Sons of the Desert (1933)

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.

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writer:

Frank Craven (story)

Stars:

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Stan Laurel	...	Stan Laurel
Oliver Hardy	...	Oliver Hardy
Charley Chase	...	Charley - Son of the Desert from Texas
Mae Busch	...	Mrs. Lottie Hardy
Dorothy Christy	...	Mrs. Betty Laurel
Lucien Littlefield	...	Dr. Horace Meddick

Storyline

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 ukuleles, 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?

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Plot Keywords:

convention | lodge | veterinarian | newsreel | ice pack | 

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Taglines:

1000 new Laurel & Hardy howls in the hilarious adventures of two hen-pecked husbands on the loose! (Print Ad- San Jose News, ((San Jose, Calif.)) 9 June 1934)

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

The parade newsreel was supplemented with stock footage from the Elks Lodge state convention held in Santa Monica, CA, some months earlier.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film when Stan and Ollie return home from their lodge meeting, and there's confusion over which house Stan is in, the light in Stan's house (visible through the glass panel in the door) keeps changing from off to on and back again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sons of the Desert chorus: [the members sing "Auld Lang Syne"] And here's a hand, my trusty friend, and gie's a hand o' thine, / We'll take a cup of kindness now, for Auld Lang Syne.
Exalted Exhausted Ruler: [the song concludes, and the Exalted Ruler calls the meeting to order as he hits the podium with a gavel] Brothers, Sons of the Desert, we are all familiar with the business of this special meeting. This Oasis must meet the situation with determination.

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Alternate Versions

The opening MGM lion has been removed from all available prints.

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Connections

Featured in Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic (2011)

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Soundtracks

Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! (The Boys Are Marching)
(1864) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by George Frederick Root
Contained in "We Are the Sons of the Desert" Song
Reprised by the orchestra at the convention in Chicago

User Reviews

as good as you'll find Laurel and Hardy flick

When you see this film, you are immediately struck by how familiar the plot is. Stan and Ollie want to slip past their wives and go to a convention for their local lodge. The elaborate way they devise in order to go and the subsequent discovery of their wives was repeated on both the Honeymooners and the Flintstones--and copied, though not quite as directly, in MANY sitcoms over the years. It's all here folks BUT it's funnier and fresher because it's the original.

The most glowing endorsement I know of was my wife's reaction to the movie. She generally HATES all the old comedies (not just Laurel and Hardy, but Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, W. C. Fields, etc.) but laughed herself silly watching the film. She later denied it was THAT funny, but her belly laughs were a dead giveaway!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 December 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fraternally Yours

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Roach Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

68 min 65 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1