''Bulldog Drummond'' is a
radio
Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
crime drama
Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
in the United States. It was broadcast on
Mutual April 13, 1941 – March 28, 1954.
Garyn G. Roberts wrote in his book, ''Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context'', "With its trademark foghorn, ''Bulldog Drummond'' was one of the premiere mystery programs of its time."
''For a broader look at the character on which this program was based, see''
Bulldog Drummond
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 ...
.
Format
Bulldog Drummond was "a British investigator called 'Bulldog' because he was relentless in the pursuit of criminals."
[Reinehr, Robert C. and Swartz, Jon D. (2008). ''The A to Z of Old-Time Radio''. Scarecrow Press, Inc. . pp. 49–50.] The character was created by British author
H. C. McNeile.
[Terrace, Vincent (1981), ''Radio's Golden Years: The Encyclopedia of Radio Programs 1930–1960''. A.S. Barnes & Company, Inc. . p. 5.] In addition to McNeile's books, Drummond was featured in a series of films from
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
in the 1930s.
[Dunning, John. (1976). ''Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976''. Prentice-Hall, Inc. . p. 102.] Drummond was described as "a polished man-about-town, whose hobby is crime detection and the apprehension of criminals."
Radio historian
John Dunning commented, "With his sidekick Denny, Captain Hugh Drummond solved the usual run of murders, collected the usual run of bumps on the head, and ran afoul of underworld characters ranging from radium thieves to counterfeiters."
[ In a 1948 column in the ''Oakland Tribune'', media critic John Crosby called the program "the first of the more successful exemplars of radio espionage and intrigue."
One notable aspect of ''Bulldog Drummond'' was its opening (created by producer-director ), which "evoked a London ambiance with footsteps, a foghorn, shots, and three blasts of a police whistle."][Balk, Alfred (2006). ''The Rise of Radio, from Marconi through the Golden Age''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 173.] Following the sound effects, an announcer introduced the program with the line, "Out of the fog ... out of the night ... and into his American adventures ... comes ... Bulldog Drummond."[Buxton, Frank and Owen, Bill (1972). ''The Big Broadcast: 1920–1950''. The Viking Press. . p. 42.]
The program was initially set in Great Britain, but after two months, the setting was moved to the United States,[ thus leading some sources to identify it as ''The American Adventures of Bulldog Drummond''.][ In another change from the books, the radio program omitted Drummond's wife "and his gaggle of ex-army comrades."][DeForest, Tim (2008). ''Radio by the Book: Adaptations of Literature and Fiction on the Airwaves''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . pp. 36–40.] He did, however, keep his butler, Denny.[
]
Personnel
Drummond and Denny were the series' only regular characters. Over the years, Drummond was played by George Coulouris
George Alexander Coulouris (1 October 1903 – 25 April 1989) was an English film and stage actor. He was perhaps best known for his collaborations with Orson Welles, most notably ''Citizen Kane''.
Early life
Of Anglo-Greek origin, Coulouris ...
, Santos Ortega
Santos Edward Ortega (June 30, 1899 – April 10, 1976) was an American actor and comedian. He was best known for playing Will Hughes in ''As the World Turns'', taking over from Will Lee, who had played the role from the first episode on April 2, ...
, Ned Wever
Ned Wever (born Edward Hooper Weaver; April 27, 1902 – May 6, 1984) was an actor on stage and on old-time radio. Garyn G. Roberts wrote in his book, ''Dick Tracy and American Culture: Morality and Mythology, Text and Context'', "Wever's most f ...
, and Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned over 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and hi ...
. Actors portraying Denny were Everett Sloane
Everett H. Sloane (October 1, 1909 – August 6, 1965) was an American character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films, and television.
Early life
Sloane was born in Manhattan on October 1, 1909, to Nathaniel I. Sloane and Rose (Gerst ...
, Luis van Rooten, and Rod Hendrickson.[ Others appearing frequently on the program were ]Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning five decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary '' Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...
, Paul Stewart, Ray Collins,[ and ]Mercedes McCambridge
Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress". She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...
.
Announcers for ''Bulldog Drummond'' were Ted Brown, Henry Morgan,[ and Robert Shepard. The show's writers were Allan E. Sloane, Leonard Leslie,][ Edward J. Adamson, and ]Jay Bennett
Jay Walter Bennett (November 15, 1963 – May 24, 2009) was an American multi-instrumentalist, engineer, producer, and singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the band Wilco from 1994 to 2001.
Biography
Early life and work with Wilco
Jay ...
.[
]
Distribution
''Bulldog Drummond'' was first broadcast on WOR in New York City. From there, it was distributed nationwide on the Mutual Broadcasting System.[ It was also carried in Canada.
In 1948, distribution shifted from Mutual's network to syndication via ]electrical transcription
Electrical transcriptions are special phonograph recordings made exclusively for radio broadcasting,Browne, Ray B. and Browne, Pat, eds. (2001). ''The Guide to United States Popular Culture''. The University of Wisconsin Press. . P. 263. which wer ...
. The program continued to originate at WOR, with the Chartoc-Coleman company handling syndication. An advertisement in the trade publication ''Billboard'' touted: "Year after year, since 1941, 'Drummond' has rung up top ratings ... The name alone pulls listeners ... Want a low-priced show to do a top-price selling job? Don't pass up 'Bulldog Drummond.'"
A new version of ''Bulldog Drummond'' aired in 1953, once again on Mutual. Sir Cedric Hardwicke had the title role in what the network promoted as "a strengthened program structure" that also included '' Counterspy'', and ''Starlight Theatre''. The network also introduced "a new plan to pay stations in 'top-quality' programs instead of cash," with the revived ''Bulldog Drummond'' as one of "18 new 'star-name' shows." Those efforts were largely ineffective, however, as the final network version of ''Bulldog Drummond'' was broadcast only January 3, 1954 – March 28, 1954.[
]
References
External links
Log
Episodic log of ''Bulldog Drummond'' from Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs
Streaming audio
Episodes of ''Bulldog Drummond'' from the Internet Archive
{{Bulldog Drummond
1941 radio programme debuts
1954 radio programme endings
1950s American radio programs
1940s American radio programs
American radio dramas
Mutual Broadcasting System programs
Detective radio shows
Radio programmes based on novels