13 Lead Soldiers (1948)

Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called in to solve the murder of a man from whom two lead soldiers were stolen. Drummond learns that the two soldiers were part of a set of thirteen which... See full summary »

Director:

Frank McDonald

Writers:

Herman C. McNeile (story), Dwight V. Babcock (adaptation),

Stars:

Tom Conway, John Newland, Maria Palmer

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Tom Conway	...	Capt. Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond
John Newland	...	Algernon 'Algy' Longworth
Maria Palmer	...	Estelle Prager, alias Estelle Gorday
Helen Westcott	...	Cynthia Stedman
William Stelling	...	Phillip Coleman
Terry Kilburn	...	Seymour
Gordon Richards	...	Police Insp. McIver
Harry Cording	...	Edward Vane
John Goldsworthy	...	Dr. Ashley Stedman

Storyline

Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called in to solve the murder of a man from whom two lead soldiers were stolen. Drummond learns that the two soldiers were part of a set of thirteen which formed the key to a hidden vault of treasure. Following some clever sleuthing and set-up on Drummond's part, the guilty man is trapped in the vault,which is hidden behind the fireplace.

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Plot Keywords:

treasure | bulldog drummond | fireplace | key | murder | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Thirteen Lead Soldiers

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bernard Small Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Follows Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police (1939)

User Reviews

Tom Conway as Bulldog Drummond solves the pursuit of the treasure of the Saxons

Tom Conway is the main reason for watching any mystery with Tom Conway. He has a presence and he has A VOICE and an attractive British accent. His detective character, be it Drummond or the Falcon or neither, is debonair and well-dressed. He is quick-witted, sees through people, and especially is verbally adept. He doesn't beat up on people, but he parries and disarms them with questions and witty repartee.

The photography of such movies is typically dark and noir-tinged, another attraction. There will be plenty of comic situations introduced. In this one, Conway's assistant (John Newland) wants to attract women as Bulldog does, and so Bulldog goes along with this impersonation. There are some attractive women who are not strictly on the up and up, or maybe they are. Here there are two of them, Maria Palmer and Helen Westcott.

There may be a blustering and decidedly unclever policeman, frustrated that Conway is interfering. Gordon Richards does the trick here.

Bodies turn up. Conway wends his way through the mystery. This one starts out with the possessor of two lead soldiers being murdered. Why, when they are of little value? They are connected to an ancient Saxon map that, properly interpreted, leads to a treasure. A number of people are after it.

It makes for an enjoyable outing for fans of this genre. It's not at the top of the heap. Neither is it creaky and at the bottom. It moves right along and carries us with it.