Miss Phyllis Clavering (Louise Campbell) is oh, so close to getting married to Captain Drummond this time out; they've made it all the way to the Clavering Villa in Geneva, Switzerland for the ceremony. However one of the wedding gifts gets it the way, a synthetic diamond that looks just like the real thing. It was made by Gwen Longworth's father, Professor Bernard Goodman (Halliwell Hobbes), and it appears so genuine, Sir Raymond Blantyre (Matthew Boulton) wants to steal it's secret formula to prevent the worldwide decline in value of real diamonds. I wonder what he would have thought of cubic zirconium?
The plot relies on the theft of the fake diamond in the early going, though the whole lights out trick and murder of the detective assigned to guard the wedding presents seems to have been a bit much. Couldn't the bad guys have waited till everyone was asleep? Speaking of wedding presents, the Longworth penguin seemed a fitting touch. He winds up knocking over a statue of a cherub that Drummond and Tenny conspired to have fall victim to an accident.
One of the highlights of the film is the rather elaborate looking lab used by Professor Goodman. There's a great long shot with a view of all the impressive equipment, with glowing tubes and sparking wires to lend credibility to the professor's experiments - Dr. Frankenstein would have been envious.
The story may have taken on a bit too many twists and turns by the time it really got going in the second half. A rival scientist Dr. Botulian (Porter Hall) is introduced, performing the same kind of synthetic gem experiments as Goodman. His presence turns out to be a wedge between the original villains and good guys, hoping to cash in on the the whole fake diamond thing himself.
Drummond's regulars are all on hand here. His associate Algy (Reginald Denny) doesn't have as much to do in this adventure, while butler Tenny's (E.E. Clive) role gets more physical. One of the more humorous scenes involves a frantic Tenny aboard a motor bike chasing down a van. Tenny must be in his sixties, but he's as agile as Yakima Canutt climbing aboard the speeding vehicle. John Barrymore reprises his role as Scotland Yard's Colonel Neilson, with repeated warnings to Drummond to mind his own business, and falling victim to a crooked tie gag twice.
More so than most Drummond adventures, you'll really have to pay attention once the plot thickens with the real and fake Dr. Botulian. As usual, good guys and bad guys trade the upper hand repeatedly until Drummond's side achieves victory. The film probably could have used the penguin for a humorous send off, however by the time it's all over you get the feeling that Drummond and Miss Phyllis are one step closer to the altar.
The plot relies on the theft of the fake diamond in the early going, though the whole lights out trick and murder of the detective assigned to guard the wedding presents seems to have been a bit much. Couldn't the bad guys have waited till everyone was asleep? Speaking of wedding presents, the Longworth penguin seemed a fitting touch. He winds up knocking over a statue of a cherub that Drummond and Tenny conspired to have fall victim to an accident.
One of the highlights of the film is the rather elaborate looking lab used by Professor Goodman. There's a great long shot with a view of all the impressive equipment, with glowing tubes and sparking wires to lend credibility to the professor's experiments - Dr. Frankenstein would have been envious.
The story may have taken on a bit too many twists and turns by the time it really got going in the second half. A rival scientist Dr. Botulian (Porter Hall) is introduced, performing the same kind of synthetic gem experiments as Goodman. His presence turns out to be a wedge between the original villains and good guys, hoping to cash in on the the whole fake diamond thing himself.
Drummond's regulars are all on hand here. His associate Algy (Reginald Denny) doesn't have as much to do in this adventure, while butler Tenny's (E.E. Clive) role gets more physical. One of the more humorous scenes involves a frantic Tenny aboard a motor bike chasing down a van. Tenny must be in his sixties, but he's as agile as Yakima Canutt climbing aboard the speeding vehicle. John Barrymore reprises his role as Scotland Yard's Colonel Neilson, with repeated warnings to Drummond to mind his own business, and falling victim to a crooked tie gag twice.
More so than most Drummond adventures, you'll really have to pay attention once the plot thickens with the real and fake Dr. Botulian. As usual, good guys and bad guys trade the upper hand repeatedly until Drummond's side achieves victory. The film probably could have used the penguin for a humorous send off, however by the time it's all over you get the feeling that Drummond and Miss Phyllis are one step closer to the altar.