Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, fed up with his sedate lifestyle, advertises looking for excitement, and becomes a gentleman adventurer. The character has appeared in novels, short stories, on the stage, in films, on radio and television, and in graphic novels.
After an unsuccessful one-off appearance as a policeman in The Strand Magazine, the character was reworked by McNeile into a gentleman adventurer for his 1920 novel Bulldog Drummond. McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, four short stories, four stage plays and a screenplay before his death in 1937. The stories were continued by his friend Gerard Fairlie between 1938 and 1954.
Brutalised by his experiences in the trenches and bored with his post-war lifestyle, Drummond publishes an advertisement looking for adventure. He soon finds himself embroiled in a series of exploits, many of which involve Carl Peterson—who becomes his nemesis—and Peterson's mistress, the femme fatale Irma. After his first adventure, Drummond marries his client, Phyllis Benton. In later episodes, Benton becomes involved in Drummond's exploits, often as the victim of kidnapping by Drummond's enemies.
In 1921 an adaptation of the first novel was staged in London, with Gerald du Maurier playing the role of Drummond; the play was further adapted for the 1922 silent film Bulldog Drummond, with Carlyle Blackwell in the lead role. Several other Drummond films followed, either based on McNeile's stories or with unique storylines.
Fictional biography
The Bulldog Drummond stories of H. C. McNeile follow Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, DSO, MC. Drummond is a member of "the Breed", a class of Englishman who were patriotic, loyal and "physically and morally intrepid". Drummond is a wealthy gentleman, formerly an officer in the fictional "Royal Loamshire Regiment", who, after the First World War, spends his new-found leisure time looking for adventure. McNeile first wrote the Drummond character as a detective for a short story in The Strand Magazine, but the portrayal was not successful and was changed for the novel Bull-dog Drummond, which was a thriller. The character was an amalgam of McNeile's friend Gerard Fairlie, and his idea of an English gentleman, although writer J.D. Bourn disputes Fairlie's claim to be a model for the character, noting that "he was still at school when Sapper created his ... hero". Drummond also had roots in the literary characters Sherlock Holmes, Sexton Blake, Richard Hannay and The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Drummond's wartime experience had given him a series of abilities akin to that of a hunter: stealth—"he could move over ground without a single blade of grass rustling"—and the ability to incapacitate others—"he could kill a man with his bare hands in a second". During his time on the Western Front he would take himself on solitary raids through no man's land. Drummond was also proficient in jujutsu and boxing, was a crack shot, played cricket for the Free Foresters, and was an excellent poker player. In addition to Drummond's physical attributes is his common sense, which allows him to equal and beat his opponents, even if they have a superior intellect.
Drummond is characterised as large, very strong, physically unattractive and an "apparently brainless hunk of a man", He is tall, weighs around , and has a "cheerful type of ugliness which inspires immediate confidence in its owner". Throughout his exploits, Drummond is joined by several of his ex-army friends and colleagues, including Algy Longworth (who would appear in many of the films, as Drummond's sidekick), MC; Toby Sinclair, VC; Peter Darrell and Ted Jerningham. Drummond's ex-batman from his military days, James Denny, runs Drummond's flat on Half-Moon Street in Mayfair, London, along with Mrs Denny. (Denny appeared as Drummond's sidekick in the radio series, a version of the character named Tenny appeared in the films) Drummond is a gentleman with a private income; he is also construed as "a brutalized ex-officer whose thirst for excitement is also an attempt to reenact the war", although the character was later described by Cecil Day-Lewis, author of gentleman detective Nigel Strangeways, as an "unspeakable public school bully".
The novel Bulldog Drummond begins when Drummond places an advertisement in a newspaper looking for adventure to lift the ennui of his life in post-war London. The response comes from Phyllis Benton, who is concerned for the health and well-being of her father, over whom Henry Lakington and Carl Peterson have a hold. At the end of the novel Drummond and Phyllis marry, and remain married throughout the course of the McNeile and Fairlie series of books, in contrast to the films, which generally portray Drummond as unmarried. Phyllis becomes integral to the plot of some of the novels: she is kidnapped by Irma Peterson in several stories, including The Black Gang and The Female of the Species.
In the matter of his personal tastes, Drummond is a member of the fictional Junior Sports Club, a gentleman's club on St. James's Square, London. His preferred drink is beer although he also enjoys drinking martinis and is knowledgeable about wines. Drummond owns both a Rolls-Royce and a Bentley.
Although Drummond's actions are intended to maintain the conservative status quo of Britain, academic Hans Bertens considers that instead, he comes across as "a murderous exponent of a fierce competitive individualism".
Carl and Irma Peterson The first four books deal with Drummond against Carl Peterson, who becomes Drummond's arch-enemy. Peterson is also a master of disguise and uses several aliases. Peterson is killed in the fourth book, The Final Count, although Fairlie brings him back for his final novel, The Return of the Black Gang. Drummond forms a grudging respect for Peterson, and offers an honourable duel to the death at the end of The Third Round, instead of the usual summary justice that normally befalls members of Peterson's gang. The writer Richard Usborne sees the mass-murdering terrorist Peterson as "quite a sympathetic character. Almost, in fact, a hero", and wrote that "authors ... fall in love with their big villains ... Sapper came to love Carl Peterson dearly, and so did Drummond".
The title of the fifth Drummond book, The Female of the Species refers to Rudyard Kipling's line "the female of the species is more deadly than the male". Irma is described by Jonathon Green as "the slinky epitome of a twenties 'vamp, and by Lawrence Treadwell as dark, sexy and from an oriental background, "a true femme fatale". After Carl Peterson's death in The Final Count, Irma swears revenge on Drummond and kidnaps his wife—whom he had met in Bulldog Drummond—with the intent of killing him in the ensuing chase. Irma Peterson appears in six of McNeile's books, and in a further five by Fairlie.
Works Novels
All were published through Hodder & Stoughton.
Title Author Date Length(first edition) Bull-Dog Drummond H. C. McNeile 1920
H. C. McNeile 1922
H. C. McNeile 1924
H. C. McNeile 1926
H. C. McNeile 1928
Temple Tower H. C. McNeile 1929
H. C. McNeile 1932
Knock-Out H. C. McNeile 1933
Bulldog Drummond at Bay H. C. McNeile 1935
H. C. McNeile 1937
Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor Gerard Fairlie 1938
Bulldog Drummond Attacks Gerard Fairlie 1939
Captain Bulldog Drummond Gerard Fairlie 1945
Bulldog Drummond Stands Fast Gerard Fairlie 1947
Hands Off Bulldog Drummond Gerard Fairlie 1949
Calling Bulldog Drummond Gerard Fairlie 1951
Gerard Fairlie 1954
Deadlier Than the Male H. R. F. Keating, writing as "Henry Reymond" 1967
Some Girls Do H. R. F. Keating writing as "Henry Reymond" 1969
Drummond has also appeared in other works. In 1983 Jack Smithers wrote the spoof Combined Forces, and in 1990 Kim Newman—under the name Jack Yeovil—wrote the short story "Pitbull Brittan", which features Drummond.
Short stories These short stories are all by McNeile, and are collected in the 1984 publication 'Sapper' The Best Short Stories edited by Jack Adrian.
Title Date Earliest publication
Stage
McNeile and Gerald du Maurier adapted the first novel, for the stage; Bulldog Drummond was shown at Wyndham's Theatre during the 1921–22 season. Du Maurier played the title role in a run of 428 performances. Du Maurier again played the role on 8 November 1932 in a special charity performance at the Royal Adelphi Theatre attended by King George V. The play also ran in New York during the same season, with A. E. Matthews as Drummond. McNeile also wrote The Way Out, which was staged at the Comedy Theatre, London in January 1930 with Ian Hunter as Drummond. A third Drummond play, Bulldog Drummond Hits Out, was co-written by McNeile and Fairlie. It went on a tour of the UK in 1937 with Henry Edwards as Drummond, and opened on 21 December 1937 at the Savoy Theatre, London, where it had a short run. Fairlie later turned the storyline into the novel Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor, published in 1938.
In 1974 the play Bullshot Crummond, by Ron House, was staged with Alan Shearman as Crummond. The play was subsequently made into the 1983 film Bullshot.
Film
Title Release Drummond Director Distributor Bulldog Drummond 1922 Carlyle Blackwell Oscar Apfel Hodkinson 1925 Jack Buchanan Sidney Morgan Captain Swagger 1928 Rod La Rocque Edward H. Griffith Pathe Exchange source Bulldog Drummond 1929 Ronald Colman F. Richard Jones United Artists Temple Tower 1930 Kenneth MacKenna Donald Gallaher Fox Film Corporation 1934 Ralph Richardson Walter Summers Wardour Films Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back Ronald Colman Roy Del Ruth United Artists Bulldog Jack 1935 Atholl Fleming Walter Forde Gaumont British Bulldog Drummond Escapes1937 Ray Milland James P. Hogan Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond at Bay John Lodge Norman Lee Wardour Films Bulldog Drummond Comes Back John Howard Louis King Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond's Revenge John Howard Louis King Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond's Peril1938 John Howard James P. Hogan Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond in Africa John Howard Louis King Paramount Pictures Arrest Bulldog Drummond John Howard James P. Hogan Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police1939 John Howard James P. Hogan Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond's Bride John Howard James P. Hogan Paramount Pictures Bulldog Drummond at Bay1947 Ron Randell Sidney Salkow Columbia Pictures Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back Ron Randell Roy Del Ruth Columbia Pictures 1948 Tom Conway Jean Yarbrough 20th Century-Fox 13 Lead Soldiers Tom Conway Frank McDonald 20th Century-Fox Calling Bulldog Drummond 1951 Walter Pidgeon Victor Saville MGM Deadlier Than the Male 1967 Richard Johnson Ralph Thomas The Rank Organisation Some Girls Do 1969 Richard Johnson Ralph Thomas The Rank Organisation
In 1933 Alfred Hitchcock was set to direct a Bulldog Drummond filmBritish Film Production The Times 1 February 1933 with a screenplay by Charles Bennett entitled Bulldog Drummond's Baby. The rights to the character of Drummond were then held by British International Pictures, who would not sell the rights to use the characters for Bennett's screenplay. Bennett and Hitchcock turned the film into The Man Who Knew Too Much without Drummond.Chandler, Charlotte (2008). It's Only a Movie: Alfred Hitchcock A Personal Biography, Simon and Schuster,
Radio
A Bulldog Drummond radio series ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System from 13 April 1941 to 12 January 1949. An attempt was made at a revival between 3 January and 28 March 1954. Drummond was initially portrayed by George Coulouris, before being taken over by Santos Ortega and Ned Wever after 1942; Cedric Hardwicke took over in 1954.
Television