You won't be disappointed!

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Laurel & Hardy have sworn an oath to their brotherhood, the Sons of the Desert to attend their convention in Chicago. The trouble is their wives are against the idea so they need to find an excuse.Hardy pretends to be ill and Laurel gets a vet who tells Mrs Hardy that he needs a sea voyage to Honolulu.Once they arrive in Chicago they get involved in all sorts of pranks courtesy by an obnoxious funster who turns out to be Hardy's long lost brother in law.Our duo have failed to keep themselves inconspicuous in Chicago as the Sons of the Desert march has been filmed and unbeknown to them their return ship from Honolulu has sunk and their wives worried that they are lost at sea. Laurel & Hardy are in trouble when they return home and do not realise that honesty is the best politics.Lots of fun here as Hardy boasts that he rules the roost in his house when we know he does not. Charley Chase pops up at the convention scenes as an obnoxious reveller with Hardy always falling for his pranks. A memorable song with Honolulu Baby and a great one line response delivered by Laurel when questioned why he got a veterinarian over. 'I didn't think the man's religion should have any bearing.'

"Sons of the Desert" stands as one of Laurel and Hardy's funniest feature films. The running time of 61 minutes whizzes by and there aren't any subplots. I shalln't describe the story as we fans know it by heart. The laughs are fast and furious and the narrative is kept simple. The team have very good dialogue to work with and as always, their comic timing is very natural. Mae Busch once again plays the shrewish wife and boy, she is one temperamental lady! Charley Chase makes an appearance at the Sons of the Desert convention as one of the members. He was the top comedian for Hal Roach before Laurel and Hardy eclipsed him. At this point in 1933, Chase's career was all but over and he was becoming a name of the past. I can understand why some fans find him a bit irritating. In "Sons of the Desert," his character is somewhat over the top with his constant laughing and playing practical jokes (reminds me of Arthur Askey). Happily, Charley Chase is only in the one scene. This is an undisputed masterpiece, not just from Laurel and Hardy but from American comedy in general.

"Why did you get a Veterinarian?" "I didn't think his religion had anything to do with it." Woody Allen would be proud of that one. Sons of the Desert is one of the boys' most beloved films. And rightly so. Ollie of course, fakes an illness so his wife will let him attend a Chicago convention - ah, c'mon you know the plot, you don't need me to recite it! This is a comedy full of classic moments, wonderful character stuff ("If I have to go to Honululu alone then he's going with me!" and delightful sit-com antics. It all builds up to that legendary moment when the two wives, fearing their husbands lost at sea, attend a cinema to get the latest newsreel. "If I could just see Oliver one more time." Aha, indeed! And of course the rambunctious Charlie Chase adds some salt to the proceedings. He worked off camera with Stan and Ollie many times of course.But if I had one favourite moment, it's a simple one: Ollie's expression when Stan has ratted him out. No one could do it like Oliver. No one.A prefect tonic for a rainy day.

No one can deny that Laurel and Hardy were THE comic duo. "Sons of the Desert" is one of many movies showing this. This one has them as members of a Shriners-like society attending a convention against the wishes of their strict wives. While it was obvious that Stan and Ollie's wives were going to somehow discover what the two men were up to, I still couldn't have predicted what would result! You gotta wonder how much fun they must have had filming it! I once read about how, because Laurel's the idiot and Hardy's the straight man, their embarrassing situations always lead to greater shame for Hardy since it's more of a downfall for him. That's the case here all the way! Watching the movie, I get the feeling that their mishaps may have inspired the antics of Gilligan and the Skipper.All in all, a really funny movie.