Hoots Mon

Max Miller is the funnest comedian in England; it says so right on his car. He wrangles with Florence Desmond, a wee Scots lass whose act is a series of imitations, including one of Bette Davis which sounds like Katherine Hepburn. She also does Miller's act, which raises his ire, so it's off to Glasgow to make him Scotland's Funniest Comedian too.

Miller plays his fast-talking, ignorant comic and is pretty good as an old-line music hall performer. Miss Desmond sports a great accent for someone born in Islington, and it all proceeds apace. It's one of the Warner Brothers movies shot in Teddington, and somehow, the director is Roy William Neill, who spent the majority of his career directing dramas and thrillers for Universal and Columbia. He spent a few years in Britain, directing Arliss' last movie and a couple of Max Miller features, then it was back to the US, where he would direct the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes and die in 1946, aged 59.

As far as i am concerned Max Miller was the greatest stand up comedian this country has ever produced.No i didn't see him but i have all the records including live recordings of him at the Finsbury Park and Holborn Empires.Although some of his films survive what is clear is that he is not the greatest of film comedians.His character just seems to burst out of the screen.The main joke of this film is that Max's humour,like that of many English comedians cannot travel to Scotland.His main protagonist is that very talented comedienne Florence Desmond.However she is such a royal pain that after a short time she becomes a big irritant.So the best bits are when Max is on stage doing his act and the rest is totally forgettable.This film like many British comedies of the 30s did pop up on Channel 4 in the 80s but alas it is unlikely to be shown in the foreseeable future.