Sons of the Desert

Released Dec 29, 1933

1h 9m

Comedy

List

100%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

86%

Audience Score

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.

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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

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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

Audience Member

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. This idea is given the no no from the boys' wives {Mae Busch & Dorothy Christy}, so Ollie fakes ill health and the boys wangle a supposed sea voyage to aid his recovery. 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. Laurel wasn't wholly satisfied with a couple of preceding features that they did, he felt it was becoming slapstick for slapstick's sake, so in came a new writing team to work with him to give us a tighter character driven laugh fest. The films main triumph is the integration and impact of the wives, they add greatly to the comedy with sparky dialogue and visual madness. So many great moments that I don't wish to point any single one out, you just need to see it and enjoy. The songs are fun, the narrative is as tidy as they would do, and the underlying honesty is the best policy message is one we all should heed

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

William L

The jokes are a bit slow, the punchlines can be seen from miles away, and the delivery is rough by today's standards, but Laurel & Hardy pioneered the comedy duo in sound film, creating a dynamic, sticking to it, and building up an entire persona around it. The two make for a classic pairing, neither portraying the straight man but each fulfilling a distinct role in their humor, clumsy or absent-minded as the situation demands, and the high points are enough to sustain the film through its more sluggish moments. I have to say if I were to pick an early form of film comedy to pop on during a weekday night, it would probably skew more towards Keaton or Chaplin, whose quick pace and impressive physical jokes are still pure fun, but a great deal of this duo's work is timeless and good for a laugh. It can't help but feel that Laurel & Hardy have slipped a bit in the popular consciousness; yes, they still have name recognition, but not many individual films of theirs stand out as must watch in the way that several of the Keaton, Lloyd, Chaplin, and Marx Brothers films do. (3.5/5)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/21

Full Review

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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

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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
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

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