A Good Start To Check Out The Boys
Added 4/27/2009
There are a lot of funny scenes squeezed into one of the thinest "plots" you'll ever see in a story on a feature-length film. Our heroes - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - simply want to go to the annual convention of their group - "The Sons Of The Desert" and want their wives' approval to make the trip. That's it.
As it turns out, they go anyway and, well, it's one wild scene after another. Along the way, we see all the trademarks of these two famous comedians: Laurel scratching his head, crying when in trouble, having the better heart of the two and providing some clever slapstick and dialog. Hardy does his normal routine, too, with the dirty looks, the scheming and the pratfalls.
Oddly enough, on the second viewing of this film I found a bit slow going, which I didn't find the first time. Charley Chase, a famous silent comedian, is also in the film as are a few things you wouldn't associate with Laurel & Hardy: some sexual stuff! Really! There is a dance number in the middle of the film where I swear I saw a see-through blouse on the main dancer. Also, there was a play- on-words here about some woman "who likes to pump the organ." Well, this film was made a year or so before the Hays' Code went into effect.
At any rate, if you have never seen the famous duo, this is a good place to start.
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Stan and Ollie's Best Feature
Added 3/17/2009
"Sons of the Desert" (1933) remains a classic by any standard. Even non-Laurel and Hardy fans have admired this feature-length comedy, with the team's domestic mishaps augmented by hilarious dialogue. Director William A. Seiter proved an ideal match for the unique talents of Stan and Ollie, yet it was their only collaboration. A memorable supporting cast includes the "ever-popular" Mae Busch (as the crockery-throwing Mrs. Hardy) plus a splendid turn by Charley Chase as a relentless practical joker. Highly recommended.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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For a case of
Added 8/16/2008
"Honesty is the best politics," so sez Stan in their best ever comedy that is places The Boys at the height of '30s male political correctness ... bossy wives, smoking, drinking in Prohibition, male bonding clubs (i.e. the Shriners*), etc - how's that for "scholarly overtones"? In order to go to a Sons of the Desert convention in Chicago Ollie fakes Canus Delirious, as diagnosed by a doctor brought in by Stan - a veterinarian - because Stan "didn't think his religion made any difference." As usual Stan's malapropisms abound.
One of the things that makes this film different is that The Boys' marriages are given some depth so that we can see some attraction to each mate. The wives have the chemistry of a Thelma and Louise, and just as deadly. Mae Busch is softened in blond hair and by her genuine care for her sick and drowning Ollie...but don't push it or pay the cost of a new set of china, pots and pans, and a black eye. Dorothy Christy, Sugar, makes us glad that she is Stan's wife with her sense of forgiveness and great taste in lounging attire.
My idea of decorating has always been Early Laurel and Hardy (try telling this to a Margret Dumont-type decorator), and Sugar's Egyptian decor, made popular from the recent discovery of King Tuts tomb, makes us pea-green with envy for a home as cozy as two peas in a pod..ah. In costuming, the Honolulu Babies' shimmering hula outfits are only rivaled by Marilyn Monroe's "...Hot" nightclub dress. My fourteen year old, who has been reared on L&H, constantly asks if these styles were acceptable in the '30s (see 'International House'). What can a mother say, except "Zowie! " This could only be in pre-code Hal Roach.
The scripting is perfectly tight ('Some Like it Hot,' 'The Producers,' 'My Cousin Vinny,' and 'Clueless' almost achieved this too), and it's logic flows from one seamless scene to another. This is one reason for my rating of perfection; that and it's just plain fun. And The Boys have a lot of fun, for once, in which we can share; such as the uninhibited joy of dancing in the street, twirling umbrellas, admiring pretty girls, making telephone calls to long lost sisters, or singing that musical masterpiece "Honolulu Baby" accompanied by a rousing ukelele. L&H are the epitome of American humor: the worse the situation the funnier it is, but even harder to achieve is the humor of zaniness; Sons of the Desert has it all.
*I want to put in a word for the Shriners on which the movie was based, and in which my father was Potentate in San Francisco. He was never an exhausted ruler, for nobody has the invigorating parties of the Shriners (not even Kentuckians at the Derby). Men raised around the turn of the last century were closer to life and death, so life had to be made more fun; it's saving grace was humor and every household had it. All men of prominence were Masons and/or Shriners from Mason Thomas Jefferson to Shriner Roy Rogers (whose idea of a good time was jumping up and down on the couch with his numerous kids). These men of fraternity were raised on the tradition of anything goes and good will. The Shrine exemplifies the good hearts of the Boys with the great philanthropy of helping sick kids for free while continuing the occult mysteries of the Egyptians, and they get to wear great costumes. If any Son of the Desert (the official L&H Appreciation Society) ever wants to wear their fez more often and act silly like the Boys for real, clown with the Shrine. At the least it would do for the Sons of the Desert and the local Shrine clubs to get together for a great movie...This one is tailor made.
Honolulu Baby
I, Charita, can be seen on You Tube as Ty Parvis sings to me in Sons of the Desert. And if this doesn't make you buy the video/DVD, nothing will.
[...]
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Best of Laurel and Hardy
Added 2/9/2006
I have always liked this comedy, and it stands up well over time. Sons of the Desert is the lodge that Laurel and Hardy belong to (does this look like Shriners and a Shriners Convention?). The local lodge wants its members to go to the annual convention. Stan has no problem getting an OK from his wife, but Ollie thinks he has to sneak away. As usual, Ollie gets them into trouble.
Needless to say, their wives discover they are at the convention and not where they are supposed to be, according to what the wives were told by Stan and Ollie. There are some funny scenes when the men return home and try to sneak in.
There are also some classic scenes in the motion picture, including Stan eating the wax fruit. Stan Laurel could turn almost anything into comedy.
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disappointed
Added 6/15/2004
I purchased this video to watch with my 93 year old boss(he is my patient) and we both thought it was awful. We only laughed a few times. I guess we will have to buy the "best of" tapes where Laurel and Hardy do their short, hopefully funny, skits.
Any recommendations from anyone?
0 out of 7 people found this helpful.
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A Good Start To Check Out The Boys
Added 4/27/2009
There are a lot of funny scenes squeezed into one of the thinest "plots" you'll ever see in a story on a feature-length film. Our heroes - Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy - simply want to go to the annual convention of their group - "The Sons Of The Desert" and want their wives' approval to make the trip. That's it.
As it turns out, they go anyway and, well, it's one wild scene after another. Along the way, we see all the trademarks of these two famous comedians: Laurel scratching his head, crying when in trouble, having the better heart of the two and providing some clever slapstick and dialog. Hardy does his normal routine, too, with the dirty looks, the scheming and the pratfalls.
Oddly enough, on the second viewing of this film I found a bit slow going, which I didn't find the first time. Charley Chase, a famous silent comedian, is also in the film as are a few things you wouldn't associate with Laurel & Hardy: some sexual stuff! Really! There is a dance number in the middle of the film where I swear I saw a see-through blouse on the main dancer. Also, there was a play- on-words here about some woman "who likes to pump the organ." Well, this film was made a year or so before the Hays' Code went into effect.
At any rate, if you have never seen the famous duo, this is a good place to start.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Stan and Ollie's Best Feature
Added 3/17/2009
"Sons of the Desert" (1933) remains a classic by any standard. Even non-Laurel and Hardy fans have admired this feature-length comedy, with the team's domestic mishaps augmented by hilarious dialogue. Director William A. Seiter proved an ideal match for the unique talents of Stan and Ollie, yet it was their only collaboration. A memorable supporting cast includes the "ever-popular" Mae Busch (as the crockery-throwing Mrs. Hardy) plus a splendid turn by Charley Chase as a relentless practical joker. Highly recommended.
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
|
For a case of
Added 8/16/2008
"Honesty is the best politics," so sez Stan in their best ever comedy that is places The Boys at the height of '30s male political correctness ... bossy wives, smoking, drinking in Prohibition, male bonding clubs (i.e. the Shriners*), etc - how's that for "scholarly overtones"? In order to go to a Sons of the Desert convention in Chicago Ollie fakes Canus Delirious, as diagnosed by a doctor brought in by Stan - a veterinarian - because Stan "didn't think his religion made any difference." As usual Stan's malapropisms abound.
One of the things that makes this film different is that The Boys' marriages are given some depth so that we can see some attraction to each mate. The wives have the chemistry of a Thelma and Louise, and just as deadly. Mae Busch is softened in blond hair and by her genuine care for her sick and drowning Ollie...but don't push it or pay the cost of a new set of china, pots and pans, and a black eye. Dorothy Christy, Sugar, makes us glad that she is Stan's wife with her sense of forgiveness and great taste in lounging attire.
My idea of decorating has always been Early Laurel and Hardy (try telling this to a Margret Dumont-type decorator), and Sugar's Egyptian decor, made popular from the recent discovery of King Tuts tomb, makes us pea-green with envy for a home as cozy as two peas in a pod..ah. In costuming, the Honolulu Babies' shimmering hula outfits are only rivaled by Marilyn Monroe's "...Hot" nightclub dress. My fourteen year old, who has been reared on L&H, constantly asks if these styles were acceptable in the '30s (see 'International House'). What can a mother say, except "Zowie! " This could only be in pre-code Hal Roach.
The scripting is perfectly tight ('Some Like it Hot,' 'The Producers,' 'My Cousin Vinny,' and 'Clueless' almost achieved this too), and it's logic flows from one seamless scene to another. This is one reason for my rating of perfection; that and it's just plain fun. And The Boys have a lot of fun, for once, in which we can share; such as the uninhibited joy of dancing in the street, twirling umbrellas, admiring pretty girls, making telephone calls to long lost sisters, or singing that musical masterpiece "Honolulu Baby" accompanied by a rousing ukelele. L&H are the epitome of American humor: the worse the situation the funnier it is, but even harder to achieve is the humor of zaniness; Sons of the Desert has it all.
*I want to put in a word for the Shriners on which the movie was based, and in which my father was Potentate in San Francisco. He was never an exhausted ruler, for nobody has the invigorating parties of the Shriners (not even Kentuckians at the Derby). Men raised around the turn of the last century were closer to life and death, so life had to be made more fun; it's saving grace was humor and every household had it. All men of prominence were Masons and/or Shriners from Mason Thomas Jefferson to Shriner Roy Rogers (whose idea of a good time was jumping up and down on the couch with his numerous kids). These men of fraternity were raised on the tradition of anything goes and good will. The Shrine exemplifies the good hearts of the Boys with the great philanthropy of helping sick kids for free while continuing the occult mysteries of the Egyptians, and they get to wear great costumes. If any Son of the Desert (the official L&H Appreciation Society) ever wants to wear their fez more often and act silly like the Boys for real, clown with the Shrine. At the least it would do for the Sons of the Desert and the local Shrine clubs to get together for a great movie...This one is tailor made.
Honolulu Baby
I, Charita, can be seen on You Tube as Ty Parvis sings to me in Sons of the Desert. And if this doesn't make you buy the video/DVD, nothing will.
[...]
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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