The Hot Scots (1948) User Reviews

'Hi, Lorna; How Ya 'Doin'?" - One Of The Better Three Stooges Films

[ccthemovieman-1 · 9/10 · 15 January 2008]

"Boys, I'd like you to meet Lorna Doone." "Hi ya, Lorna; how ya doin?"

That kind of corny (but funny) line, delivered by Shemp, is just one of many in this very good Three Stooges comedy short. In fact, it's these kind of episodes that make me smile when I think of The Three Stooges.

Generally speaking, I always thought they were at their funniest when ghouls and goblins, crooks, monsters and-or wild animals were chasing them.

That's what happens in this story after the boys answer an "ad" from Scotland Yard - for experienced yardmen. They think they are detectives but the Yard knows better and the Stooges' first assignment is to get "missing papers." No, it's not espionage. The "missing papers" means they are to be garbage men out back, picking up papers on ground. Oh, well, they aren't discouraged. They still hope to be promoted to detectives

Their first chance comes soon as an "operative memo" flies out the window into hands of The Stooges. It says something like "send three operators go to the Scottish "Glenheather Castle." Apparently some crooks have infiltrated the place. The Stooges dress in disguise, wearing kilts. "Hoot man" says McMoe, followed by McShem and McLarry.

The lads are assigned to guard the oil's (Earl's to anyone outside New York) money but Shemp is afraid of ghosts. The thieves - the hired help - pick up on that wear and has all three of the boys afraid to go to bed. The story turns out to be just that: ghosts in the castle. Rather, men dressed in Halloween-type outfits.

"I don't feel so good," says one of the Stooges. "I just take something for my nerves." "Like what? "Like a trip home."

For those who have seen a million of these episodes, this is the one where involving a guy in a black voodoo mask, a moving bed, which goes from one room to the other; paintings with a real person in them, dressed as a pirate and so forth. All of it is great fun to watch.

"Here Comes Your Lunch"

[oversplayer · 8/10 · 5 January 2017]

This is one of the very best Stooges shorts with Shemp. I had to write this to correct a reviewer who wrote, "I would like to try out Ted Lorch's great line, 'The E-r-r-r-r-r-el will see ye noo!'"

Ted Lorch ("McPherson") did not say that line; Charles Knight ("Angus") did, and he later ended the scene in which the Stooges are shown to their room with a very menacing, albeit obviously tongue-in-cheek, "If you need anything, just WAIL!" and then laughs (intentionally or unintentionally, we'll never know).

The title of this review comes from an early scene in which the Stooges are picking up the "missing papers" in Scotland Yard's back "yard." When he hands the apparent last piece of trash paper to Moe, he says, with a sigh of relief,"If there's another piece of paper in this yard, I'll eat it." Of course, at that exact moment,a gust of wind carries a piece of paper from the inspector's desk out his open office window, and, as it slowly floats downward into the yard, Moe cracks, "Here comes your lunch."

I also thought the Stooges' introduction of themselves to the Earl was hilarious. First Moe says,"He's MacLarry; he's MacShemp; and I'm MacMoe." Then they vigorously shake hands with each other while exclaiming,"Hiya, Mac. Hiya, Mac. Glad to MacMeet you."

It blows me away that Christine McIntryre never became what we now refer to as an "A-list celebrity." She had it all: She was gorgeous. She had marvelous comedic timing. And, of course, that angelic voice.

good Shemp Scooby Stooges

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 January 2020]

Larry, Moe, and Shemp are amateur detectives. They come to Scotland Yard to answer an ad for Yard work. It turns out to be real yard work as they are hired as gardeners. A paper is blown away from a detective's desk and the boys mistake it as an assignment for them.

The Scooby Doo factor is very high as the boys run from people pretending to be apparitions in a Scottish castle. The bad guys are using masks and fake paintings. Of course, this comes before the Scooby gang. One of the reasons why Scooby is successful is that it has elements of the Stooges. This is as good as a Shemp Stooges is going to get.

Hi Lorna, how ya Doone?

[angus_dei · 10 March 2006]

Oh, brother, what a great short. The Stooges are turned loose in the United Kingdom, where they talk themselves into positions as gardeners in Scotland Yard, of all places---all they had to do was to prove they weren't gentlemen! Moe delivers a great double whack to Larry's and Shemp's skulls with the handle of a garden rake. The Stooges end up in a Scottish castle, regaled in kilts. If I ever make it up to Scotland, I would like to try out Ted Lorch's great line, "The E-r-r-r-r-r-el will see ye noo!" Now tell me Shemp wasn't one of the greatest comedians of all time. Christine McIntyre delivers such an obvious set-up line (when asked her name she says "Perhaps ye've heard it, 'tis Lorna Doone!"), so that Shemp's response is utterly predictable, and yet, he absolutely slayed me with it. In fact, all three Stooges are at their best in this short. See it, and I don't care which side of the MacMason MacDixon line you have to come from to do it!

McMarvellous!

[Adirondack · 10/10 · 2 November 2000]

I wonder if McDonald's restaurant sponsored this film, if the business was around back then, because in one scene, they seem to call everything Mc-something!

This is a film where my favorite of all six stooges, Shemp can be seen at his funniest. Curly would be my favorite, but I think he's a little too silly. As the film begins, you see three men with beards, hats and pipes approach the desk of the top man at Scotland yard. The man asks, "What can I do for you gentlemen?" Moe answers, "Before we answer that, I want to prove we're not gentlemen!" The three men peel the fake facial hair off and Moe helps Shemp peel some of his. This reminds me of the Curly Stooges film with they went to Egypt in search of the mummy of King Rootin-tootin. They first appeared in an American museum disguised much the same way, except they wore false faces on the backs of their heads. (You must have seen it to know what I'm talking about.) Anyway, after getting their assignment in a way they never expected, the fun really begins. They go to Glenheather Castle in Scotland and run into three criminals, one is the lovely Christine McIntyre, who may very well be the best soprano I've ever heard. She doesn't sing in this short though (darn!). A really funny part is when they meet her before they knew she was one of the crooks and the owner of the castle. Larry (or McLarry) asked her, "And what might your name be, lass?" She replied, "Perhaps you've heard it. It's Lorna Doone." Shemp (or McShemp) extends his hand to shake and says, "Hi, Lorna. How ya doone?" Moe or (McMoe) raps him on that hand with his cane. This is one of my very favorite Shemp Stooge films. You may want to grab some Mcnuggets and Mcfries for this one!

MAC YOWZER, MAC YOWZER!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 31 July 2022]

The great Herbert Evans, a popular character actor who appeared in four Oscar winning films, including CASABLANCA, plays the wise old Earl of a Scottish castle who needs help! Enter the Stooges, who were working as gardeners for Scotland Yard(!) there to save the Earl's family fortune from cut-throat thieves. Among the bad guys is Christine McIntire (as Lorna Doone)! Shemp steals the show, kidding with the Earl and basically mugging and acting goofy. This was Theodore Lorch's last short, long associated with the boys and usually playing creepy butlers and other stuffy gents. Best scene is the disappearing beds and the spooks jumping under the sheets. The Stooges were always at their best in haunted house and castles. Get the dvd box sets, which have come down in price over the years.

Great one!

[Movie Nuttball · 10/10 · 11 March 2004]

I like this one and this is one of My favorite ones with the Three Stooges! I think Christine McIntyre was as good always! All of the actors were good which included Herbert Evans, Charles Knight, Jimmy Logan, Theodore Lorch, and George Pembroke! I like the spooky theme of this one like some of the Three Stooges shorts! It has a good mystery to it! The Stooges especially Moe are hilarious in Hot Scots! One of the funniest parts in the short is when Moe and Christine McIntyre were dancing and she was giving the Earl's treasures to Theodore Lorch in disguise! One other part in it is when the Stooges introduce themselves to the Earl and Shemp is getting knocked on the head by Moe's cane! The Stooges Hot Scots is a hilarious spooky Three Stooges Short! Like some other spooky type Three Stooges shorts this is a great Three Stooges short to watch over again around Halloween time!

One of Shemp's best

[holme-1 · 2 February 2002]

"The Hot Scots" was an excellent short from beginning to end. Shemp seems very open to abuse since he takes a lot of it in this one. The fright scenes are hilarious. Edward Bernds once again does a great job in directing. One of my favorite stooge exchanges is in this one. Also, the stooges being gardeners in the beginning was quite funny.

Grade: A+

"If you want anything, just wail."

[slymusic · 10 June 2008]

"The Hot Scots" is a Three Stooges comedy masterfully directed by Edward Bernds. A majority of the film takes place inside an impressive Scottish castle, since Moe, Larry, & Shemp masquerade as Scottish detectives who are hired to guard a wealthy earl's valuables.

My personal favorite scenes from "The Hot Scots" include the following (if you haven't yet seen this film, DON'T read the rest of this commentary). It's rather amusing that during the final confrontational sequence between the Stooges and the earl's "servants", the action is sped up, so that the characters' voices are higher pitched. Larry is hilarious when he first encounters the big-toothed villain ("Hey, fellas, cut out the racket, will you please?"). Once Shemp discovers that the person sharing the bed with him is not Larry, he lets out a yell and tries to run out the door, only to get creamed with a bowling ball! And finally, "What would you rather have: a shoe full of dollar bills or two socks of five?" "I'll take the two socks." "You got 'em." POW!

With a supporting cast that includes Herbert Evans, Christine McIntyre, Charles Knight, and Ted Lorch (who passed away before this film went into release), "The Hot Scots" is a fine Three Stooges short. The boys utilized this exact same castle setting in two other shorts, both from 1948: "Squareheads of the Round Table" and "Fiddlers Three".