"Sons of the Desert" *** (out of ****)Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy prove to be a couple of sons of a gun in the feature length comedy "Sons of the Desert" (1933).
It is often agreed upon by film historians and comedy fans that "Sons of the Desert" is Laurel & Hardy's best movie together. It was even included in the American Film Institute's (AFI) list of the 100 funniest comedies of all time (placing at number 96 on the list).
The reason is because it is believed if you never heard of or seen a Laurel & Hardy comedy (which may not be a religious sin but must be some sort of cinematic sin) "Sons of the Desert" would be the best movie to showcase their relationship and the role each man played in the team.
To a certain extent I agree as well however I am reluctant to call "Sons of the Desert" the best Laurel & Hardy movie. First, the movie "feels" like sitcom material and plot-wise is not strong enough to sustain a 64 minute feature. Secondly the movie goes over familiar ground. As a long time Laurel & Hardy fan (my earliest childhood memories involve watching the boys) I have seen the team in similar situations in their two reeler comedies namely their silent comedy, "We Faw Down" (1928), which features an ending the boys would later reuse in "Block-Heads" (1938), and their talking comedy, "Be Big!" (1931).
To beat my critics to the punch, in the movie's defense, one doesn't walk into a Laurel & Hardy comedy for plot. The boys very often appeared in comedies with minimal plots however those were usually their two or three reeler comedies. The best example may be the Academy Award winning comedy short, "The Music Box" (1932). Essentially it is about the boys delivering a piano up 100 plus stairs. This was actually a remake of one of their silent comedies, "Hats Off!" (1927), a lost comedy where the boys must take a washing machine up a large amount of stairs. "Be Big!" is another example as it largely centers on Oliver accidentally putting Stan's boot on his foot and needs help getting it off. Which leads to the second point, the boys often reworked material, as did many other comedy teams and comedians. If it is funny, you as the viewer, don't mind.
"Sons of the Desert" begins with Laurel & Hardy attending their fraternity lodge of the same name. There is going to be an annual convention in Chicago (The boys live in L.A.) which all members take a oath pledging to attend. It is an oath that has never been broken in the fraternity's history. Stan however is hesitant to take it. He is not sure his wife will allow him to go. Although Oliver claims he doesn't need his wife's permission to go to Chicago, he too is not allowed to go after his wife violently objects stating they are going on a vacation to the mountains instead.
Not wanting to break the oath they have taken Oliver hatches a plan making his wife believe he is terribly ill and a restful vacation to Honolulu is needed. Since Oliver's wife doesn't like to travel by sea, Stan will accompany him. Thus the two men will go to the annual convention in Chicago without their wives knowing.
It is clearly established Oliver is the "leader" of the team and Stan is his faithful friend. Oliver may claim intelligence over Stan but in reality neither man is the brains to the other's brawn. Oliver is what is known as "the big idea man". He cooks up the schemes which get the two of them in trouble which he then blames on Stan, allowing Oliver to air his signature grievance "here's another nice mess you've gotten me into". This relationship is defined within the first two scenes of the movie, eliminating any further need of character development and allows the movie to focus on its plot.
My problem with this is there are no memorable comedy routines for the boys to engage in. A Laurel & Hardy comedy I prefer is "Way Out West" (1937). This also has a minimal plot and could be describe as a series of comedy vignettes strung together yet the boys have several memorable moments in the movie. I can't recite classic comedy routines in "Sons of the Desert". That, for me, is what prevents the movie from being a great comedy instead of a good one.
I have seen "Sons of the Desert" numerous times since I was a child and for me the standout moment is not a comedy sequence but a musical one (you read that right!). Outside of the team's musical / operetta inspired adaptations; "The Devil's Brother" (1934), "Bohemian Girl" (1936) and "Babes in Toyland" (1934), "Sons of the Desert" is their only comedy I can instantly recall to feature a musical number. The song heard here is "Honolulu Baby" sung by Ty Parvis and features a risque dressed group of chorus girls dancing in a poor man's Busby Berkeley choreographed sequence.
Also memorable is the appearance of comedian Charley Chase. In a strange twist of fate, Chase was the popular comedian during the silent era working for producer Hal Roach (whom Laurel & Hardy also worked for at this time until 1940). Oliver used to play the "heavy" (no pun intended) in Chase's two reelers prior to his teaming with Stan Laurel. By the 1930s it was Laurel & Hardy who were the major stars and Roach's biggest audience attraction. Chase unfortunately didn't star in his own feature length comedies and for many viewers this may be the only time they get to see him.
The last thing I distinctly remembered about the movie was Oliver teaching Stan how to correctly say the expression, two peas in a pod, with Stan over emphasizing the word "pod".
Plentiful memorable comedy routines are not, I'd still recommend "Sons of the Desert" to a younger audience not familiar with the team. In Laurel & Hardy the viewer is going to watch the greatest comedy team of all-time. Why? Rarely have two actors fed off each other as brilliantly. Laurel & Hardy had amazing chemistry. Stan Laurel once said of the characters they played, they were two minds without a single thought. While Stan was being funny, the heart of what he was saying was true. The two men were one. In fact, I'm reluctant to call one of them the straight man of the team, though I guess by strict definition Oliver Hardy would assume this role. But, in his own subtle way, Hardy could be very funny.
Some movie fans tend not to give comedians much credit as actors. That is unfortunate. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were good actors. You believe they are these characters when in fact they were nothing like them in real life. That speaks to the effectiveness of their performances. Stan Laurel was not a simpleton man-child. He was actually the creative brains behind the team.
The strength of "Sons of the Desert" lies in Laurel & Hardy. Because we like their characters and laugh at them, we continue to watch. They make the movie work. That speaks to their acting and their star power. They each also had a natural screen presence. Maybe that is why we take their acting for granted. They made it look so easy.
Because of this movie in 1965 a society devoted to preserving the work of Laurel & Hardy was created. The name of the society is Sons of the Desert. Currently 32 states have a society (or tent as they are called). There is even one in Chicago.
While it is true "Sons of the Desert" is not my favorite Laurel & Hardy comedy, watching the boys is too much of a pleasure to avoid it. Don't let this be the only Laurel & Hardy comedy you ever see or it will be another nice mess you've gotten yourself into.
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