The Rough House (1917 American Silent Comedy film)

The Rough House is a 1917 American two-reel silent comedy film written by, directed by, and starring both Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Buster Keaton. The Rough House was Keaton's first film as a director.

Plot
Mr. Rough (Arbuckle) falls asleep while smoking and wakes up to find his bed on fire. He calmly walks out of his bedroom, through the dining room, and into the kitchen. He gets a single cup of water, returns to the bedroom, and throws it on the fire. He repeats this several times; meanwhile, he drinks some of the water, flirts with the maid in the kitchen, and stops to eat an apple in the dining room. Mrs. Rough and her mother discover the fire and insist on more effective methods, so Rough obtains a garden hose from a gardener (Keaton). After initially squirting everything but the fire, Rough finally succeeds in putting it out.

Cast
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as Mr. Rough
Buster Keaton as Gardener / Delivery Boy / Cop
Al St. John as Cook
Alice Lake as Mrs. Rough
Agnes Neilson as Mother-in-Law
Glen Cavender
Josephine Stevens as maid

Reception
Like many American films of the time, The Rough House was subject to cuts by city and state film censorship boards. The Chicago Board of Censors cut the scene showing the theft of beads from the film.