November Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland tent is on Wednesday 30th November where the main feature will be Blockheads.

Blockheads

It's 1938, but Stan doesn't know the war is over; he's still patrolling the trenches in France, and shoots down a French aviator. Oliver sees his old chum's picture in the paper and goes to visit Stan at the Soldier's Home. Thinking Stan is disabled (it's just that he's sitting on his leg), Oliver takes pity on him and takes him home for a nice home-cooked meal. But Oliver's wife has other ideas and leaves him to fend for himself. After blowing up the kitchen, Oliver is helped by his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Gilbert... until the big-game hunting Mr. Gilbert comes home unexpectedly, carrying a shotgun.

Trivia

Stan: [to 901 guy] There's going to be a fight.
Stan: [to bypassers] There's going to be a fight.
Stan: [to guy going into apartment] Hey, there's going to be a fight.
Stan: [to desk guy] You better call an ambulance. It's going to be terrible. There's going to be a fight.

Stan: No, you see, everybody thought I was dead. Didn't they?
Oliver: Um, hmm.
Lulu: How did you find out you weren't?

Composer Marvin Hatley was nominated for an Oscar for Block-heads for the best Original Score of 193 but unfortunately didn’t win it.

September Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland tent is at the Tartan Rose on Wednesday 28th September, where the main feature will be Pardon Us.


Pardon Us

It's Prohibition, and the boys wind up behind bars after Stan sells some of their home-brew beer to a policeman. In prison, Stan's loose tooth keeps getting him in trouble, because it sounds like he's giving everybody a rasp- berry. But it earns him the respect of The Tiger, a rough prisoner, and the boys manage to slip away during The Tiger's escape attempt. They disguise themselves and hide on a cotton plantation, but are recaptured when the warden happens by. Back in the big house, they find themselves in a hail of bullets, caught between the state militia and gun-toting prisoners, when The Tiger tries another escape.


Trivia

Four foreign language versions were also shot: Sous les verrous (French), Hinter Schloss und Riegel (German), Muraglie (Italian) and Los presidiarios or "De Bote en Bote" (Spanish) . Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy spoke their lines phonetically, and many supporting roles were recast, including Boris Karloff playing "The Tiger" in the French version.

Several scenes were shot but deleted from the final theatrical print, which ran 56 minutes. The first ending showed the boys in gray-bearded old age reminiscing about their misadventures.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy's first feature-length film. Producer Hal Roach had wanted to use some of the sets left over from MGM's big-budget prison picture The Big House to do a prison-movie spoof, but discovered that it would be too expensive to make as a short subject.


Schoolteacher: You spell "Needle"!
Oliver: [pause] N-E-I-D-L-E.
Schoolteacher: There is no "I" in needle!
Stanley: Then it's a rotten needle.

August Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland tent is at the Tartan Rose on Wednesday 31st August, where the main feature will be Way Out West – famous for the dance routine (see link) and, of course, the Trail of the Lonesome Pine.


Way Out West

Stan and Ollie are headed for the western town of Brushwood Gulch. Their mission is to find a woman named Mary Roberts in order to deliver her a deed to a valuable gold mine left to her by her father. Unfortunately, their problems start as soon as they arrive in town when they realize they upset the wife of the town's Sheriff while on the coach they hitch a ride on, and they must catch the next coach out of town...or else. Their problems continue when Mickey Finn, Mary's guardian, learns why they're here, and has his wife, Lola Marcel, play Mary in order to hijack the deed from them. However, before leaving town, they encounter the real Mary Roberts and are forced to get the deed back. What ensues from there is more hilarity then you could ever imagine.


Trivia

Hal Roach had to come up with four different titles for the film, before finding a title that wasn't already owned by another studio. The three discarded titles were: "You'd Be Surprised", "Tonight's the Night", and "In the Money".

Lola Marcel: Tell me - is my dear, dear Daddy really dead?
Stan: I hope so; they buried him.

Sons of the Desert at Sea!

The Bonnie Scotland tent took a trip doon the watter on the Waverley to catch up with one of our members who had emigrated from Erskine to Rothesay.

Despite a limited time ashore we managed to visit a number of local hostelries and even sang the traditional song as our food was being served. The song was later heard resonating from the lower bar of the Waverley much to the amusement/ concern of other passengers.


The Waverely is currently having funding problems, so the Bonnie Scotland tent decided to make a donation of £300 to help keep the Waverley afloat.

It was a great day out, with almost 20 members of the tent coming along. However, not all got off at Rothesay to wonder exactly what else they do with slippers!( see photo).

July Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland tent is at 7:30pm on Wednesday 27th July 2011, at the Tartan Rose, Paisley. This month's feature is Saps at Sea (click on the graphic for a video clip). The tent is also planning a trip on the Waverley on Sunday 31st July - if you're interested let Janice know by emailing her at chonziecats@yahoo.co.uk.

Saps at Sea
After working in the noisy horn factory, just the sound of one drives Oliver into a violent fit. Dr. Finlayson prescribes a long, restful sea voyage, so Stan and Oliver rent a boat and set sail, unaware that escaped killer Nick Grainger has stowed away onboard. To disable the crook, the boys prepare him a meal using string for spaghetti, sponges for meatballs and soap for cheese. But Grainger discovers their plan and decides to make them eat the stuff themselves.

Sons of the Desert Convention Paisley 2011

At last - some video from the 32nd Annual UK Sons of the Desert Convention in Paisley - click on the convention poster for the video clip.

This link takes you to one of the stories the local newspaper ran on the convention.

May Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland tent takes place on Wednesday 25th May at 7:30pm, in the Tartan Rose, Broomlands Street, Paisley. There will be a DVD with highlights of the recent UK Convention held in Paisley and the usual Laurel and Hardy movies, finishing off with Tom & Jerry.

April Update

Our next meeting takes place on Wednesday 27th April at the Tartan Rose, Broomlands Street, Paisley at 7:30pm. The main feature is Sons of the Desert -very apt as it is two days before the start of the 32nd Annual UK Sons of the Desert Convention in Paisley! Other films planned for that night include Them Thar Hills and Another Fine Mess.

Sons of the Desert (1933)
So that he and Stan can sneak away to Chicago and attend the annual "Sons of the Desert" lodge convention, Ollie pretends to be sick, and gets a doctor (who turns out to be a veterinarian) to prescribe a long ocean voyage to Hawaii. Decked out in leis and strumming ukeleles, they return home only to learn that the ship supposedly carrying them has sunk. Their hastily- contrived tale of "ship-hiking" their way back cuts no ice with their wives, who've been at the movies watching a newsreel of the lodge's convention parade, starring... guess who?

Trivia

Three decades after the movie's release, its motif inspired the creation of an "international Laurel and Hardy appreciation society," named after the movie and created by Stan Laurel and his biographer John McCabe.

Stan and Olly @ Magners Comedy Festival

Well, not quite - but as part of the Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Call of the Cuckoos Tent are putting on an 8 hour Laurel and Hardy film show in the Panopticon.

It starts at 11:30am and entrance is free. However, spaces are limited - so get there early.

March Update

The next meeting is on Wednesday 30th March, 7:30pm in the Tartan Bar, Paisley. Hopefully we'll have the sound system fully restored in time so we can have Stan and Olly drown out any noise from the bar.

The main feature is likely to be Bonnie Scotland - and why not! This is the second last meeting before the Convention comes to Paisley so if you can help out please come along and let Janice volunteer you! It will also give those going to the convention an extra bit of practice with the toasts.

Convention Update: all the available rooms at the hotel are now booked for the convention. Day tickets are still available -but the forms need to be in by 31st March -come along to the March meeting and fill inyour form. Also the Tent is holding a second hand book stall at the convention to raise funds - so bring along any books you want to donate.

Bonnie Scotland
Mclaurel and Hardy travel to scotland in this comedy classic. But much of the action takes place in British India. The film is from the Hal Roach studio and produced by Hal Roach and directed by James W. Horne. Laurel and Hardy were best in their short comedy films but this is one of the best longer adventures. There are plenty of laughs and a funny dance routine (click on the Bonnie Scotland poster on the right hand side of this webpage for an example). The film also stars the familiar face of James Finlayson as the Sergeant Major.

February Update

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland Tent is on Wednesday 23rd February at 7:30pm in the Tartan Rose, where One Good Turn will be one of the movies shown.

We now have 76 people booked for the UK Sons of the Desert Convention in Paisley and are fast running out of hotel rooms! It looks like we may need to think about an overspill hotel.

Don't forget, there are daily rates for Bonnie Scotland members (see Janice) who want to come to the Convention.


One Good Turn
Stan and Ollie are victims of the great depression and are begging for food. A friendly old lady provides them with some sandwiches. Enjoying their meal they hear that the old lady will be thrown out of her house because she is robbed and cannot pay her mortgage. They don't know that the old lady is rehearsing a play. Stan and Ollie decide to repay the old lady by selling their car. During the auction a drunken man puts a wallet in Stan's pocket. Ollie accuses Stan of having robbed the old lady but when they return to the old lady's place they hear the truth. Stan takes revenge on Ollie in a violent way.

Memorable Quote:
Ollie to the old lady: "We haven't tasted food in three whole days".
Stan:" Yesterday, today and tomorrow".

Convention Update

The plans for the convention are going well, now over 70 people from Scotland, UK and Europe have confirmed their attendance at the convention.

The new logo for the convention has been designed and will also be available on t-shirts and any other merchandise we can flog!

If you are interested in signing up to the convention contact the Grand Shiek (she also answers if you call her Janice).

Grand Sheik
Janice Hawton
5 Tantallon Avenue
Gourock
PA19 1HA

Next meeting 23rd February 2011

The next meeting of the Bonnie Scotland Tent is at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23rd February 2011 in the Tartan Rose, Broomlands Street, Paisley.

As usual the meeting is open to everyone, with a couple of Laurel and Hardy shorts followed by one of their movies and finishing off with a Tom and Jerry cartoon. If you want to join - click on the link below, fill in the membership form and either post it to the address given, or hand it over to the Grand Sheik at one of our meetings.