Listen to “The Great Detectives Present Bulldog Drummond” on Spreaker.

Captain Hugh “Bulldog” Drummond was a British World War I veteran-turned-adventurer introduced in his eponymous novel in 1920. He quickly leapt to the stage and silent film, and then to multiple “talkies” released on both sides of the Atlantic.

In the 1940s, Bulldog Drummond made the transition to radio in a series dedicated to telling Drummond’s American adventures. For eight years, listeners heard the distinctive sound of the foghorn announcing a new adventure with Bulldog Drummond as he battled the forces of evil with his friend and sidekick, Denny.

At the end of the 1940s and in the early 1950s, there were attempts to revive the Drummond film series at three different studios. Later on in the 1950s, Bulldog Drummond would return to radio for three months in a lost series starring Cedric Hardwicke. There was also a backdoor pilot produced as part of the Douglas Fairbanks Presents series in 1957. Bulldog Drummond would make a final appearance in two British films in the 1960s in an attempt to compete with James Bond.

About the Stars

George Coulouris (1903-89): The Britsh-born actor made his stage debut at the Old Vic in 1926. In 1929, he made his Broadway debut, and in the mid-1930s he met a young Orson Welles. Coulouris became part of Welles’ Mercury Theatre company on both stage and radio. He also had a part in Welles’ classic Citizen Kane. He remained in demand on film, screen, and radio throughout the 1940s. Coulouris returned to Britain in 1950 and appeared in acclaimed films like The Clockwork Orange and 1974’s Murder on the Orient Express, as well as taking roles in iconic television programs such as Doctor Who and The Prisoner.

 

Santos Ortega (1899-1976): Santos Ortega began his acting career on the stage when he was 17. In the 1930s, he leapt to radio and became a staple of the New York radio-acting community world for four decades. While many of his lead performances on radio are either nearly completely lost (ex: The Affairs of Peter Salem) or were short-lived (Michael Piper, Private Detective), Ortega’s voice can be heard in important supporting roles such as Commissioner Weston on The Shadow or Inspector Queenon The Adventures of Ellery Queen, as well as dozens of character roles in countless old time radio programs ranging from The Columbia Workshop to the latter episodes of Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. In 1956, Ortega landed the role of Will “Grandpa” Hughes on As the World Turns, which he would play until the year he died. Ortega never left radio acting, continuing to make appearances late into the Golden Age of Radio and beyond. He appeared in the radio revival series Theatre Five and continued to make regular guest appearances on the Hebrew Theological Seminary’s program The Eternal Light throughout the 1960s. He made his last radio appearance on the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre in 1975.

Ned Wever (1902-84): Wever was a Princeton-educated composer and actor, with a long career in radio, stage, and screen. Wever composed music for Ed Wynn and Billy Rose. He was best known as the lead in Dick Tracy and Bulldog Drummond, as well as performing in many radio soaps, including Young Widder Brown and Lora Lawton. 

 

 

 

 

Episode Log:

George Coulouris Episodes

• Hijackers (Audition Date: September 28, 1941)

Santos Ortega Episodes:

• The Case of the Axis Submarine (Original Air Date: June 22, 1942)*
• Blind Man’s Bluff (Original Air Date: September 14, 1942)

Ned Wever Episodes:

• The Subway Murder Case (Original Air Date: July 12, 1943)
• Murder Visits Venus (Original Air Date: March 19, 1945)
• The Case of the Double Death (Original Air Date: April 16, 1945)
• The Dinner of Death (Original Air Date: April 23, 1945)
• Help Wanted (Original Air Date: August 13, 1945)
• Murder in the Death House (Original Air Date: September 10, 1945)
• Death on the Diamond (Original Air Date: September 17, 1945)
• Escape Into Death (Original Air Date: September 24, 1945)
• Appointment with Murder (Original Air Date: October 29, 1945)
• The Case of the Fatal Right (Original Air Date: October 14, 1946)
• Claim Check on Death (Original Air Date: January 17, 1947)
• The Lonely Trail (Original Air Date: December 24, 1947)
• Death Rides a Racehorse (Original Air Date: March 3, 1948)
• Death Loops the Loop (Original Air Date: March 10, 1948)
• Devil Flats (Original Air Date: April 21, 1948)
• Murder Has an Open Mind (Original Air Date: April 28, 1948)
• The Island of Death (Original Air Date: May 12, 1948)
• Death Uses Disappearing Ink (Original Air Date: June 9, 1948)
• Death in the Deep (Original Air Date: June 16, 1948)
• Death Has a New Look (Original Air Date: June 23, 1948)
• The Case of the Dead Beat (Original Air Date: June 30, 1948)
• Death Under the Big Top (Original Air Date: July 7, 1948)
• Porcelain Ming Cat (Original Air Date: Unknown)

End of Log

*Episode Played Out of Order