Sons of the Desert

For other uses, see Sons of the Desert (disambiguation).

Sons of the Desert is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy. Directed by William A. Seiter, it was released in the United States on December 29, 1933. In the United Kingdom, the film was originally released under the title Fraternally Yours.

Sons of the Desert
Theatrical release window card
Directed by	William A. Seiter
Written by	Frank Craven Byron Morgan (continuity)
Produced by	Hal Roach
Starring	Stan Laurel Oliver Hardy Charley Chase Mae Busch Dorothy Christy
Cinematography	Kenneth Peach
Edited by	Bert Jordan
Music by	Marvin Hatley
Production company	Hal Roach Studios
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date	December 29, 1933 (1933-12-29) (U.S.)
Running time	64 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

In 2012, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.^[1]

Plot

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, members of the fraternal lodge called Sons of the Desert, attend a California meeting where it is resolved that all members must attend the upcoming national convention in Chicago. While Oliver is eager to honor the oath, Stan is apprehensive about how his wife Betty will react. Despite initial reluctance, Stan gives in to Oliver's persuasion. Their plans, however, conflict with their wives' own arrangements.

Oliver's wife Lottie insists on a mountain retreat she has planned. To get out of it, Oliver pretends to be ill. Stan then arranges for a fake doctor's recommendation that a voyage to Honolulu is needed, allowing them to attend the convention without their wives knowing. At the event, the song "Honolulu Baby" is performed, creating a festive atmosphere.

Unaware of the deception, their wives become alarmed when they hear that a ship returning from Honolulu has sunk in a typhoon. While they search for news of survivors, Stan and Oliver return home to find their houses empty. They hide in the attic, but are soon discovered when their wives see a cinema newsreel showing both men clearly participating in a parade at the convention.

Under pressure, Oliver tries to maintain the illusion that they were shipwreck survivors, but Betty quickly sees through the lie. Stan eventually confesses, which leads to relief from Betty and anger from Lottie. Betty is pleased to have won her earlier bet with Lottie about which husband was more honest, and rewards Stan with affection.

Oliver, in contrast, must face Lottie's fury, not only for the deception but also for embarrassing her in front of a neighbor. As Stan returns to check on Oliver, he finds him bruised and surrounded by broken crockery. Stan begins to sing "Honolulu Baby," but is struck in the head by a well-aimed saucepan, leaving Oliver alone to deal with the consequences.

Cast

Half-sheet theatrical release poster

• Stan Laurel as Stan
• Oliver Hardy as Oliver
• Charley Chase as Charley
• Mae Busch as Lottie Hardy
• Dorothy Christy as Betty Laurel
• Lucien Littlefield as Dr. Horace Meddick, the Veterinarian
• Ty Parvis as the sailor in "Honolulu Baby" song and dance^[2]
• Charita Alden as the lead Hawaiian hula dancer (uncredited)^[3]
• Robert Cummings as a ship steward (uncredited)

Reception

Critical response

Leonard Maltin gave it three and a half of four stars: "L&H's best feature film; duo sneaks off to fraternal convention without telling the wives; then the fun begins, with Chase as hilariously obnoxious conventioneer."^[4] Leslie Halliwell gave it one of his rare four of four stars: "Archetypal Laurel and Hardy comedy, unsurpassed for gags, pacing and sympathetic characterization."^[5]

Production notes

The fraternal organization seen in the film is styled to resemble the Shriners, known formerly as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, which is a club exclusive only to master masons of Freemasonry. Oliver Hardy was a freemason,^[6] and they were both members of the Grand Order of Water Rats.

Soundtrack

• "Honolulu Baby" – written by T. Marvin Hatley^[7]
• "Auld Lang Syne" – written by Robert Burns
• "We Are the Sons of the Desert" – written by Marvin Hatley^[8]
• "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" – music and lyrics by George Frederick Root

Awards and honors

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

• 1998: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated^[9]
• 2000: AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – #96^[10]
• 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • Oliver: "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" – #60^[11]
• 2007: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated^[12]

Similar films

• Sons of the Desert is a partial remake of 1928's We Faw Down.
• Another Laurel and Hardy short film called Be Big! has a storyline similar to 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 persuades the wives to go ahead, saying Stan will stay to look after him and they will arrive at the holiday location the next day. They get changed into their uniforms, which causes problems such as Stan putting on Ollie's boots by mistake. In contrast to Sons of the Desert, 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, as well as that of the Danish comedy quartet "Ørkenens sønner" (1991–present), 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. Though adult themed, their gags and jokes resemble the ones seen at the movie's Chicago party.^[13]