weezeralfalfa Review of The Rough House

The Rough House (1917)

A rough housing banquet that kids should love

[8/10 · 27 August 2018]

This is my idea of what an olde tyme knockabout silent comedy short should be, and I'm sure lots of kids, especially, will agree, for they love to see adults acting like children......Roscoe Arbuckle's dallying in trying to extinguish the fire on his bed, running back and forth to the kitchen to fill a tea cup with water, reminds me of a later similar scene in the Laurel and Hardy "Way Out West". Once Roscoe gets the attention of the gardener(Buster Keaton), who is hosing some plants, it's like a water pistol fight, with Keaton and Roscoe soaking everything and everybody, except the fire.......Al St. John plays the cook. He mostly has fun getting into trouble with his cake mix, dropping it, falling on it, skidding across the kitchen on it, and throwing it at people. When he mops the floor, it makes the floor slick, so that Keaton falls with the groceries, breaking the eggs. The maid also falls. Then, she and Keaton do some flirting, making Al jealous. Al and Keaton throw things at each other. This spreads to the dining room, where it involves Roscoe, who is eating. Keaton throws a knife that goes in Al's mouth! The action then returns to the kitchen and backyard, where they get into throwing dough at each other, and manage to hit a policeman in the face. At police headquarters, the weird-looking chief offers them the choice of jail or joining the force. Naturally, they choose the latter......I don't fully understand what the last segment is about. Two men have dinner with Roscoe's wife and mother-in-law. (I assume the mother-in-law is the heftier one, who rang Roscoe's neck earlier). Roscoe, as the replacement cook, brings in a dish in which he poured gasoline. He lights it, and soon fire and smoke clog the room, creating confusion. Meanwhile, 2 men are outside the house, one sneaking into the bedroom, to steal some jewelry. Police headquarters is notified of the strange goings on at this house. Keaton and Al are sent out to investigate. They have an eventful journey there, and arrive just as the thieves are about to leave.......Unlike the first film in this series: "The Butcher Boy", there is no background music.... See it at YouTube, or as part of several DVD sets.