''The Actor and the Rube'' is a 1915 American silent short film produced by the

Thanhouser Company The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude Thanhouser, Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New Yo ...

under the Falstaff brand. Written by

Philip Lonergan Philip Lonergan (1887–1940) was a screenwriter in the United States. He was part of a family of prominent screenwriters. Lloyd Lonergan was his brother. Filmography *'' The Phantom Witness'' *'' The Little Girl Next Door'' (1912) *''The World ...

and directed by Arthur Ellery, this was the first Falstaff release. The production was supervised by

Edwin Thanhouser Edwin Thanhouser (November 11, 1865 – March 21, 1956) was an American actor, businessman, and film producer. He was most notable as a founder of the Thanhouser Company, which was one of the first motion picture studios. His wife Gertrude Th ...

and produced at the New Rochelle studios. The plot of the film is about a cranky farmer, who, disliked by his entire town, decides to head to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. An actor disguises himself as the farmer and returns to the farmer's village and makes him popular. After his work is done, the actor tells the farmer to return home and the farmer finds he is well-liked and marries his love interest. The one reel comedy production saw a wide United States release and was also released in the United Kingdom under an alternate title, ''The Actor and the Bumpkin''. Reviews were positive and focused on good acting and originality in the execution of a plot, with the ''

New York Clipper The ''New York Clipper'', also known as ''The Clipper'', was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the Outdoor recreation, outdoors, sports, and ...

'' finding it a welcome relief from the "pie-smashing" antics of other comedies.

Plot

Hi Jenkins is a cranky farmer who is disliked by the whole village, including the

spinster Spinster or old maid is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term origin ...

whom Jenkins wants to marry. Jenkins takes big losses while playing

poker Poker is a family of Card game#Comparing games, comparing card games in which Card player, players betting (poker), wager over which poker hand, hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, with varying rules i ...

and heads to

to forget his problems. In New York, an actor takes an interest in impersonating Jenkins and an "accidental meeting" is arranged. The actor studies Jenkins and goes back to the cranky farmer's hometown and becomes popular with the people. The actor also wins at poker and regains the spinster's interest. The actor returns and informs Jenkins to be silent and all will be well when he returns home. Jenkins returns and finds himself to be well-liked, marries his spinster love interest and is no longer cranky.

Cast

* Riley Chamberlin as the actor *

Boyd Marshall Boyd Marshall (June 22, 1884 – November 10, 1950) was an American actor of the stage and screen during the early decades of the 20th century. Born in Ohio in 1884, he moved to New York to pursue a career in acting. He began on the stage and i ...

as the actor's friend * Edward N. Hoyt as Hi Jenkins, also known as "the rube" *Leo Post *John Reinhard * Morgan Jones *Kenneth Clarendon (

Hal Clarendon Hal Clarendon (1876–1959) was an actor and director in the United States. He had a namesake stock theater company. He appeared in theatrical shows including as a lead. He was slated to direct ''The Other Man'' starring Hobart Henley and Irene Hun ...

)

Production

''The Actor and the Rube'' was the first production of the new Falstaff brand of the Thanhouser Company. The production was personally supervised by Edwin Thanhouser at the New Rochelle studio. The new Falstaff productions would take the place of the Princess brand films which were doing poorly with the audiences. The scenario was written by

and the production was directed by Arthur Ellery. The single reel film was approximately 1,015 feet in length. The production included Thanhouser actors, such as Riley Chamberlin, and Princess brand actors such as Boyd Marshall. An advertisement for the film stated that Boyd Marshall and Riley Chamberlain were the lead actors in the production.

Reception and reception

The film was released on April 16, 1915, with a later British release under the title, ''The Actor and the Bumpkin'' on September 30, 1915. The film had a widespread release within the United States with advertised showings in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. A ''

Motography ''Motography'' was an American film journal that was first published in 1909 and ran until mid-1918. The magazine was published in 1909 and was originally named ''The Nickelodeon'',"Motography." The Bioscope. 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 4 Nov. 2015 http: ...

'' review said, "... tis a good, wholesome comedy. Not uproariously funny, but it tells a story, and leaves one in good humor." ''

The New York Dramatic Mirror The ''New York Dramatic Mirror'' (1879–1922) was an American theatrical trade newspaper published in New York City. History The paper was founded in January 1879 by Ernest Harvier as the ''New York Mirror''. In stating its purpose to cover t ...

'' praised the film as having been well-produced and having consistently good acting. Another review in ''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

'' was favorable and found the production to be original and pleasing. The ''

'' found the comedy to be a relief from the "pie-smashing, dough-throwing, acrobatic affairs that a long suffering public has come to regard at the only sort of film comedy to be seen." The ''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founde ...

'' called it an amusing farce that was clever. A more detailed review written by Peter Milne said that the story was not original in concept, but the role of the actor was well-executed by Riley Chamberlain. The film is presumed lost.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Actor and the Rube, The 1915 films 1915 lost films 1915 short films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films American black-and-white films American silent short films English-language short films Lost silent American films Lost short films Thanhouser Company films