Synopsis
Sons of the Desert (1933) is a Hollywood comedy classic starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, available to watch online on iFILM. The boys want to attend their lodge's annual convention. Their wives do not. So they invent an elaborate medical excuse that, naturally, will not survive contact with reality. Director William A. Seiter keeps the 68-minute film moving at the exact pace its stars need.
Hardy's Ollie is convinced the scheme is foolproof. Laurel's Stan is constitutionally incapable of keeping a straight face. Mae Busch and Dorothy Christy play the wives — sharp-eyed, suspicious, and several steps ahead. Produced at the Hal Roach Studios, this was the duo at the peak of their Hollywood run.
What still works is the architecture of the jokes: you see the punchline coming from a block away and laugh anyway. Laurel and Hardy built their comedy on precise timing and genuine warmth between two people who had no business being friends. Stream Sons of the Desert (1933) online on iFILM.
Starring
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