Bonnie Scotland

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..

This Laurel and Hardy film is probably a spoof of a film called "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" that was released earlier the same year. Even though it's titled "Bonnie Scotland" it has very little to do with Scotland. The boys show up in a Scottish village, located somewhere on the back lot of the Hal Roach Studios in Hollywood, after being informed that Stan is an heir to a portion of the estate of a deceased lord. They are disappointed in their hope for riches and in financial straits, so they join the British army. They wind up on the Northwest Frontier in British Colonial India, located just around the corner from Scotland somewhere on the back lot of the Hal Roach Studios in Hollywood. Stan and Ollie provide their usual high jinks and a good time is generally had by all, but the film suffers the same problems of most of their feature length films. The studio filled the script with alternative plots that didn't focus on Mr. Hardy and Mr. Laurel. The plot of "Bonnie Scotland" involves a thwarted romance between the heiress of the lord's estate and a penniless law clerk. It is rather boring and certainly interferes with the comedy. One of the funniest scenes involves Stanley, who is chronically incapable of staying in step with the rest of the soldiers. At one point he gets the soldier next to him to fall into step with him and this gradually spreads until the entire regiment is in step with Stanley. The climax involves a great deal of slapstick and ultimately nothing in the various plots is resolved.

American petty crooks Ollie Hardy (Oliver Hardy) and Stanley MacLaurel (Stan Laurel) arrive in Scotland where Stanley expects to inherit his grandfather's fortune. Instead, most of it has been left to his cousin Lorna MacLaurel and held in trust until she reaches age 21. She is sent to live with Colonel Gregor McGregor in India who is to administer the trust. Due to a series of accidents, the comedy duo gets kicked out of the inn and mistakenly signs up for the British Army in India.

Despite their iconic status, I rarely see Laurel and Hardy's movies. I mostly know their catch-phrase "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." in their repertoire. I like their physical humor but the banter is a little slow. Maybe it gets sharper as movies develop over time. They've been a duo for almost a decade starting from the silent era. It's interesting to finally watch one of this iconic pair's movies.

After a particularly wicked day, having to contend with the weather outside and the workplace inside, I settled down to view a serendipitous broadcast. Fans don't seem to hold this feature film with Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy in as high regard. It was the first one of theirs I'd seen from start to finish besides their take on Babes in Toyland, the broadcast of which is a New York metropolitan-area Christmas tradition.

You certainly don't view this for the acting, topicality or thematic consistency. The transition from a heat-shrunken pair of pants to India by way of the Highlanders made me blink, and I half-expected an extra to blurt, "It's like Gunga Din all over again!"

But one brilliant scene displayed the worst fear of anyone on parade, and what could only be called a dance set to "100 Pipers" had to have been spur-of-the-moment. Perhaps I was especially susceptible to five (count 'em) scenes that instantly generated tears of helpless laughter: The snuff box and the footbridge, the bagpipes and glass smoking water pipe (they're apparently related), the candle beneath the bed beneath the...fish...and the final five or so minutes that had to have inspired The Goon Show.

I bless the gents' memory for the gift...and that of Leatherpuss too!

Stan & Ollie arrive in BONNIE SCOTLAND to claim Stan's inheritance. Through a series of mishaps, the Boys end up in the British Army, stationed in India & threatened with imminent death at the hands of a fierce tribal chief...

With rather more plot than usual in a typical Laurel & Hardy film - the romantic subplot has virtually nothing to do with Stan & Ollie - this is still a delight for fans of the Boys. By this point in their joint career they were past perfection & beyond praise. Seeing them act together is like watching an intricate piece of clockwork. Among the highlights here: the candle under the bed; the `invisible' accordion; and the dance to ‘A Hundred Pipers'.

Stan & Ollie are given fine support by the rest of the cast: Mary Gordon, as the hotel proprietress; David Torrence, as a crusty old lawyer; Daphne Pollard, as a feisty little maid; and James Finlayson, the Boys' eternal foil, as their long-suffering Sergeant Major. June Lang & William Janney supply the romantics.

The lovely opening shots of Village life set the mood beautifully; early scene where blacksmith Lionel Belmore hammers out the `Cuckoo Song' - while the Boys make their first appearance & march towards the camera - is a joy.