Desert Messenger

16 www.DesertMessenger.com June 15, 2022 Read Desert MESSENGER E-edition online @ DesertMessengerOnline.com Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain Sons of the Desert Night Owls meeting June 24 While the weather heats up, cool down in the local tent of the Sons of the Desert Quartzsite Night Owls. The Laurel and Hardy apprecia- tion society's next meeting will be Friday, June 24, when we present more of the early black and white fi lm comedies of Hollywood's fi nest and funniest comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy. On Friday, June 24, the Sons of the Desert Quartzsite Night Owls tent will show the 1930 fi lm "Brats," in which Stan and Ollie play dual roles as children and their fathers. Author Randy Skretvedt describes the fi lm in his authoritative book "Laurel & Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies." "L&H spend an exasperating eve- ning at home with their sons, who look exactly like their respective fa- thers. The grown-up boys' attempts at recreation are thwarted by the noisy antics of the little boys. The children manage to have the wa- ter running in the bathroom as the grown-ups attempt to put them to sleep; the kids agree to settle down if they can have a glass of water. Stan starts for the bathroom, but Ollie stops him: 'Just a moment-- You might spill it!' The bedroom, as well as his dignity, is dampened in the ensuing fl ood.'" Despite the lack of computer gen- erated special effects (no comput- ers in 1930!), the fi lm is delightful, with a noted lack of gimmickry. The scenes with the children – Stan and Babe – are shot with all the props three times scale. Following "Brats" is the 1938 full- length feature "Blockheads," with Stan Laurel as a soldier found still in the trenches 20 years after the end of World War I. When his friend, Ollie, brings him home to meet his wife, Mrs. Hardy storms out. The Boys try to fi x dinner themselves, with disas- trous results. When Ollie's neighbor, Mrs. Gilbert, tries to help, Ollie ends up spilling a bowl of punch over her. When Mrs. Hardy returns home to fi nd Mrs. Gilbert in her husband's pajamas (while her dress dries), nei- ther Mrs. Hardy nor Mrs. Gilbert are very understanding. "Blockheads" is generally consid- ered one of the duo's best features, with no unnecessary subplots or mu- sical numbers and plenty of gags. Sons of the Desert Quartzsite Night Owls meets from 3-4:30 p.m. on the last Friday of each month at First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, 30 Church St., Quartzsite, AZ., off of West Cowell Street just east of the Quartzsite Senior Center. On July 29, the fi lms will include "Below Zero," (1930) and "Pack Up Your Troubles" (1932). On Aug. 24, the fi lms will include "Hog Wild," (1930) and "Our Relations," (1936). The Sept. 30 fi lms will include "The Laurel & Hardy Murder Case," (1930) followed by "Saps at Sea" (1940). Light refreshments will be served and membership information for the club will be available. Quartzsite Night Owls is a registered offi cial tent of the Sons of the Desert Inter- national Laurel & Hardy Apprecia- tion Society. Everyone of any age is welcome to come enjoy the fi lms of Laurel & Hardy. Meetings are free, although donations are accepted gladly. Sons of the Desert is devoted to keeping the lives and works of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy before the public, and to have a good time while doing it. The group takes its name from a lodge that the comedi- ans belong to in the 1933 fi lm "Sons of the Desert." In keeping with the tongue-in-cheek "desert" theme, each local chapter of the society is called a "tent," and is named after a Laurel & Hardy fi lm. Worldwide, there are well over 100 active tents, whose members meet regularly to enjoy Laurel & Hardy movies in an informal atmosphere. "It is important, I think, to realize that Sons of the Desert is not a fan club," explained John McCabe, the team's biographer, who founded the Sons in 1965. "The word 'fan' derives from 'fanatic' and I hope we are none of us that. I consider us 'buffs,' people having a connois- seur-like affection for Laurel & Har- dy, and being discriminating in that affection, with fun as our goal and operative guide." For more information on the Sons of the Desert Night Owls tent, con- tact Carl Baker at (928) 550-3438 or email travelfulltime@yahoo.com. "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." - Iroquois Maxim (circa 1700-1800) "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." - Iroquois Maxim (circa 1700-1800)

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