''13 Lead Soldiers'' is a 1948 American

mystery film A mystery film is a film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, ...

directed by Frank McDonald and starring

Tom Conway Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders; 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor. He is remembered for playing suave adventurer The Falcon in a series of 1940s films; and his appearances in three h ...

Maria Palmer Maria Palmer (born Maria Pichler; 5 September 1917 – 6 September 1981) was an Austrian-born American actress. Early life Palmer was born and raised in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Vienna, Austria) on 5 September 1917. She first appeared on st ...

and

Helen Westcott Helen Westcott (born Myrthas Helen Hickman, January 1, 1928 – March 17, 1998) was an American stage and screen actress. A former child actress, she is best known for her work in '' The Gunfighter'' (1950). Early years Westcott was born on Ne ...

. Conway plays Captain Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond, a role he also played in '' The Challenge'' another

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

release the same year.Mayer p.130

Plot

Dr Stedman is murdered by an intruder in his study and two

toy soldier A toy soldier is a miniature figurine that represents a soldier. The term applies to depictions of uniformed military personnel from all eras, and includes knights, cowboys, Native Americans in the United States, American Indians, pirates, samu ...

s are stolen from his desk. The next day, Hugh Drummond reads about the murder in the newspaper. He is approached by a friend, Phillip Coleman, who tells him that he owns two similar figures and that he has received first offers, then threats to sell them. According to Coleman, the soldiers are 900 years old, dating back to the time of

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

. Coleman leaves the two painted lead figures with Drummond for safety and asks him to look into the affair. To flush out whoever is trying to get the figurines they plant a press story that Drummond has bought them from Coleman. When a woman, who introduces herself as journalist Estelle Gorday, visits Drummond's apartment, she recognizes the right figures out of a collection that Drummond has assembled on his mantle piece. Drummond and his friend Longworth then visit Stedman Manor and meet the daughter of the victim, Cynthia. She tells them that her father's figures were very similar to those brought by Drummond but different in detail and that they were part of a set of 13 soldiers that Dr Stedman bought at auction together with an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

palimpsest In textual studies, a palimpsest () is a manuscript page, either from a scroll or a book, from which the text has been scraped or washed off in preparation for reuse in the form of another document. Parchment was made of lamb, calf, or kid ski ...

. He was translating that when he was killed and the scroll was also taken. Dr Stedman was convinced that the statues were exceedingly valuable and he received an offer to buy them from a man called Vane. Vane offered a multiple of what Stedman has paid and left very angry when rejected. Drummond and Longworth follow an invitation by Ms Gorday. While they are there, Vane breaks into Drummond's apartment and steals the two soldiers. Coleman and Seymour, another friend of Drummond's, shadow him to a

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

flat. Seymour fetches Drummond and they return to Soho. Drummond and Longworth go up. A knife is thrown at them and they find Vane dead and the soldiers missing. The next day, Drummond and his friends are at Inspector McIver's office when Ms Stedman identifies the dead man as Vane. Drummond visits Gorday and tells her that he smelled her perfume at the Soho flat. He searches her place and finds the palimpsest. She admits to working for Vane, who was a collector who owned the other soldiers. Drummond next shows the palimpsest to Ms Stedman in the presence of Coleman. He tells them that he has done research on the soldiers: the figurines show the 13 last leaders of the Anglo-Saxons before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. Before being defeated, King Harold hid his treasure at a manor near London and had the parchment with a map and instructions written, whilst the figures served as the cipher/key to find the hiding place. After the

battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conquest of England. It took place appr ...

, the soldiers were dispersed. Monks overwrote the parchment and the original writing was only rediscovered by Dr Stedman. Drummond, Cynthia Stedman and Coleman go to the spot shown on the map. The current house dates to King George I and is occupied by an antiques store. Inside, they discover a medieval fireplace and walls. When they inquire about the soldiers, the store owner asks them to leave. Later, Ms Gorday visits Drummond and threatens him with a gun, demanding the palimpsest. She admits to being the daughter of the shop keeper, Mr Prager. He owns the other nine soldiers and wants the four others and the palimpsest. Prager and his daughter hired Vane to find them but were horrified when he killed Dr Stedman. She admits to being at Soho and to throwing the knife at Drummond. Ms Stedman comes to the store with the parchment, shadowed by Seymor and Longworth. They wait outside and meet Ms Gorday/Prager and Drummond when they arrive. Entering, they find Prager dead. Drummond discovers Coleman with all 13 soldiers inside the shop. Coleman attacks but is overpowered. They call the police and find Cynthia, who said Coleman had asked her to come and that she had been hit on the head on arrival. Drummond arranges the soldiers on a pedestal just like in the drawing and their weight distribution opens a secret door. They find the treasure. The arriving McIver takes a figure, causing the stone door to start closing. Coleman tries to flee but is shot and then trapped and crushed by the door. The others manage to leave the secret room when the figure is replaced.

Cast

as Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond *

John Newland John Newland (November 23, 1917 – January 10, 2000) was an American film director, actor, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and career Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Newland began his career in vaudeville while still in his teens. ...

as Algernon 'Algy' Longworth *

as Estelle Prager, alias Estelle Gorday *

as Cynthia Stedman * William Stelling as Phillip Coleman *

Terry Kilburn Terence E. Kilburn (born 25 November 1926), known for his acting work prior to 1953 as Terry Kilburn, is an English-American actor. Born in London, he moved to Hollywood in the U.S. at the age of 10, and is best known for his roles as a child a ...

as Seymour * Gordon Richards as Police Inspector McIver *

Harry Cording Hector William "Harry" Cording (26 April 1891 – 1 September 1954) was an English-American actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in the films '' The Black Cat'' (1934) and ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' (1938). Life and career ...

as Edward Vane *

John Goldsworthy John Goldsworthy (1884–1958) was a British-born stage and film actor. After emigrating to the United States he was active on Broadway appearing in a variety of plays, as well as several musicals.Bordman p.460 During the silent era he appeared ...

as Dr. Ashley Stedman

References

Bibliography

* Backer, Ron. ''Mystery Movie Series of 1930s Hollywood''. McFarland, 2012. * Mayer, Geoff. ''Historical Dictionary of Crime Films''. Scarecrow Press, 2012.

External links

''13 Lead Soldiers''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* * * {{Bulldog Drummond Films based on Bulldog Drummond 1948 films 1948 mystery films American mystery films American detective films American black-and-white films 20th Century Fox films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Frank McDonald 1940s American films English-language mystery films Cultural depictions of Harold Godwinson Films about treasure hunting Films set in England