About the Sons Of The Desert
The Sons of the Desert, The Official Appreciation Society of Laurel and Hardy, is an international fraternal* organization devoted to the lives and film legacies of accomplished comedy actors Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who were affectionately known in life as Stan & Babe or “The Boys”.
They were already established stage & film actors each in their own right by the time they appeared in one picture together in 1921 called The Lucky Dog which was co-produced by Gilbert M “Bronco Billy” Anderson. Babe played a heavy in the film (which he was noted for) who attempts to rob Stan. It wouldn’t be until 1926 that they would appear in another picture together called 45 Minutes From Hollywood, but they didn’t share any scenes. By 1927 at Hal Roach Studios, they would be a team in pictures. They would ultimately appear in 106 films altogether as an official team.
As the Sons Of The Desert, we take our name from a fictional lodge that Laurel and Hardy belonged to in the 1933 film Sons of the Desert. Produced by Hal Roach, the basic plot of the film is that “The Boys” sneak off to a convention without telling their wives & hilarity ensues! *The film was released in the UK as Fraternally Yours! There are over 40 active chapters called “tents” of The Sons Of The Desert in the UK and a full list can be found on the Bowler Dessert Website Tents | Bowler Dessert or at The Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society - Sons of the Desert There are currently over 100 tents worldwide. Each tent is named after a title of one of their films, with the exception of the founding tent. For a complete listing & other great official information regarding the Sons, here is the link sonsofthedesertinfo.com Or go to the official newsletter of the Sons Sons of the Desert - Intra-Tent Journal - Intra-Tent Journal We are determined to meet with intellectual overtones and heavily social undertones to watch, enjoy, discuss but most of all, laugh at the films of Stan & Babe.
The Founders of The Sons of the Desert Organization
According to Article II of the SOD Constitution, the founding members were Orson Bean, Al Kilgore, John McCabe, Chuck McCann, and John Municino.
The SOTD May 1966 Banquet. From left to right: Alan Barbour, John Municino, Frank Nastasi, Al Kilgore, John McCabe, Chuck McCann, Orson Bean, Ida Laurel, unidentified, Soupy Sales, and Ben Shipman. It is believed that this is the only photo that shows all the founders together: Bean, Kilgore, McCabe, McCann & Municino.
Cartoonist Al Kilgore drew the crest of the group. It bears the slogan suggested by Stan Laurel — "Two minds without a single thought" — translated into Latin: Duae tabulae rasae in quibus nihil scriptum est (literally: "Two blank slates on which nothing has been written").
In the spirit of Laurel’s dictum that the organisation should have “a half-assed dignity” about it, “It is important, I think, to realize that Sons of the Desert is not a fan club,” explained John McCabe, the team's biographer. “The word ‘fan’ derives from ‘fanatic’ and I hope we are none of us that. I consider us ‘buffs,’ people having a connoisseur-like affection for Laurel & Hardy, and being discriminating in that affection, with fun as our goal and operative guide.”
The first public Sons of the Desert meeting was held in New York City in 1965, shortly after Stan Laurel’s death. You can find the link to the New York Founding Tent here Laurel and Hardy Sons of the Desert Founding Tent New York City McCabe’s group quickly inspired tents to appear in other North American cities, and then in the United Kingdom and other countries/continents around the globe such as: Australia, Germany, Belgium, Amsterdam, Ireland, Italy, many more…Each tent is independent and has their own schedule. In Southern California, there are currently a few active tents including:
The Way Out West Tent in North Hollywood www.wayoutwest.org (who happens to be hosting the main banquet of this convention), The Hollywood Party Tent in Burbank & the main host of this convention-
Saps At Sea Tent San Diego that can be contacted either by email: sapsatsea@hotmail.com
or at sapsatsea.com from their page on this website.
In addition to local and regional meetings around the world, The Sons of the Desert has held international conventions every two years (since 1978 in Chicago) during the even years. In the odd years, there are European Sons conventions in which everyone is welcome. The latest European Sons Convention will be in Prato, Italy in July of 2025. Most international conventions have been located in the United States but some have been held in the United Kingdom and other countries. The last international Sons convention was in Sacramento, California in June 2024. There is an annual UK Convention, where special guests, and rare films and memorabilia are exhibited. The latest UK convention was in Harrogate in May 2025. The original Beau Chumps hosted the UK Convention in 1988 We very much want to thank the Beau Chumps Sunderland Tent for sharing with us much of the content & images from their website beauchumps.wordpress.com
Other Laurel & Hardy related events occur throughout the year in Southern California such as:
Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, which is located just north of San Diego in Los Angeles County. In San Diego, our own Russ Peck, plays the organ for silent films including dramas, Laurel & Hardy, and other comedians at many festivals & events throughout the year at venues like: sandiegotheatres.org
Museums dedicated to the life & legacy of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy include:
Harlem Museum and Welcome Center in Harlem, Georgia USA, Babe’s hometown.
The Laurel And Hardy Museum - Ulverston - The World Famous
in Ulverston, England, Stan’s hometown.
Laurel & Hardy Museum Walderkotten Solingen Wald-Wolfgang Günther in Solingen, Germany.
For links to all of our good friends of sonsfestsd2026, please visit our Friends of sonsfestsd2026 page.
