Sons of the Desert is a 1933 film starring Laurel and Hardy, and directed by William A. Seiter. It was first released in the United States on December 29, 1933 and is regarded as one of Laurel and Hardy's greatest films. In the UK the film was originally released under the title Fraternally Yours.
Plot
The plot of this film is a partial re-working of an earlier Laurel & Hardy film, 1928's "We Faw Down".
The film begins at a meeting of the Sons of the Desert, a fraternal lodge (styled to resemble the Shriners) of which both Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are members. The organisation will be holding its annual convention in Chicago and all members have to take an oath to attend. Stan is reluctant to take the oath as he is worried that his wife will not let him go to the convention. Oliver reassures him, only to find that his wife will not let him go as they had already arranged a mountain trip together (which Oliver had forgotten about).
Unwilling to go back on the oath that he swore, 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. Stan and Ollie go to the convention, with their wives none the wiser. But then, as usual in such a film, fate cruelly closes in. 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. Stan and Ollie only discover what has happened after returning home while their wives were out and looking at the newspaper. However, the wives already know that they have been deceived by their husbands (they've seen a newsreel of the convention at the cinema in which their husbands are featured prominently) and are playing along only to test the character of their spouses. When asked about how the pair of them had managed to get home a day before the rescue ship carrying the survivors, their story begins to unravel. 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 threatening to tell Stan's wife that Stan smoked a cigarette. Stan tells his wife about the smoking too, and for his honesty ends up wrapped in her dressing gown on the sofa, sipping wine and eating chocolates. Oliver's wife proceeds to break all the crockery over his head. Stan returns from next-door to compare notes 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..[1]
Theatrical poster for the 1944 re-release of
Sons of the Desert (1933)
Principal cast
Soundtracks
- Sung by Ty Parvis and danced by Charita and others[2]
(1788) (uncredited) Lyrics by Robert Burns - Traditional Scottish 17th century music
- We Are the Sons of the Desert - Written by Marvin Hatley
Quotes
- In a notable break from character, Stan congratulates Ollie, who has just trapped them in the attic:
Stan: I've certainly got to hand it to you, Ollie.
Oliver: For what?
Stan: Well, for the meticulous care with which you have executed your finely formulated machinations, in extricating us from this devastating dilemma. Then, on the other hand...
Oliver: Get in bed.
Stan: Huh?
Oliver: "Meticulous." Hmph.
- Stan brings a doctor to check on Ollie:
Oliver: Why did you get a veterinarian?
Stan: I didn't think his religion would make any difference.
- Stan sneaks a snack from the Hardy house:
Oliver: What are you eating?
Stan: An apple.
Oliver: Where'd you get it?
Stan: In there. [points to the fruit bowl]
Oliver: Why, that's not real fruit. It's imitation! It's made of wax!
Mrs. Hardy: What's he been doing now?
Oliver: He's been eating that phony fruit.
Mrs. Hardy: Oh, so that's where it's been going. That's the third apple I've missed this week.
- Stan and Ollie meet after the confrontation with their wives:
Stan: What did she say?
Oliver: Never mind what she said. What did Betty say?
Stan: Betty said that honesty was the best politics!
- Ollie explains to his wife why going to Chicago would be good for him and Stan
Ollie: We'll meet new friends and...see a lot of new faces...and...the change of climate would be good for us in a good many ways. And besides, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Stan: Jack who?
- Stan and Ollie settle down for the night in their makeshift attic bed:
Oliver: Now isn't this nice?
Stan It sure is. We're just like two peas in a pot.
Oliver: Not pot, pod. Paaaahhh-duh.
Ms. Hardy You boys are like two peas in a pot.
Stan She's got the gun!
Stan it's Paaaahhh-duh
Awards and honors
American Film Institute recognition
Similar films
Another Laurel and Hardy Short film called Be Big! (1931) is very much the same storyline as this feature. Stan and Ollie are invited to a party with a club that the two attend. However, they are about to take their wives on holiday for the weekend. Ollie pretends to be ill and makes sure the wives still go, the boys will meet them there the next day, and Stan stays to look after him. They get changed into their uniforms which causes many problems such as Stan putting on Ollie's boots by mistake. However, in Be Big, Stan is initially unaware of the party at their club until Ollie fills him in, and then tells him his sick act was a charade.
Legacy
The international Laurel and Hardy society The Sons of the Desert takes its name from this feature film. The title was also used as the name of a country group and the Danish comedy quartet "Ørkenens sønner", the literal translation of the movie's title. The comedy group uses the basic theme of a fraternal organization, and their stage costumes are identical to the ones used in the movie's organization. Even their theme song is a translation of the one from the movie[4].
Furthermore, the movie's plot, itself recycled and revised from We Faw Down and Be Big!, may very well have been the inspiration for the Cosby Show episode, Off to See The Wretched. Like Stan and Ollie, Vanessa and her friends finagle a long-distance trip to a rock concert fooling their parents, but everything that can go wrong does, including a twist of fate that destroys their alibi...and the parents eventually discover the real truth!
See also
References
External links
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Laurel and Hardy filmography |
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Silent short films
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Talking short films
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Short films
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Feature films
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Feature films
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