Product Details

• Actors: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, Mae Busch, Dorothy Christy
• Directors: William A. Seiter
• Writers: Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Byron Morgan, Eddie Welch, Frank Craven
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• VHS Release Date: October 6, 1997
• Run Time: 68 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302172888
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,219 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Timeless Laurel & Hardy flick!!!, December 25, 2001

By 

Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Laurel & Hardy: Sons of the Desert / TV Show [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is THE ULTIMATE Laurel & Hardy flick -- and it has stood the test of time. Its premise is pure situation comedy (the boys try to trick their wives into thinking they went on a cruise to Honolulu when they actually attend their lodge meeting in Chicago...the cruise ship goes down...the shocked wives then see their husbands in a movie newsreel). Its 1933 setting works to the film's advantage, as does the wonderful nightclub number Honolulu Baby.

There are several other reasons why of ALL the Laurel and Hardy features this is THE ONE to get if you are just discovering this classic comedy team, studying their work, or already know them and want to collect their films (a hard thing to do these days):
1. GREAT COMEDIC BALANCE: There's a perfect balance of laugh-out-loud dialogue, plus fast-paced slapstick...and it's all carefully integrated. It isn't as if there's a slapstick segment, then some dialogue, etc. It all blends together. I like slapstick and if you do you MUST see the attic scene, the pots and pans scene, Hardy's foot in the water tub scene and the sliding down the drain pipe scene. GUARENTEED belly laughs!
2. EARLY USE OF THE 'CALLBACK' COMEDY TECHNIQUE: David Letterman is a master of the "callback," the joke repeated throughout a segment. Here, L&H use a line "two peas in a pod-DAH" as an early example of a callback (they were pioneers in this).
3. A PERFECT SCRIPT: There are NO wasted moments or frames in this picture. Each line, sight gag, and scene leads to the next.
4. THEIR CHEMISTRY: Unmatched by any comedy team (except Jackie Gleason and Art Carney in the Honeymooners tv shows). Every glance and line is perfectly timed for hilarity. These two comedy talents melded into one unmatched theatrical treat.
5. SUPERB SUPPORTING PLAYERS: Dorthy Christine is Stan's vivacious gun-toting wife; Mae Busch (who died very young) gives her best career performace as Hardy's shrewish better half; Charlie Chase is 100 percent energy as the hyper conventioneer and almost steals his scenes (Chase hated this performance but critics loved it).

This and WAY OUT WEST are THE features to show young people who want to learn about "the boys." What a tragedy it is that as of this writing videos of their movies are not being newly produced. If you see a used copy -- GET IT! Remember: generations of comedians have been influenced by Laurel and Hardy, from Gleason to Seinfeld. Hopefully 21st century audiences won't be deprived of their timeless comedy classics, which improve with age.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Laurel & Hardy full-length features, May 23, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sons of the Desert [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Laurel & Hardy have to attend the fraternal convention of the Sons of the Desert but need a good excuse for their wives. Hardy pretends to be sick and a doctor proscribes a long ocean voyage, with Laurel along for company. Of course as soon as the convention is over and they arrive home the boys learn the ship they were on was wrecked. But things get even better, because their grief stricken wives (Dorothy Christie and Mae Busch) are at the movies where they see a newsreel of the boys having a good time at their convention. Laurel & Hardy end up hiding in the attic and then the roof to avoid their wives, before they show up at the front door with a fantastic tale of how they escaped being lost at sea. Their wives, however, are not impressed.

"Sons of the Desert" is an atypical Laurel & Hardy film in that the slapstick is toned down a bit while the inherent comedy and charm of the characters is enhanced. A lot of the credit needs to go to director William A. Seiter, who takes a more subtle approach with the comedy in this 1934 film. Why the boys did not make another film with Seiter is beyond me. Laurel & Hardy are two of the most beloved characters in comedy history and the humor in "Sons of the Desert" has to do with them AS characters and not just with impersonal slapstick. This is definitely my favorite Laurel & Hardy film.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stan and Ollie's Best Feature, March 17, 2009

By 

Scott T. Rivers (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sons of the Desert [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"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.