Sons of the Desert

Play trailer

Sons of the Desert

Released Dec 29, 1933

1h 9m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Stanley (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) want to attend the yearly convention of the Sons of the Desert, a fraternal group to which they belong. When Ollie's wife, Lollie (Mae Busch), objects, he feigns sickness, and Stanley gets a doctor to prescribe a fake trip to Hawaii. After Stanley and Ollie revel with the Sons of the Desert, they return home to find out the ship they were supposedly on has sunk in a typhoon, and they're forced to cover their tracks.

David Jenkins

Little White Lies

Very much an in-the-moment hit of comic bliss. And that's no bad thing.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 5, 2015

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Stan's timidity, absent-mindedness, and prissiness, along with Oliver's boisterousness, clumsiness, and heavy-handedness demonstrate their well-rehearsed partnership.

Rated: 9/10

Jul 30, 2020

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's my favorite Laurel and Hardy feature film.

Rated: A

Mar 15, 2008

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 4/5

Aug 17, 2005

Full Review

Daniel M. Kimmel

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Rated: 5/5

Apr 27, 2005

Full Review

Carol Cling

Las Vegas Review-Journal

Rated: 4/5

Aug 22, 2003

Full Review

Read all reviews

Denny S

The two quintessential Laurel and Hardy features are this film "Sons of the Desert" and "Way Out West". If you only see two L & H features, those are the two.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/24

Full Review

Deke P

Love L & H, the more I watch them over the years the more I appreciate and love them. don't let the name of this movie mislead you. At first I thot it was about them in the FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION? Did they even do a movie about that? Seen this one a few times on the free MeTV channel, late weeknites.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/02/24

Full Review

Bill P

A really great movie from the comic duo. Another classic from L & H !!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Edoardo C

an absolute masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of best. Blobbo laugh when wives make husbands so nervous. (Blobbo can relate!)

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Liam D

It's one of the most iconic Laurel and Hardy movies for a reason and it's humour still holds up

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/15/22

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

William A. Seiter

Director

Stan Laurel

Stanley

Oliver Hardy

Oliver

Charley Chase

Charley Chase

Mae Busch

Mrs. Lottie Chase Hardy

Dorothy Christy

Mrs. Betty Laurel

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Topper

89%

81%

Topper

Watchlist

Swiss Miss

60%

54%

Swiss Miss

Watchlist

Topper Returns

89%

81%

Topper Returns

Watchlist

Grandma's Boy

83%

72%

Grandma's Boy

Watchlist

Safety Last

97%

93%

Safety Last

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Kevin Murphy’s Five Favorite Films

View more photos

Synopsis

Stanley (Stan Laurel) and Ollie (Oliver Hardy) want to attend the yearly convention of the Sons of the Desert, a fraternal group to which they belong. When Ollie's wife, Lollie (Mae Busch), objects, he feigns sickness, and Stanley gets a doctor to prescribe a fake trip to Hawaii. After Stanley and Ollie revel with the Sons of the Desert, they return home to find out the ship they were supposedly on has sunk in a typhoon, and they're forced to cover their tracks.

Director: William A. Seiter
Producer: Hal Roach
Screenwriter: Frank Craven, Byron Morgan
Distributor: Film Classics Inc., Nostalgia Merchant, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Hal Roach Studios Inc.
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 29, 1933, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 9, 2017
Runtime: 1h 9m
Sound Mix: Mono

Most Popular at Home Now