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Sons of
the Desert (1933)
In director William Seiter's slapstick comedy featuring
one of the best comedy duos in cinematic history in their arguably
best film:
- Laurel (Stan Laurel) and Hardy's (Oliver Hardy)
great sight gags and childish innocence
- the scenes outside their two identical, side-by-side
apartments
- the scene of thin, dim-witted, and shy Stan consuming
an ornamental waxed apple in the Hardy living room with gusto - and
being scolded by Oliver: "What are you eating?...Where did you
get it?...Why that's not real fruit! It's imitation. It's made of
wax!"; Mrs. Hardy (Mae Busch) also added when she heard what
was happening to her phony fruit: "Oh, so that's where it's
been going. That's the third apple I've missed this week"
- the madcap sequence with a scalding hot water iron
tub - when fat and short-tempered Oliver feigned illness so that
the doctor (a veterinarian) would prescribe a short ocean cruise
to Honolulu (they would thereby fool their wives by faking a trip
to Hawaii, and instead attend the annual 'Sons of the Desert' enclave
lodge meeting in Chicago)
- the sequence of their return home (after being in
Chicago) from "Hawaii" (wearing leis and carrying pineapples
and ukeleles, and singing "Honolulu Baby") - and their
reading of newspaper headlines: "HONOLULU LINER SINKING! FLOUNDERING
IN TYPHOON"; when they learned about their cruise ship disaster,
Stan delivered an hilarious line about being thankful that they didn't
go to Honolulu: ("Can you beat that? I'm sure glad we didn't
go. If we'd have... ")
- the scene of the two hiding out in the attic, awaiting
the proper time to return home, due to the reported ship disaster,
but caught out in the rain and accosted by a police officer who brought
them back inside, as Oliver reprimanded Stan: "Well, here's
another nice mess you've gotten me into"
- the shocking discovery by the grieving wives during
a movie newsreel that their two husbands had deceived them - and
had gone to Chicago to attend a Sons of the Desert lodge meeting
- after being confronted by their wives, Oliver told
lies to Lottie, and was forced to wear a pot on his head to protect
himself from the barrage of dishes thrown by her, while a bawling
and wimpering Stan received forgiveness and rewards from his wife
Betty (Dorothy Christy) for ultimately confessing the truth about
what had really happened
- in the conclusion, Stan affirmed to Oliver:
"Betty said that honesty was the best politics. Look! (he held
up a cigarette and took a deep drag, then coughed) (singing) Honolulu
baby, won't you close those eyes" - as Oliver hurled a pot at
his head
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