Sons of the Desert

1933 film by William A. Seiter

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

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) (US)

Running time

| 64 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English

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.

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

[edit]

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, members of the fraternal lodge, Sons of the Desert, attend a California meeting where it is mandated that all members must attend the upcoming national convention in Chicago. While Oliver is eager to honor the oath, Stan is apprehensive about his wife Betty's reaction. Despite initial reluctance, Stan succumbs to Oliver's persuasion. However, their plans are thwarted by their wives' conflicting agendas.

Lottie, Oliver's wife, vehemently opposes the trip as she has organized a mountain retreat. Resorting to deception, Oliver feigns illness to avoid Lottie's plans. Stan orchestrates a ruse involving a faux doctor's recommendation for a Honolulu voyage, enabling them to attend the convention without their wives' knowledge. At the convention, the catchy tune "Honolulu Baby" is performed, adding a jovial atmosphere to their escapade.

Meanwhile, their wives, unaware of the deception, become concerned when a ship returning from Honolulu sinks in a typhoon. As they investigate the fate of the survivors, Stan and Oliver return home to an empty house, only to discover their wives' suspicions upon their return. To evade confrontation, the duo hides in the attic, but their secret is jeopardized when their wives stumble upon footage of the convention in a cinema newsreel.

Facing mounting pressure, Oliver attempts to maintain the illusion of a shipwreck survival, but his fabricated story quickly unravels under Betty's scrutiny. Stan, on the other hand, decides to confess, prompting a mix of relief and anger from Betty and Lottie, respectively. While Betty welcomes Stan's honesty, Lottie unleashes her fury on Oliver, culminating in a altercation.

Stan's frightened confession allows Betty's pride, in her earlier bet with Lottie that she had the more honest of the two husbands, to triumph over her best friend, which for her has become far more important, so she greatly spoils him upon returning home. Whereas Oliver endures Lottie's wrath not only now for attending the convention, and lying, but for being the cause of her ignominy in front of her neighbour.

Stan returns to Oliver's front door and enquires of a black-eyed Oliver, surrounded by smashed crockery, how it went with him. He begins to serenade "Honolulu Baby," but is hit on the back of his retreating head by a distantly-thrown, well-aimed saucepan, leaving Oliver to face the aftermath of his wife's fury.

## Cast

[edit]

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)

## Production notes

[edit]

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 [4]and Stan Laurel was a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats.

## Soundtrack

[edit]

* "Honolulu Baby" – written by T. Marvin Hatley[5]
* "Auld Lang Syne" – written by Robert Burns
* "We Are the Sons of the Desert" – written by Marvin Hatley[6]
* "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" – music and lyrics by George Frederick Root

## Awards and honors

[edit]

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

* 1998: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – Nominated[7]
* 2000: AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs – #96[8]
* 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
* Oliver: "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into!" – #60[9]
* 2007: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – Nominated[10]

## Similar films

[edit]

* 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 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

[edit]

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.[11]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ King, Susan. "National Film Registry selects 25 films for preservation " Los Angeles Times (December 19, 2012)
2. ^ "Detail view of Movies Page".
3. ^ "Charita". IMDb.
4. ^ "Brother Oliver Hardy". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2024-08-17.
5. ^ "Honolulu Baby Lyrics". International Lyrics Playground. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
6. ^ "Soundtracks for Sons of the Desert". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
7. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
8. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
9. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
10. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
11. ^ "Sons of the Desert". TCM.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Sons of the Desert.

* Sons of the Desert at IMDb
* Sons of the Desert at AllMovie
* Sons of the Desert at the TCM Movie Database
* Sons of the Desert at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
* Sons of the Desert at Rotten Tomatoes
* "Honolulu Baby" on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Filmography of Laurel and Hardy

* Stan Laurel
* Oliver Hardy

Short films|

| Silent|

* The Lucky Dog (1921)
* 45 Minutes from Hollywood (1926)
* Duck Soup (1927)
* Slipping Wives (1927)
* Love 'em and Weep (1927)
* Why Girls Love Sailors (1927)
* With Love and Hisses (1927)
* Sugar Daddies (1927)
* Sailors, Beware! (1927)
* The Second Hundred Years (1927)
* Hats Off (1927)
* Do Detectives Think? (1927)
* Putting Pants on Philip (1927)
* The Battle of the Century (1927)
* Leave 'Em Laughing (1928)
* Flying Elephants (1928)
* The Finishing Touch (1928)
* From Soup to Nuts (1928)
* You're Darn Tootin' (1928)
* Their Purple Moment (1928)
* Should Married Men Go Home? (1928)
* Early to Bed (1928)
* Two Tars (1928)
* Habeas Corpus (1928)
* We Faw Down (1928)
* Liberty (1929)
* Wrong Again (1929)
* That's My Wife (1929)
* Big Business (1929)
* Double Whoopee (1929)
* Bacon Grabbers (1929)
* Angora Love (1929)

|

Talking|

* Unaccustomed As We Are (1929)
* Berth Marks (1929)
* Men O' War (1929)
* Perfect Day (1929)
* They Go Boom (1929)
* The Hoose-Gow (1929)
* Night Owls (1930)
* Blotto (1930)
* Brats (1930)
* Below Zero (1930)
* Hog Wild (1930)
* The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case (1930)
* Another Fine Mess (1930)
* Be Big! (1931)
* Chickens Come Home (1931)
* Laughing Gravy (1931)
* Our Wife (1931)
* Come Clean (1931)
* One Good Turn (1931)
* Beau Hunks (1931)
* Helpmates (1932)
* Any Old Port! (1932)
* The Music Box (1932)
* The Chimp (1932)
* County Hospital (1932)
* Scram! (1932)
* Their First Mistake (1932)
* Towed in a Hole (1932)
* Twice Two (1933)
* Me and My Pal (1933)
* The Midnight Patrol (1933)
* Busy Bodies (1933)
* Dirty Work (1933)
* Oliver the Eighth (1934)
* Going Bye-Bye! (1934)
* Them Thar Hills (1934)
* The Live Ghost (1934)
* Tit for Tat (1935)
* The Fixer Uppers (1935)
* Thicker than Water (1935)
* Galaxy of Stars (1936 promotional)

Feature films|

* Pardon Us (1931)
* Pack Up Your Troubles (1932)
* Fra Diavolo / The Devil's Brother / Bogus Bandits (1933)
* Sons of the Desert (1933)
* Babes in Toyland (1934)
* Bonnie Scotland (1935)
* The Bohemian Girl (1936)
* Our Relations (1936)
* Way Out West (1937)
* Swiss Miss (1938)
* Block-Heads (1938)
* The Flying Deuces (1939)
* A Chump at Oxford (1940)
* Saps at Sea (1940)
* Great Guns (1941)
* A-Haunting We Will Go (1942)
* Air Raid Wardens (1943)
* Jitterbugs (1943)
* The Dancing Masters (1943)
* The Big Noise (1944)
* Nothing But Trouble (1944)
* The Bullfighters (1945)
* Atoll K / Utopia (1951)

Related|

* Combined filmography
* Stan Laurel filmography
* Oliver Hardy filmography
* Laurel and Hardy (animated TV series)
* The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in For Love or Mummy (1999)
* Stan & Ollie (2018)
* Music
* The Sons of the Desert

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by William A. Seiter

* The Kentucky Colonel (1920)
* Eden and Return (1921)
* Hearts and Masks (1921)
* The Foolish Age (1921)
* Passing Through (1921)
* Boy Crazy (1922)
* Gay and Devilish (1922)
* Up and at 'Em (1922)
* When Love Comes (1922)
* The Understudy (1922)
* The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
* Little Church Around the Corner (1923)
* Daddies (1924)
* His Forgotten Wife (1924)
* The White Sin (1924)
* Listen Lester (1924)
* The Family Secret (1924)
* Helen's Babies (1924)
* The Fast Worker (1924)
* The Mad Whirl (1925)
* Dangerous Innocence (1925)
* The Teaser (1925)
* Where Was I? (1925)
* What Happened to Jones (1926)
* Skinner's Dress Suit (1926)
* Rolling Home (1926)
* Take It from Me (1926)
* The Cheerful Fraud (1927)
* The Small Bachelor (1927)
* Thanks for the Buggy Ride (1928)
* Good Morning, Judge (1928)
* Waterfront (1928)
* Outcast (1928)
* Why Be Good? (1929)
* Smiling Irish Eyes (1929)
* Footlights and Fools (1929)
* The Love Racket (1929)
* Strictly Modern (1930)
* Back Pay (1930)
* The Truth About Youth (1930)
* Sunny (1930)
* Going Wild (1930)
* Kiss Me Again (1931)
* Big Business Girl (1931)
* Too Many Cooks (1931)
* Caught Plastered (1931)
* Way Back Home (1931)
* Girl Crazy (1932)
* Young Bride (1932)
* Is My Face Red? (1932)
* Hot Saturday (1932)
* If I Had a Million (segment "The Three Marines", 1932)
* Hello, Everybody! (1933)
* Diplomaniacs (1933)
* Rafter Romance (1933)
* Chance at Heaven (1933)
* Sons of the Desert (1933)
* Love Birds (1934)
* We're Rich Again (1934)
* The Richest Girl in the World (1934)
* Roberta (1935)
* The Daring Young Man (1935)
* If You Could Only Cook (1935)
* The Case Against Mrs. Ames (1936)
* The Moon's Our Home (1936)
* Dimples (1936)
* Stowaway (1936)
* Life Begins in College (1937)
* This Is My Affair (1937)
* Sally, Irene and Mary (1938)
* Room Service (1938)
* Thanks for Everything (1938)
* Susannah of the Mounties (1939)
* Allegheny Uprising (1939)
* It's a Date (1940)
* Hired Wife (1940)
* Nice Girl? (1941)
* Appointment for Love (1941)
* Broadway (1942)
* You Were Never Lovelier (1942)
* Destroyer (1943)
* A Lady Takes a Chance (1943)
* Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)
* Belle of the Yukon (1944)
* The Affairs of Susan (1945)
* That Night with You (1945)
* Little Giant (1946)
* I'll Be Yours (1947)
* Up in Central Park (1948)
* One Touch of Venus (1948)
* Borderline (1950)
* Dear Brat (1951)
* The Lady Wants Mink (1953)
* Champ for a Day (1953)
* Make Haste to Live (1954)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* France
* BnF data
* United States

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