Thirty years later, I (re)joined a film fan club

Laugh if you have to. Or, if you don't have to laugh, laugh anyways. 

Nearly 30 years ago, my late dad and I decided to join a fan club. It was all my idea because when I become interested in something, I have a habit of diving completely into it.

This fan club called itself, and still calls itself, "The Sons of the Desert." It's actually an international organization "devoted to the work and lives of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy." So, yes...it's a Laurel and Hardy fan club. 

I first heard about this group in the early 1990s after my dad received a video collection of Laurel and Hardy films distributed by a company called "Video Treasures." Before each feature film, a series of home movies and photos of Laurel and Hardy, with narration from Stan Laurel's daughter Lois Laurel, would play. They were followed by a quick advert for the Sons of the Desert Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society. 

It sounded corny but alluring. Who doesn't want to join a crew of like-minded individuals?

Named after their 1933 film "Sons of the Desert," this organization has chapters, or "Tents" as they call them, pitched all around the world. Each Tent is named after a Laurel and Hardy movie. And the spokesperson for each of these Tents is referred to as the "Grand Sheik." During regularly held meetings, films and content pertaining to Laurel and Hardy are watched and appreciated, as is the nature of an appreciation society. It's like a classic comedy movie night, really. 

What's fascinating is that this appreciation society has been around since 1964. It was started by author and scholar, John McCabe, whose first book was an authorized biography of Laurel and Hardy.

So, back in the 1990s. I wrote an inquiry to the address shown on that Sons of the Desert blurb. I received a response back in the mail indicating that there was a Tent called "Call of the Cuckoos" located in nearby San Francisco - I was living in Oakland at the time. No other name could be more suitable for something located in San Francisco. So, my dad and I joined up and attended some of these film screenings this San Francisco Tent held month to month in an auditorium inside a Methodist Church. A projector and screen were always set up. And a folding table with snacks and beverages were always present.

I read somewhere that comedian Bill Murray himself once jokingly referred to these Sons of the Desert fan members as a "bunch of weirdos" when they were presenting him with some kind of honor or award. Again, maybe some of the members really get into Laurel and Hardy. But, so what? 

Some of the attendees were a little eccentric, but so is half the population of San Francisco. Others were friendly and fun to chat up about movies. I was still in my teens and was probably the only young kid in the group. Other members were actually about the same age I am now. Attending these film screenings spurred in me a desire to read about films in general, research movie producers, and, well, everything I do on this blog. For instance, I'm currently enrolled in a film appreciation course online. I think dad and I attended these gatherings regularly for about a year. Of course, being a member of this group wasn't anything I shared with any of my peers. None of them would have cared anyway. 

I think the highpoint of being a member occurred when dad and I attended a screening of some Hal Roach films somewhere in Sacramento. Lois Laurel was also in attendance. She was such a polite lady who was warm and welcoming. I was a bit star struck seeing her. Stan passed away in 1965, long before I was born. So, meeting his daughter was the closest I would get to meeting the legend himself. 

She gave me a signed postcard-sized photograph of herself as a little girl beside her father taken on the set of the 1937 movie "Way Out West." Unfortunately, at some point between then and now, I lost it. 

Sadly, my dear old dad passed away in 2018. Every once in a while, before he passed away, I would bring up "The Sons of the Desert" to him. 

About a year ago, I began researching a not-so-well known female comedy team comprised of Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd. These two ladies were joined together as a comedic duo by Hal Roach who produced the majority of Laurel and Hardy as well as the "Our Gang" (aka "The Little Rascals") films as well among others. 

Zasu Pitts left the act after making 17 comedy shorts with Todd. She was replaced with Patsy Kelly who, together with Todd, made 21 comedy shorts until Todd died under unusual circumstances in 1935 at age 29. 

A few Christmases ago, my wife gave me a complete DVD collection of their films. I've been working my way through every single one. I also downloaded some periodicals about them and requested my local library to purchase a copy of the book "The Hal Roach Comedy Shorts of Thelma Todd, Zasu Pitts and Patsy Kelly" by James L Neibaur. I'm writing something up about this female comedy team as they deserve continued recognition. Their comedic legacy has faded too much over the decades, unlike
Laurel and Hardy and the Little Rascals. I'll have more to come about Pitts, Todd, and Kelly later. 

But watching their films, and reading about them, brought the Sons of the Desert to mind. 

I admit I was kind of embarrassed to talk about having been part of a Laurel and Hardy fan club in my teenage days. It seemed kind of stupid. Uncool. But now, again, so what? It's right up my alley.

No matter how corny or quirky it seems, the Sons of the Desert don't strike me as just a mere fan club. They actually work hard to keep this part of film history alive and well decade after decade. Laurel and Hardy are a foundational pair in comedy. Their work and dedication deserve not just appreciation, but a whole international society dedicating to appreciating. It would be ashamed if Laurel and Hardy faded too far into obscurity. The same goes for a lot of classic films. As I heard someplace before, there's no such thing as an old joke if you haven't heard it before.

This group introduces new generations to Laurel and Hardy films, classic cinema in general, and to the film industry from that era as it pertains to this comedy duo and the Hal Roach Studios. And the members certainly enjoy themselves while doing it.

Evidently, they're still as active as ever, especially in Europe. So, I looked up any nearby Tents to where I live now in Kansas. There's one in Basehor, Kan., - a town I never heard of - called the "Hog Wild Tent." Unfortunately, it's an hour and 40-minute drive from me. Well, that's too far. 

Regardless, I can still join as a "delegate at large." And I did. For a membership fee of $35, I can still be a part of things and receive the group's publications and such in the mail. After 30 years, they lure me back into this Laurel and Hardy Appreciation Society "The Sons of the Desert." As Stan Laurel once said, "You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead."