Bonnie Scotland (1935)

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

Director:

James W. Horne

Writers:

Frank Butler (screenplay), Jefferson Moffitt (screenplay),

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, June Lang

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stanley MacLaurel
Oliver Hardy	...	Ollie Hardy
June Lang	...	Lorna MacLaurel
William Janney	...	Allan Douglas
Anne Grey	...	Lady Violet Ormsby
Vernon Steele	...	Colonel 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

Storyline

Stan and Ollie stowaway to Scotland expecting to inherit the MacLaurel estate. However Stan's inheritance amounts to a set of bagpipes and a snuff box. The boys are tricked into enlisting in the army and are posted to India where the heiress to the MacLaurel estate has moved to be near her guardian. Her Scottish sweetheart Allan also enlists. The boys are "volunteered" by the Sergeant (Finlayson) to impersonate officers at the palace of Mir Jutra and foil a plot to murder the officers by overturning several beehives.

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Plot Keywords:

india | army | scotland | snuff box | inheritance | 

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Taglines:

60 Minutes Of Fun!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heroes of the Regiment

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barry Norton was the original juvenile lead, but according to William Janney, who replaced him, Norton's professionalism was his undoing. Norton knew his lines and cues perfectly, but when Stan and Ollie began ad-libbing, Norton fell apart and couldn't keep up. Janney was brought in, and most of the scenes were re-written to keep Janney from falling into the same trap as Norton. Janney and "the boys" ultimately shared very few scenes.

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Quotes

Khan Mir Jutra: [a gunshot is heard behind a screen] Remove the body.
Ollie: [the screen is removed. Stan has his eyes closed and a pistol pointed over his head] What happened?
Stanley MacLaurel: I missed myself.
[cries]

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Connections

Spoofs The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

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Soundtracks

"One Hundred Pipers"
(uncredited)
Composer unknown
Played by marching soldiers

User Reviews

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..