Bonnie Scotland (1935)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

James W. Horne

Writers:

Frank Butler (writer) and
Jefferson Moffitt (writer)

Release Date:

23 August 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Their Funniest Full Length Feature!

Plot:

Stan and Ollie mistakenly enlist in the army and find themselves posted to the Northwest Frontier in India on a dangerous mission.

Plot Keywords:

India | Army | Snuff Box | Beehive | Sergeant

Cast

Stan Laurel	...	Stanley MacLaurel
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie
June Lang	...	Lorna MacLaurel
William Janney	...	Allan Douglas
Anne Grey	...	Lady Violet 'Vi' Ormsby
Vernon Steele	...	Col. Gregor McGregor
James Finlayson	...	Sergeant Major Finlayson
David Torrence	...	Mr. Miggs - the lawyer
Maurice Black	...	Khan Mir Jutra
Daphne Pollard	...	Millie - the maid
Mary Gordon	...	Mrs. Bickerdike
Lionel Belmore	...	Blacksmith
John Sutherland's Scotch Pipers	...	British soldiers

Also Known As:

Heroes of the Regiment (USA) (reissue title)
Kilts (USA) (working title)
Laurel and Hardy of India (USA) (working title)
McLaurel and McHard (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:Approved | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

Fryman Ranch, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hal Roach Studios

Trivia:

The sets from The Little Minister (1934) were used for the Scottish scenes.

Quotes:

Ollie: We would like for you to give us a room and a bath.
Mrs Bickerdike: I can give you the room, but you'll have to take the bath yourself.

Movie Connections:

References Towed in a Hole (1932)

All Around Good Film

Laurel & Hardy leave for Scotland so that Mr. Stanley MacLaurel can receive his inheritance, what he hopes is money; what he gets is bagpipes and a snuff box. On shrinking Ollie's pants, Stan covers up at the boarding house that Ollie is sick; yet this plan doesn't work (hilarious cooking of the fish) and the boys are kicked out, and wind up joining the Scottish Army in search of pants for Ollie! This movie also has a subplot, whcih does not pertain to the boys at all, it is romantic, and doesn't hog up the spotlight too much. The romantic plot: A clerk is in love with Miss MacLaurel, Stan's cousin or something, and she leaves as a ward for Colonel Gregor McGregor to India; his sister hiding away the clerk (Alan's) letters. Finally, in a desperation of love, Alan joins with Stan & Ollie as they, in the Scottish Army, go to India as well.

Once there, we see some hilarious scenes-from Stan marching out of place, to the invisible accordion, and who could ever forget that funny dance routine and Stan's calling of the Sergeant (Finlayson), "Leatherpuss." The romantic subplot, however, is never resolved, and in the end, Stan & Ollie throw bee hives at enemy forces disguised as officer in the Scottish Army. Everyone runs from the bees, including all of the good guys, and the film ends here. True, Stan & Ollie are finished, but the unfinished romantic subplot leaves you wondering: What Happened?

All in all, this is an excellent Laurel & Hardy film, one every fan should see. It's not one of their funniest or all-time greatest, but it is an all-round good film, much better than many of the current comedies..