Sons of the Desert

Plot synopsis:
At a meeting of the Sons of the Desert, a fraternal lodge of which both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are members, it has been decided that the organization will be holding its annual convention in Chicago in a week and all members have to take an oath to attend. Stan is reluctant to take the oath, but Oliver goads him into it. Later, on the way home, Stan explains to Oliver his reluctance to take the oath; he is worried that his wife Betty will not let him go to the convention. Oliver tries to reassure Stan his wife has no choice but to let him go because he took a sacred oath. When they get home and Stan accidentally brings up the subject of the convention, however, it turns out Oliver's wife Lottie will not let him go as they had already arranged a mountain trip together (which Oliver had forgotten about). Oliver tries to cover his embarrassment by remarking to Stan that his wife is "only clowning", only for her to chuck a bowl at his head, followed by another one when he attempts to establish his authority as the boss of the house.
Unwilling to go back on the oath that he swore, but equally unwilling to provoke further wrath from his wife, Oliver feigns illness to get out of the trip with his wife. Stan arranges for a doctor (actually a veterinarian) to prescribe an ocean voyage to Honolulu, with their wives staying home (Oliver is well aware how much ocean voyages disagree with his wife). Stan and Ollie go to the convention, with their wives none the wiser. Of course, they have a close call while drinking with a fellow conventioneer when as a practical joke their friend "Charley" calls his sister in Los Angeles who turns out to be Mrs. Hardy! However, nothing comes of this. Having tempted fate by deceiving their wives, however, one can hardly be surprised when fate is indeed tempted. While Stan and Ollie are en route home from Chicago, their supposed ship arriving from Honolulu sinks in a typhoon and the wives head to the shipping company's offices to find out any news about the survivors. At the same time, an oblivious Stan and Ollie return home as though from Honolulu (complete with leis, pineapples and a rousing ukulele song) and are confused by the empty houses. While Stan reads the paper, Ollie spots the headline and reads it out to Stan, who humorously remarks on what a good thing it was they didn't go before promptly going into a tizzy when it finally sinks in.
Panic-stricken, knowing their wives will likely do them grievous bodily harm, they take refuge hastily in the attic just as the wives get home and, because they can't escape, decide to camp out there. Meanwhile, the wives go to the cinema to calm their rattled nerves...and what should they see but a newsreel of the convention in which their husbands are prominently featured! Furious at being deceived, they vow revenge on their wayward spouses while simultaneously challenging each other to see whose husband is more honest with them. As for the husbands, their camping in the attic is interrupted loudly enough as to attract the attention of the wives (prompting Betty to investigate with her shotgun) and they manage to flee out of sight, escaping to the rooftop. Stan wants to go back home and confess to his wife but Oliver threatens, "If you go downstairs and spill the beans, I'll tell Betty that I caught you smoking a cigarette!"
They are about to make their way to a hotel to spend the night, but are stopped by a policeman who manages to get their home addresses from them thanks to Stan. The wives notice them coming, but while Lottie is all for shooting them the moment they walk through the door, Betty reminds her of their little agreement. Upon walking into the house, they tell the wives about the shipwreck. Then, when asked about how the pair of them had managed to get home a day before the rescue ship carrying the survivors was due, their story begins to unravel; they say they jumped ship and "ship-hiked" their way home. Ollie still insists his story is true; "It's too farfetched not to be the truth!" But Stan eventually breaks down and tearfully confesses, despite Oliver's previously mentioned threat. Stan tells his wife about the smoking too, and she stalks out of the scene while Stan continues whimpering and returns with her shotgun under her arm and ominously says to her husband "Come along, Stanley.", highly implying that she is going to shoot him once they get home. However, for his honesty Stan ends up wrapped in her dressing gown on the sofa, sipping wine and eating chocolates. Oliver's wife, however, is furious that she was made a fool of twice by her husband and when Ollie has the audacity to suggest going on the mountain trip they arranged in the first place - the last straw. Watched by her bemused husband, she empties the kitchen cupboards and proceeds to hurl every pot, pan, ornament and piece of crockery at him. Stan returns from next-door to compare notes, sees Hardy sitting in the wreckage and tells Ollie that his wife said that "honesty is the best politics!" Stan puffs on a once-forbidden cigarette, and then goes out the door singing "Honolulu Baby". Ollie vengefully hurls a pot at his head, upending him.

Tags: cult

Review:
The solemn dark lighting of the opening scene spoofing fraternal organizations, eating the wax fruit, the range of facial expressions of the wives throughout, the shot of the boys from the back sitting facing the fireplace as Stan disses his wife, Stan's wife in hunting regalia returning shotgun in arm carrying ducks, Ollie flirting on the phone not realizing it's his wife he's talking to, the stream of consciousness dialog in the attic, and on and on and on.
Ollie wants to attend the annual convention of THE SONS OF THE DESERT in Chicago & have lodge brother Stan go with him.
Mae Busch & Dorothy Christy are good fun as the Boys' wives, while Lucien Littlefield scores as a veterinarian called in to doctor Ollie.Extra-sharp movie mavens will spot Charlie Hall as one of the waiters at the beginning of the 'Honolulu Baby' sequence; they will also recognize the voice of Billy Gilbert as the steamship official giving the announcement about the shipwreck survivors..
Our heroes - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - simply want to go to the annual convention of their group - "The Sons Of The Desert" and want their wives' approval to make the trip.
The only other that comes close is Laurel and Hardy's "Way Out West." No other comedy team in the history of show business had the perfect comic timing of Stan and Oliver, not even the inimitable teams of Abbott and Costello or Martin and Lewis.
Comedy, that's difficult."This time around the boys attempt to slip away from their domineering wives (Only Stan would choose a mate that was one of the best duck hunters around and thus a crack shot with a gun) to attend a convention of the illustrious "Sons of the Desert" in Chicago to hear the "exhausted" ruler speak, as Stan calls him.
Stan tries to rationalize the situation, "Well if she didn't go to the mountains, then Mohammad would have to come here." Ollie jumps right in, "What has Mohammad got to do with my wife?" To read more of the brilliant lines, note IMDb's quotes taken from "Sons of the Desert."If you enjoy "Sons of the Desert," by all means watch "Way Out West." The two represent Laurel and Hardy at their best.
SONS OF THE DESERT Aspect ratio: 1.37:1Sound format: Mono(Black and white)Stan 'n' Ollie attend a convention in Chicago against the wishes of their domineering wives (Mae Busch and Dorothy Christy).
Basically an expanded remake of the short film WE FAW DOWN (1928), "Sons..." is a riot of comic invention, from L&H's mirthful entrance, to their encounter with obnoxious colleague Charley Chase at the 'Sons of the Desert' convention, to a climactic sequence in which The Boys are forced to justify themselves to their outraged wives (including Busch, never better as Ollie's bad-tempered spouse!).
This movie combines everything that made other Laurel & Hardy pictures so great and such a delight to watch; slapstick humor, crazy situations, well written dialog and a good comedy story.
It's another fine mess the boys get themselves into after they secretly go to a convention of the 'sons of the desert' in Chicago after fooling their wives, by telling them that they are going to Honolulu to 'cure' Oliver's faked illness.
In between they also get themselves into some silly humorous trouble, which this time also involves fellow comedian Charley Chase, who was the brother of regular Laurel & Hardy picture director James Parrott.This is not necessarily the movie with the best or most Laurel & Hardy jokes or slapstick moments in it but it's the whole package of the movie that makes this one such a great and enjoyable one that deserves a position among the greatest comedies of all time.
It combines all of the best elements out of Laurel & Hardy movies and the end result is an hilarious, easy and pleasant to watch movie, from start till finish, that never loses any of its power.The trouble the boys get themselves into is of course silly and therefor also extremely fun at the same time.
Seiter, starring the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, is not a foreign legion story set in the Sahara desert as the title might imply, but a domestic comedy with "Sons of the Desert" the name of a fraternity lodge brothers organization where Stan and Ollie are members, Oasis 13, Los Angeles, California.As the story goes, Stan and Ollie (Laurel and Hardy), best friends ("two peas in a pod") and next door neighbors, both married (with their front doors reading "Mr. and Mrs. Stan Laurel" and "Oliver Hardy and Wife"), are introduced as late arrivals to the "Sons of the Desert" fraternity meeting where the exhausted ruler announces the club's 87th annual convention to take place in Chicago, where all members are expected to attend.
While there, they watch a newsreel presentation of the "Sons of the Desert" convention with Stan and Ollie in full view marching in the parade, mugging their faces into the camera.
With numerous battle of the sexes comedies featuring henpecked husbands being common place either in short subjects or feature length films, even when knowing how this will all turn out, viewers familiar with this formula will still want to see the results, and find out whether the boys will fess up to the truth or face the consequences from their wives.
I'd hate to think of what might happen, if he, ev-err DID!" With many classic scenes too numerous to mention, the film does take time for a brief musical number, "Honolulu Baby" sung by a male vocalist, with overhead camera shot of dancing Hawaiian girls doing formations in the Busby Berkeley tradition.Distributed on video cassette from various companies during the early days of home video (1980s), SONS OF THE DESERT played on various cable networks throughout the years: The Comedy Channel (late 1980s) , American Movie Classics (1994-96) and finally Turner Classic Movies (where it premiered April 1st, 2005).
No one has ever broken this oath in the zillion year history of the Sons of the Desert Lodge so they'd better now screw up.Only Stan and Ollie are both dominated by their wives who won't allow them to do anything with-out strict approval first.
Most aficionados of Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy seem to rate Sons Of The Desert as their best feature film.
I would be hard put to disagree and I find this the most flawless of their comedies, taking full advantage of the characters that Stan and Ollie have created and what movie fans have come to expect from them.Although for the life of me I can't figure out why Dorothy Christy and Mae Busch as the wives of Stan and Ollie respectively would rather their husbands vacation in Hawaii together as opposed to going to Chicago for their Lodge Convention.
And the fact that Ollie preferred Stan's company to Mrs. Hardy says volumes in and of itself.So the boys decide to say they were going to Hawaii, but two things happen.
But not for long as the wives decide to kill time at a movie and happen to spot their husbands hamming it up for a newsreel cameraman who was covering the Sons Of The Desert convention.
As members of the mason mens club The Sons Of The Desert, Stan & Ollie are desperate to go away to one of the clubs conventions in Chicago.
Of course they head to Chicago for their boys own fun, unbeknown to them that the ship they had told their wives they were travelling on has sunk at sea!I think this stands the test of time as one of the best Laurel & Hardy pictures because it's one of the most professional that they made.
Stan Laurel believed that the Laurel and Hardy short subjects were the duo's best works rather than their feature films, nevertheless I believe Sons of the Desert to be the best of all their prodigious output, for the laughs never, never stop for all 86 minutes of the film.Years ago, for some reason, I happened to look in the Los Angeles phone book and lo and behold, there it was: Stan Laurel, with address and phone number.
As the wives, Mae Busch and Dorothy Christy have relatively easy roles, but they (and also Charley Chase) have a few good moments.Anyone who enjoys Laurel and Hardy's shorter features will probably also joining the "Sons of the Desert" in this amusing movie..
L&H belong to an organization, The Sons of the Desert, that is holding its national convention in Chicago, but Hardy's wife is intent on taking him along on a vacation to the mountains.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, a renowned comedy duo from the first half of the 20th Century, are still remembered today for their contributions to the genre, which they certainly deserve to be.
It won't be that easy trying to keep their wives from knowing where they've actually been, especially after the boat they are supposedly on sinks in a typhoon while the two are on their way home!"Sons of the Desert" consistently had me laughing, often hard, like I was expecting, and I can't think of a single lame gag in the entire film!
Sons of the Desert is certainly the best feature Laurel and Hardy ever made, without any extraneous sub-plots or music to get in the way.
Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, the two greatest laughter-makers ever to grace stage and screen (as I'm sure millions will agree) appear here in their finest and funniest feature film.
Neither one wants their hubby to go to a Chicago convention of The Sons of the Desert, so the boys have to fake an excuse in order to bamboozle their wives into thinking Oliver is following his doctor's orders to get a restful vacation in Honolulu.At the convention, it's a hoot to see dancing girls in Hawaian costumes (beefy and overweight by today's anorexic standards) while a slim male singer/dancer renders "Honolulu Baby" in a tenor voice.
Seiter, it's obviously the forerunner of many situation comedies about quarreling husbands and wives trying to outsmart each other.Stan is surprisingly funny when given a long, wordy sentence to say, and Oliver's facial reactions (especially when he fixes his gaze on the camera as if to say, 'Can you believe this?'), are priceless.Lots of fun for fans of the comedians..
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy want to go to their 87th annual "Sons of the Desert" convention in Chicago, which no member has ever missed.
Little did I know that the film would be rather intimate, pioneering the style and ambiance of TV sitcoms.And to conclude on the AFI, It's a wonder that Laurel and Hardy didn't make it in the Top stars like Chaplin, Keaton or the Marx Brothers...
Laurel & Hardy have sworn an oath to their brotherhood, the Sons of the Desert to attend their convention in Chicago.
The trouble is their wives are against the idea so they need to find an excuse.Hardy pretends to be ill and Laurel gets a vet who tells Mrs Hardy that he needs a sea voyage to Honolulu.Once they arrive in Chicago they get involved in all sorts of pranks courtesy by an obnoxious funster who turns out to be Hardy's long lost brother in law.Our duo have failed to keep themselves inconspicuous in Chicago as the Sons of the Desert march has been filmed and unbeknown to them their return ship from Honolulu has sunk and their wives worried that they are lost at sea.
If Laurel & Hardy had never made any other film, they would have secured their place in movie history with "Sons Of The Desert".
The cutaway to Oliver Hardy's reaction as Stan Laurel confesses the whole complicated scheme to their wives is quite possibly the single funniest shot in the history of the motion picture.
Of course, those folks don't know what deprived lives they are leading in not being able to enter the uniquely zany world of Stan and Ollie.Although The Boys shone their brightest in their comedy shorts, "Sons of the Desert", one of their earliest full-length features, is also one of their best in that genre.
Sons of the Desert has some many funny moments.Laurel's and Hardy's comedy is great.The younger generation should watch more these old time's comedies.I belong to the younger generation and I love these movies.Laurel's and Hardy's comedy will never die..
'Sons of the Desert' for me is up there with their best and certainly among their funniest.Can't really find anything wrong with it, was past caring this time as to whether the story was as thin as ice when there is so much content and energy that continually makes the film compelling, on top of being riotously funny in its best moments.From start to finish 'Sons of the Desert' is great fun, never less than very amusing and the best moments, such as the whole business with the doors, being classic Laurel and Hardy.
"Sons of the Desert" stands as one of Laurel and Hardy's funniest feature films.
of all the laural and hardy movies i've seen, this one takes the cake, a laugh fest from start to end, the story line was excellent, as was the casting, top viewing for anyone who loves 1930's comedy.
It has so many great comedic "bits": the "doorbell sequence", telling Mrs. Hardy about the convention, the veteranian, Mrs. L & H seeing their hubbies on a movie newsreel, L & H sleeping in the attic -- all are priceless gems!!!!!It's interesting to note that, in the bar sequence, Charley Chase (the "loudmouth" with the glasses) has literally such a big mouth that you can see all his fillings!And, it's kind of (unintentionally) funny when the boys come in from the rain, wearing only their pajamas, but the minute the enter the house, their PJs are totally DRY.If you haven't seen this film, you have NEVER seen a L & H film.....or, as many people would say, the "Funniest Film of All time"!Norm.
When Stan and Ollie trick their wives into thinking that they are taking a medicinal cruise while they're actually going to a convention, the wives find out the truth the hard way.This is not my favorite Laurel and Hardy.
Arguably the funniest of Laurel and Hardy's feature-length movies, Sons of the Desert is simply crammed with gags, most of which are as funny as anything you're likely to see from 30s Hollywood.
The likes of the Marx Brothers and Eddie Cantor were an entirely different breed of comedian from those who had reigned just a few years before their rise, and the plot was suddenly more important than the physical antics on-screen.And yet, there were Laurel & Hardy, already a successful double act in silent days, effortlessly and seamlessly gliding into the world of sound with perfect voices for their characters and builds.
Stan can get laughs both times that he mistakenly calls the Sons of the Desert's Exalted Leader their 'exhausted' leader while big Ollie can make tripping over a case look like child's play (have a try at it sometime and see how convincing you feel you were).
They hatch a plan to enable them to attend the Sons of the Desert convention in Chicago by pretending to go to Honolulu for Ollie's health while their wives go hunting bear in the mountains.
Every comedy team (duo) since has compared themselves with Oliver Hardy and his sidekick Stan Laurel..
It has been said and very often that Sons of the Desert is Laurel and Hardy's best film,and I won't dispute anyone who has this opinion,but speaking from a matter of personal taste,I have seen them funnier.When it comes to L & H,you have to go by what film gives you the most laughs,and while this film provides plenty of them,I have gotten way more laughs out of films like Way Out West and even the 30 minute short classic The Music Box.Anyway you slice it,the boys are in their prime and in top form here from Stan's crying and constant up and down eyebrow movements to Ollie "breaking he fourth wall".Nobody was better at this than Babe Hardy,and I don't think this can be disputed.In my opinion,it's not their absolute best,but certainly amongst their best.A classic comedy..
Instead they sneak off to Chicago...and things go wrong.I have never seen a Laurel and Hardy film in my life so I decided to start with what is considered that best.
It didn't matter as I figured out the plot by the dialogue between their wives-one of whom is Mae Busch who often played the shrew in the Laurel & Hardy films.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are at the peak of their comedic talents in this very amusing comedy, Sons Of the Desert.
He knows she doesn't like sea voyages, so he has Stan find a doctor who agrees to recommend that he take a sea voyage to Honolulu, to throw off the wives that they actually plan to go to the national convention of the Sons of the Desert, in Chicago.
Lottie gets out all her dishes and pots, and throws them at Ollie, to end the film.........In the beginning, the boys go to a meeting of the local chapter of the Sons of the Desert, where they pledge to go to the national convention, in Chicago, without consulting their wives.
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the most famous comedy duo in history, and deservedly so, so I am happy to see any of their films.
Stan and Ollie attend a meeting for their fraternity (brotherhood) group, the Sons of the Desert, all members take an oath to be present at the 87th convention in Chicago.
The boys are then at the Chicago convention parading with the Sons of the Desert, and then we see them partying in Hawaii, with some singers and hula dancers, and a drunk Charley Chase making silly prank jokes, he even calls his sister who he hasn't seen for ages, she's Ollie's wife!