User Reviews

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.

Stan and Ollie travel all the way to Bonnie Scotland to collect on an inheritance left by Stan MacLaurel's late grandfather. Both he and his cousin June Lang are provided, but she's not of age and she's under the firm guardianship of Colonel Vernon Steele and his scheming Mrs., Anne Grey.

William Janney, the clerk in lawyer David Torrence's office is in love with June Lang, but she's spirited off to India during the British Raj. Never mind, Stan and Ollie and poor young Janney also find their way there as the scene of the plot shifts from Bonnie Scotland to India with the Highlanders.

It's all a pretty thin plot, but good enough to hang some of Stan and Ollie's best screen moments on. One of my all time favorites is when Ollie has an encounter with a snuff box which was half of Laurel's inheritance the other half being a set of bagpipes. Another is when Stan and Ollie try to use the bedsprings in their hotel to grill some fish and nearly burn poor Mary Gordon's establishment down.

After the boys go into the Indian Army they become the bane of the existence of their old nemesis, Sergeant James Finlayson. In the end Janney, Finlayson, and the boys provide a hilarious ending to a tribal rebellion.

Films like Lives of a Bengal Lancer and Charge of the Light Brigade about the British Raj take one good beating from producer Hal Roach and his intrepid and incomparable stars. For fans of Stan and Ollie the world over.

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..

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!

This Laurel & Hardy movie is not among their best. It has way too much story and subplots present and because of this the boys are not given the full opportunity to show their skills and antics in this movie.

There are lot of scene's in which Laurel & Hardy are not even present. There is an unusual amount of dialog and story present which works perhaps only distracting from Laurel & Hardy and their silly slapstick moments. Most people are not waiting for a movie like this. Most people just want to see Laurel & Hardy act silly and get into some troubling and silly situations. The whole story makes perhaps a bit of a pointless impression and the ending is not satisfying enough because it leaves too many loose ends.

But before I really am beginning to sound negative, of course the movie is still fun. There are some good jokes present, of which some are also truly quite memorable. It also is always fun to see James Finlayson in a Laurel & Hardy picture. This time he plays the boys their sergeant in the army in Imperial India. He provides the movie with some good and memorable moments.

Yet it is the story that is most overly present in the movie. The movie is not really about Laurel & Hardy, not really about slapstick moments but it's more a serious story disguised as a comedy instead. This might slightly disappoint some of the fans, although there still is plenty to enjoy for them and for everyone else of course. The gags still work, despite the 'serious' (serious for Laurel & Hardy standards of course, I mean.) story.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

This is a good film, but unfortunately some dunderhead insisted on adding a side love interest that did not in any way involve Stan and Ollie. Why, if you have the greatest comedy team ever would you insist on adding pointless subplots? Who cares if the boy gets the girl--I want more Stan and Ollie. And, because of this, the amount of funny stuff that the boys do is limited to probably a short's worth of humor--stretched out to feature length! When Stan and Ollie ARE on film, they are good--not great. But, even good Laurel and Hardy is well worth watching.

For a better full-length Laurel and Hardy movie, try PARDON US, A CHUMP AT OXFORD or especially SONS OF THE DESERT. And, try to avoid the musical Laurel and Hardy full-length films such as THE DEVIL'S BROTHER or BABES IN TOYLAND. Once again, I want JUST Laurel and Hardy--no love stories, subplots or music--just 100% pure Stan and Ollie!

As a Scot I really do resent how American movies portray us . We all have incomprehensible accents ( I can`t understand a word Scottie from STAR TREK says and I`m Scottish . Perhaps they should have employed a Scottish actor ? ) , we all have funny names like Gregor McGregor ( Randell Wallace is an American with a Scots sounding name , Scots are usually called Jim or Dave ! ) , wear strange skirts called kilts ( We only wear them at weddings ) and play strange instruments called bagpipes . It goes without saying this L&H feature plays up to the stereotypes but seeing as it`s Stan and Ollie all this cliche can be forgiven , same as I can forgive all the other flaws one can expect from seeing one of their movies after a period of many years , it`s rather episodic and loosely plotted with the main story of Stan and Ollie joining the army not happening untill half way through the movie`s running time , but it`s also funny and James Finlayson ( A Scottish actor ) getting to play a Scottish Sergeant called " Leatherpuss "

By no means one of their greatest highlights - The features seen slightly drawn out compared to their shorts - BONNIE SCOTLAND is still one of the better L&H feature length movies

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.

Well, half a good Laurel and Hardy movie is better than none. This comedy begins well, as Stan and Ollie visit a small village in Scotland hoping to secure a huge inheritance for Stan (aka "Stanley McLaurel", HA HA HA!) after a dear departed one of his has passed on. The duo are devastated when they find out what the "fortune" is (I'll leave that as a hilarious surprise). From here, the boys are involved in center stage antics as they run out of money and have to make ends meet in a boarding house where they do not disappoint their audience. Then, halfway through, L&H wind up joining the army, the action moves to India, and the comedy team takes a back seat to a very uninteresting love story between other characters. It's a shame, because the first part of the movie is so much fun. To make the situation even more overbearing, the romantic lead man here, played by William Janney, is a real silly geek and unworthy of our attention. **1/2 out of ****

Similar to the way Hollywood spoils almost all comedy films in 2006, the lesson ought to be that spending money isn't what laughs are all about.

BONNIE Scotland begins in Scotland but takes a swift plot turn and has the boys soon enough in the Scottish Army in India. Both Scotland and India are no doubt either sunny southern California or inside the Hal Roach studio; but both locations are convincing. All this calls for a pretty big cast for a Laurel & Hardy movie and I'll bet this one cost maybe triple their usual budget. Big problem though: They forgot to include much humor anywhere in the 80 minute running time.

Here's the point: Their later film WAY OUT WEST I score a 10, not a 5. That film was entertaining for the whole movie, tenaciously funny; yet the entire action takes place (first) on a trail somewhere out of town (second) in front of a saloon (third) inside the saloon (fourth) outside the stable; a very limited scope yet the film is a comic masterpiece. Money CAN buy you love, but it can't buy laughs.

"Bonnie Scotland" is well worth seeing for Laurel and Hardy as their scenes steal the film. The scenes involving the rather boring love subplot, weaken the film but that is certainly no fault of Stan and Ollie. I suppose the idea was to help sustain the comedy by having Laurel and Hardy exit the film for minutes at a time, then bring them back for more hilarity. In theory, there is nothing wrong with doing that. However, the subplot in "Bonnie Scotland" could have been better. Stan and Ollie travel all the way to Scotland for the reading of a will after they hear one of Stan's relatives has just deceased. When that doesn't go according to plan, they unwittingly become conscripted into the Foreign Legion. Upon which, all manner of mayhem occurs! I love the dance sequence when our hapless heroes are reduced to clearing up the litter. I think it is both creative as well as being funny. I was delighted to see regular comic foil, James Finlayson make an appearance as Stan and Ollie's drill sergeant! "Bonnie Scotland" wasn't made at the "Hal Roach" studios. Instead, the film was made at "M.G.M" as they had the distribution rights. The production values are rather better than usual but the comedy is still great. Stan and Ollie are on top form and the climax is a delight.

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.

Laurel & Hardy escape to Scotland, trying to claim Laurel's inheritance. After getting only some bagpipe, Hardy tries to teach Laurel how to smoke which leads to hilarious results. Meanwhile there is a love story running parallely between Alan and Lorna, only for the lovebirds to be separated with Lorna being sent to India. Soon, Laurel & Hardy accidentally enroll themselves into Scottish army, getting deployed to India. As Alan accompanies the duo to win back his lover. What madness awaits with the duo in British India forms rest of the story.

It's been 88 years since this film released and I am glad to say, it has Laurel & Hardy doing their typical comedy for most part of the film without the subplot involving the love story coming in between. It is one gag after another which does the trick. However, as a whole, the makers were more than happy to forget about the love story entirely and do not give it any conclusion. But it is made up for with the classic frying the fish under the bed, mirage bit, classic Laurel's fun walk and the duo dancing while cleaning the ground. It can be watched for these moments alone and ofcourse ignore the stereotyping of India and Indians.

This time, Laurel and Hardy are off to Scotland to collect an inheritance from Laurel's uncle Angus Ian McLaurel. This is one of their more elaborate features, as they proceed to joining the Indian Army and fighting off the Arabs who are invading the country. Directed by perennial L&H director, James Horne. Great score, culminating Scottish folk tunes and the usual classic score by Marvin Hatley.

The boys travel to Scotland because Stanley has been named in the will of a rich relative. When they get there, they find they have inherited a set of bagpipes and a snuff box. Now they are broke and forced to find a way to survive. After a hilarious scene in their hotel room, as they try to cook a fish, they are cast into the street. They mistakenly volunteer for the British army and are sent to India. The British imperialists are running the country. We are treated to racism, as the self-centered Scots are running the country. There are series of fun scenes, particularly those involving Jimmy Finlayson. There is also a hilarious scene where the other soldiers explain what a mirage is. The down side of the story has to do with a silly romance between a young heiress and her simple boyfriend. Not a bad offering for our guys.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.

A vast majority of their output at this point was solid to classic (as said several times in previous reviews the only one really to not do much for me was '45 Minutes from Hollywood' which was right at the beginning pretty much), much of their early stuff was very interesting and fun to watch but it was around 1928 or so when the boys as a duo had found their mojo and had fully settled. While it is still worthwhile and a fun enough watch, 'Bonnie Scotland' to me was on the uneven side and a bit disappointing. Do consider it one of the weaker feature-length outings and that is not meant in a bad way necessarily.

'Bonnie Scotland's' story is pretty thin while also trying to do too much that it becomes messy and silly. It did feel like a short film at times stretched to feature length with some elements and scenes coming off better and being more necessary than others. The romantic subplot did nothing for me, it added very little, came over as bland, predictable and forced, it is a worry when it is a subplot that feels like extraneous padding yet features too much.

Excepting a very amusing James Finlayson, who should have had more to do, the supporting cast don't have an awful lot of spark, especially when compared to the usual for a Laurel and Hardy outing, and for a Laurel and Hardy film 'Bonnie Scotland' is not one of their most visually appealing with the cheap and unauthentic scenery.

However, Laurel and Hardy are absolutely spot on, their performances individually cannot be faulted and neither can their ever impeccable and deservedly iconic chemistry. Finlayson as said registers well in support. Laurel and Hardy's scenes are an absolute delight, with some great sly verbal wit and beautifully timed and not goofy slapstick, and it's with them where 'Bonnie Scotland' comes alive.

The standout scenes for me were with the hotel room, talking about the mirage and the ending, all hilarious. It is more than competently directed and the photography is nicely done despite the scenery.

In summary, worthwhile but uneven. 6/10 Bethany Cox

The quality LH films eally went downhill rapidly when they switched from shorts to feature length films.

Yes there's way out west and our relations. These are sublime. The rest vary from uneven to dreadful.

Bonnie Scotland starts well but drifts badly with too much padding. Chop 20 minutes off and you've got a better film.

The India part of the film really drags and is of low quality.

It was sad the see the duo go downhill so rapidly.

They are legends in my view.

Unfortunately, they quickly ran out of steam and jokes.

Who could possibly resist Oliver Hardy in a dress? One will see this and several other hilarious situations in Bonnie Scotland, a vehicle from the Hal Roach Studios to showcase the talents of their star duo. In this production, Stan and Ollie join the army and have adventures in various situations under the guidance of their unfortunate sergeant, a mainstay in Laurel and Hardy films. Enjoy.

Icons that they were, the works of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy shared much in common with contemporaries like Harold Lloyd, The Three Stooges, or even Buster Keaton. While their own brand was perhaps lighter and gentler, the duo built their pictures on gags aplenty, situational humor, physical comedy, witty repartee, and not least the dynamics between the stars themselves. No few of their flicks are essential classics, though at that, not all are equal - and while it still has some highlights, unfortunately I think 'Bonnie Scotland' is one of their weakest. In distinct contrast to some of their other features, the pacing here is often very lax, and soft; the comedic timing is thrown off, and too many bits that should be funny just kind of fall flat. By the same token: filmmaker James W. Horne would go on to make a few more movies with Laurel and Hardy, and he previously had worked with Keaton. Here, however, his direction is meager, resulting in a dire lack of vitality in most scenes; the high energy that commonly characterized so much of the pair's oeuvre is bizarrely absent. With deficits of both timing and spirit, the film is sadly just not all that fun.

Don't get me wrong, it's not altogether bad; some moments absolutely earn hearty laughs. Yet those moments are perplexingly few and far between - hardly to be seen at all for the first thirty-six minutes that take place in Scotland, and showing up only at irregular, infrequent intervals in the remainder. Meanwhile, it's noteworthy that this is an instance of a comedy with substantially stronger plot to string the whole together (as opposed to fare where a vague through-line is a mere excuse for the panoply to come). That's fine, and there are worthy ideas in that plot; there's also a considerable mean streak to the writing, in a few different ways, that breaks from the lightheartedness that so commonly defined Laurel and Hardy. Moreover, though it's not the fault of 'Bonnie Scotland' that it was made during a time of imperialist rule, that the tale and setting lean on British colonialism in South Asia has not aged well. Not just that: it would be one thing if the picture were simply set in that time and place, but there are also examples of condescending exoticizing (i.e., "Oh, isn't India so droll"), and of outright demonization (as seen in the climactic sequence).

The humor presents so unevenly that when the relatively humdrum majority of the length gives way in the last stretch to heightened emotions and utmost pizazz, the shift is tiresome and obnoxious instead of hilarious. Some notions that have lent tremendously to the entertainment elsewhere (e.g., the high-pitched, tearful blathering Laurel adopts when his character is upset) fail to land. Value remains, yes, and I definitely appreciate the work of the cast and crew - but without the mirth, vigor, and timeliness that is essential to enjoying ourselves, the best acting and craftsmanship struggle to mean much in these eighty minutes. When all is said and done the feature manage to beat out the duo's floundering swan song, 'Atoll K' / 'Utopia,' but that's just about the most that can be said for it. And for all that, still I wonder if I'm not being too kind in my assessment. There are odds and ends to like here, but for as much as the movie pales in comparison to almost all its kin, it's difficult to especially recommend this when one would be better served by instead just rewatching 'Saps at sea,' 'Swiss miss,' 'Our relations,' or 'Pack up your troubles,' among others.

I'm glad for those who get more out of 'Bonnie Scotland' than I do. As far as I'm concerned, though, this is something suggested for the diehard Laurel and Hardy fans, and for those who are intent on watching all their works, and not necessarily anyone else. What fun there is to be had here is regrettably all too little, and one's time is better spent elsewhere.

Laurel & Hardy show up in Scotland, where Stan thinks he's going to inherit; then it's off to India for some Northwest Frontier action. There's also June Lang and William Janney involved in a romantic subplot. Fortunately, that doesn't take up much time.

It looks like a couple of the Boys' short subjects with enough of a plot to bring this up to a sprightly 80 minutes. Fine comic sequences are interspersed with the story to keep up my interest, and there's one of their lovely dance sequences. under the direction of James Horne, it's one of those movies that's so typical of them that it doesn't stand out in their corpus of work, and yet so enjoyable that I can look at it again and again.

Laurel and Hardy go to Scotland, because Laurel has an inheritance there from his Scottish uncle.In Scotland boys join the Indian army-by accident.Bonnie Scotland is a nice Laurel and Hardy comedy from 1935.It has some very funny parts, like when the boys are making the fish and who could forget the dancing scene with the boys.