need to make up my mind re: film or actor…?
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This was my first introduction to Bulldog Drummond. Agreed on the horrible copies, but I am glad that they are available at least. I watched it on Fawesome I think and it was still just as bad.
I agree on your assessment of Milland in this. He is downright swashbuckling! The script could use some help but probably one of those movies they made in a pinch
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Milland is a treat in this mess, isn’t he? Thanks for the tip re: Fawesome. I hadn’t heard of it before, so I’m glad you introduced me.
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I wouldn’t have either, but I have Roku and it is one of the delightful free channels with old movies
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Ah, these look fun. Maybe Tubi will pick them up someday.
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These would be fantastic on Tubi.
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