Sons of the Desert (1933)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Sons of the Desert (1933) – W. Seiter

Laurel and Hardy are ridiculous idiots – and, as usual, they are the butt of every joke.  Ollie is the “mastermind” of their plan to dupe their wives to travel to Chicago for a convention of their titular fraternal order.  Stan goes along for the ride but can’t quite grasp the cover story.  He also eats some wax fruit.  One thing inevitably leads to another and their wives find out.  But the fun is all in getting to that point (the Chicago scenes, featuring Charley Chase and some pre-code dancers are surprisingly brief).  Sure, there is slapstick but the laughs derive equally from Laurel’s malapropisms and Hardy’s slow burn.  The wives (Mae Busch & Dorothy Christy) hold their own without becoming caricatures.  What little plot there is allows the gags to be strung together fairly well.  Good for a few chortles.