Picture Pirates

Rube's and Ben's wives are waitresses. An art collector purchases a rare picture and the "picture pirate," representing himself as another collector, calls on the first collector. As he is leaving the place Rube and Ben try to pick his pockets, and admonishing them as amateurs, he tells them to join in with him and try to steal the picture. They take the art collector's wife with them to the same café wherein their wives are waitresses. Ben and Rube leave her there and hasten to her home to steal a copy of the picture, the owner having hidden the original. They also drink some poisoned whiskey left for them and fall into a fit. Later the "picture pirate" pays Rube and Ben for the picture, thinking it is the original.

Directed by Rube Miller, Picture Pirates leans on a strong ensemble — Rube Miller, Ben Turpin, Lillian Hamilton — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1916.