‘Their Purple Moment’ (1928) is a fine (if not brilliant) example of the L&H silent era which showcases more slapstick than wit but which gives us a nice taste of the times it was made in. The restaurant/club set is a very 20s affair, and the chic and sexy Anita Garvin is as perfect a flapper as was ever invented. I’m not sure what a ‘purple’ moment is–I guess an embarrassing one though the use of the term is lost to history. In the twenties the use of the word “lavender’ to describe a person or an event was code for gay, though I’m not aware of any short silent comedies making use of that word. What do we make of the midget (or whatever the current politically correct term for people of that height is) dance acts at the club? Just a bit of Leo McCarey whimsy? Note that he’s credited as ‘supervising director’ alongside the actual director James Parrott. I’m not sure that doesn’t sound like a ball-chopping of Parrot but the relationship between the two men is another long-lost to history affair. Best to assume that both were subservient to Stan Laurel and may have even been drinking buddies. Let’s hope so.