TheLittleSongbird Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were comedic geniuses, individually and together, and their partnership was deservedly iconic and one of the best there was. They left behind a large body of work, a vast majority of it being entertaining to classic comedy, at their best they were hilarious and their best efforts were great examples of how to do comedy without being juvenile or distasteful.After their previous 1928 efforts saw a step in the right direction and the two were starting to hit their stride while still evolving, 'Their Purple Moment' sees a couple of steps backwards and something of a disappointment. Certainly far from terrible and it is a long way from a misfire of theirs (up to this point '45 Minutes from Hollywood' was the only one to fit this distinction), but 'Their Purple Moment' is far from a gem. It is a shame because their previous 1928 efforts were so promising and the concept here was not a bad one.Laurel and Hardy's work was never known to have particularly great stories, which tended to be the weakest element. 'Their Purple Moment' is no exception, on top of being flimsy it is also more predictable, hackneyed and repetitive than most with outcomes being easily foreseeable and some of the content being hit and miss as well as rather repetitive at times. The pace sometimes could have been tighter. 'Their Purple Moment's' weak link is the ending, a real fizzler that is rushed, uninspired and somewhat tasteless.On the other hand, Laurel and Hardy are more than very amusing, particularly Laurel, and they work well together. Three quarters of 'Their Purple Moment' does mostly amuse and has some fun and well timed moments and gags. It's not dull, is competently directed, has a nice supporting cast and holds up quite well visually.All in all, definitely worthwhile but not a Laurel and Hardy essential. 6/10 Bethany Cox

tavm This is another of Laurel & Hardy's early shorts that I watched on Hulu as linked from IMDb. This seems to be the first time they have wives that boss them around so they have to sneak around in order to have some fun like later on in films like Be Big or Sons of the Desert. In this one, Stan & Ollie go to a restaurant after a couple of men run out on their dates so the boys volunteer to help pay for the women (Kay Deslys, Anita Garvin) left behind. But both men find out their wives took their money without them knowing. And the gossiping woman, seeing them all there, goes back to tell the spouses what's what. I'll stop there and just say that not much funny happens until the food fight that ends the picture. It replaced an earlier sequence that involved Stan & Ollie dressing as women that was filmed but I'm guessing that's now lost. There's a still from that scene in Randy Skrevedt's book "Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies". On that point, Their Purple Moment is at least worth a look.

MartinHafer Stan and Ollie have tough wives. No only are these women meaner looking than those you usually see in a Laurel and Hardy domestic comedy, but they are incredibly over-bearing and keep practically every dime the boys make. It didn't seem all that surprising then when they boys wanted to stash away a few bucks and go for a night on the town. The problem is that Stan's wife finds the stash and substitutes it for coupons. The other problem is that the boys run up a huge tab and chase after girls. Hmm....perhaps the wives DID have the right idea after all! I was very surprised when I looked at all the reviews on IMDb for this early Laurel and Hardy film because the ratings were so darn low. I can't understand this as this is a pretty typical Laurel and Hardy short--certainly NOT among their worst. Another thing that surprised me is that IMDb mentions a lost segment with midgets, but there were quite a few scenes in this film with midgets performing at a nightclub (the ubiquitous "Pink Pup").The film has more than its share of laughs and is highly reminiscent of many of the team's better efforts such as SONS OF THE DESERT and BLOTTO. Sure, it's familiar--but it's also quite funny.By the way, I mentioned The Pink Pup because I recently noticed that it also appears in at least two other Laurel and Hardy films made about this same time--THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY and THAT'S MY WIFE.

Boba_Fett1138 This is a comedy that lacks some good laughs. Even though the movie still is good and enjoyable entertainment of course, I don't think I laughed even once. This is probably due to the fact that the movie doesn't have any slapstick moments in it and instead relies on just one comical situations the boys has got themselves into.The main plot line is pretty funny but it's a bit tiresome to base the entire movie around this one plot line. It's well acted out and constructed but it basically is too much of the same the whole time.The settings are pretty enjoyable. It gives us a good view into the late '20's night life. A life which we normally only know from movies who tried to recreate the atmosphere and settings from that period. But this movie is the real stuff and therefor it's still a pretty interesting watch. The atmosphere and settings are probably the only reason why this movie is still good to watch present day.There are some good comical constructed moments in the movie but it's all not enough to make this movie a grand and excelling Laurel & Hardy silent short.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/