 The Actor and the Rube is a 1915 American silent short film produced by the Thanhouser Company under the Falstaff brand . Written by Philip Lonergan and directed by Arthur Ellery , this was the first Falstaff release . The production was supervised by Edwin Thanhouser 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 . 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 finding it a welcome relief from the " pie @-@ smashing " antics of other comedies . 
