Elizabeth Fischer . Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle was born in Smith Center, Kansas, on March 24, 1887, weighing more than 13 pounds. There she met dress designer Robert Moscovitz and they became engaged, but shortly afterward he was killed in a streetcar accident, and Rappe moved to Los Angeles. Guests rushed in to find Rappe, fully dressed, writhing in pain on the bed. His family moved to Santa Ana when he was about two, and with his mother's encouragement, he began to act and sing on stage. [24] By the time the story was reported in newspapers, the object had evolved into a Coca-Cola or champagne bottle rather than a piece of ice. "Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915," database, FamilySearch (, Last edited on 22 February 2023, at 02:12, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N7WC-F8M, "The Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920", "Sausalito News 12 November 1921 California Digital Newspaper Collection", "Fatty Arbuckle and the Death of Virginia Rappe", Crime Library Article on the Rappe/Arbuckle case, Film researcher discusses the Fatty Arbuckle trial, Allan Ellenberger blog entry on Virginia Rappe, 'Fatty' Arbuckle and Hollywood's first scandal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Virginia_Rappe&oldid=1140848504, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 02:12. By the early 21st century, some of Arbuckle's short subjects (particularly those co-starring Chaplin or Keaton) had been restored, released on DVD, and even screened theatrically. [55], In the Gumby movie entitled Gumby: The Movie, the supporting character Fatbuckle is an affectionate reference to Arbuckle. During the party in question, witnesses recalled that an intoxicated Rappe complained she could not breathe and then started to tear off her clothes. And this was not the first instance of Virginia Rappe stripping while intoxicated. [50], For his contributions to the film industry, in 1960, some 27 years after his death, Arbuckle was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6701 Hollywood Boulevard. Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Mack Sennett, when recounting his first meeting with Arbuckle, noted that he "skipped up the stairs as lightly as Fred Astaire" and that he "without warning went into a feather light step, clapped his hands and did a backward somersault as graceful as a girl tumbler". Then, one by one, the 12-person jury plus the two jury alternates walked up to Arbuckle's defense table, where they shook his hand and/or embraced and personally apologized to him. A lot on their plate: Fatty Arbuckle's - Let's Look Again He had merely carried her to the bed and she had fallen off, insisted Arbuckle. His widow Addie requested that his body be cremated, as that was Arbuckle's wish. comment. Though Arbuckle had begun a come-back and had signed with Warner Brothers in 1933 to act in some comedy shorts, he was never to see his popularity regained. The comedian supposedly said he wanted it to play a joke on the actress. Delmont later made a statement incriminating Arbuckle to the police in an attempt to extort money from Arbuckle's attorneys. Sharing the Spotlight A young British stage actor. This film was loosely based on the misconceptions surrounding the Arbuckle scandal, yet it bears almost no resemblance to the documented facts of the case. [citation needed], Fatty Arbuckle's was an American-themed restaurant chain in the UK named after Arbuckle. In the words of his first wife, "Roscoe only seemed to find solace and comfort in a bottle". Today, even people familiar with the name of Fatty Arbuckle believe the worst of him. [18], By 1916, Arbuckle was experiencing serious health problems. What happened at that party and why was the public so ready to believe "Fatty" was guilty? On April 18, 1922, Will Hays, the president of the new organization, banned Arbuckle from filmmaking. [37] After a brief reconciliation, Durfee again filed for divorce, this time while in Paris, in December 1924. Hubbard's husband was a lawyer who did business with the D.A. Posters for his movies billed the 266-pound comedian as worth his weight in laughs. But before the year was out, he was accused of a crime so monstrous that he would never appear onscreen again. Then, at some point during the revelry, Arbuckle and Rappe were briefly in the same hotel room together. Silent film star Fatty Arbuckle arrested for murder - HISTORY The 30-year-old former host of "Cheaters" was laid to rest Saturday in Provo, Utah during a private ceremony. In his testimony, Arbuckle denied he had any knowledge of Rappe's illness. The service at East Lawn Memorial Cemetery was arranged by Gable's sister, Kayley, who. After the reading of the apology statement, the jury foreman personally handed the statement to Arbuckle, who kept it as a treasured memento for the rest of his life. The trial was thorough and Arbuckle took the stand to share his side of the story. On September 5, 1921, Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle, known as Fatty, a known comedian, actor, director and screen writer, and two others rented three rooms in the St. Francis Hotel. According to the 2008 biography The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, Farley and screenwriter David Mamet agreed to work together on what would have been Farley's first dramatic role. The movies were so lucrative and popular that in 1918 they offered Arbuckle a three-year, $3million contract (equivalent to about $54,000,000 in 2021 dollars[15]). . Following Rappe's death, rumors arose, supposedly to besmirch her character, that she had given birth in Chicago in 1918 and put the baby in foster care. The 12th floor hotel suite at the Westin St Francis where Arbuckle and friends partied on Labor Day, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was born into poverty in Kansas, 'Trump or bust' - grassroots Republicans are still loyal. Although Arbuckle is unsuccessfully brought to trial on three separate occasions, the legal fees drive him to poverty and public disapproval drives his once booming reputation down the drain. "Everyone had believed the stars were covered in fairy dust. [7] Arbuckle enjoyed performing and continued on until his mother's death in 1898, when he was 11. The ruptured bladder and peritonitis are what killed her the next day, Sept. 9. [citation needed], Before his death in 1997, comedian Chris Farley expressed interest in starring as Arbuckle in a biography film. Publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst gleefully noted that the scandal had sold more papers than the sinking of the Lusitania. By the time Arbuckle went to trial for manslaughter, his public reputation was already ruined. Arbuckle was one of the most famous actors in world at the time, second only to Charlie Chaplin. "Scandal hits industry," blared a Sept. 16, 1921, Variety. [60], Arbuckle is the subject of a 2004 novel titled I, Fatty by author Jerry Stahl. [29], In November 1923, Minta Durfee filed for divorce from Arbuckle, charging grounds of desertion. He died of a heart attack in 1933 at age 46, having never fully restored his reputation. Keaton co-wrote, directed and starred in the picture; consequently, Hart refused to speak to Keaton for many years. [6] This film was not released until 1920, when Balshofer recut it and released it under the title An Adventuress, and later in 1922, after Rappe's death, as The Isle of Love.[7]. Actor: Coney Island. During cross-examination, Assistant District Attorney Leo Friedman aggressively grilled Arbuckle over the fact that he refused to call a doctor when he found Rappe sick, and argued that he refused to do so because he knew of Rappe's illness and saw a perfect opportunity to rape and kill her. After a small one-year anniversary party with his new wife on June 29, 1933, Arbuckle went to bed and suffered a fatal heart attack in his sleep. The Untold Story of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle by Andy Edmonds are other books on Arbuckle's life. Virginia Caroline Rappe (/rpe/; July 7, 1891 September 9, 1921)[2] was an American model and silent film actress. One of the films (How've You Bean?) But the first two trials ended with hung juries and the third ended with an acquittal. His comedies are noted as rollicking and fast-paced, have many chase scenes, and feature sight gags. The "Fatty" Arbuckle Scandal. She never took the stand. Will H. Hays, who served as the head of the newly formed Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) censor board, cited Arbuckle as an example of the poor morals in Hollywood. [2] Hays lifted the ban within a year, but Arbuckle only worked sparingly through the 1920s. And hidden gems. Wikipedia 9. Buster Keaton is said to have been in the courtroom and provided important evidence to prove Arbuckle's innocence; Delmont was involved in prostitution, extortion, and blackmail. He was 46 years old. [59], In April and May 2006, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City mounted a 56-film, month-long retrospective of all of Arbuckle's known surviving work, running the entire series twice. In the second Arbuckle trial, the defense did not present a very thorough case and Arbuckle did not take the stand. Even so, the actor was tried three times. One newspaper even dubbed her an amateur call-girlwho used to get drunk at parties and start to tear her clothes off.. He had been very nice and sweetly dead ever since the scandal that ruined his career. But nine decades on, the mystery remains: why did Virginia Rappe die? Fatty Arbuckles | Shreveport LA - Facebook He directed most of his output from 1914 and onwards. Read about our approach to external linking. Good). He appeared sporadically in Selig one-reelers until 1913, moved briefly to Universal Pictures, and became a star in producer-director Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops comedies. He was in the habit of singing while he worked, and a professional singer heard him and invited him to perform in an amateur talent show. Arbuckle was charged with first-degree murder, eventually reduced to manslaughter. Virginia Rappe was a 26-year old aspiring actress and model, originally from Chicago, who had a reputation as something of a party girl. Consequently, he named him after Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York, a notorious philanderer whom he despised. Nevertheless, the controversy surrounding his possible guilt and the case as a whole continues on. Hollywoods highest-paid star was now box office poison: his movies were pulled from cinemas and he never worked onscreen again. "[21], On September 5, 1921, Arbuckle took a break from his hectic film schedule and, despite suffering from second-degree burns to both buttocks from an on-set accident, drove to San Francisco with two friends, Lowell Sherman and Fred Fishback. [n 1] Although his large size was undoubtedly part of his comedic appeal, Arbuckle was self-conscious about his weight and refused to use it to get "cheap" laughs like getting stuck in a doorway or chair. Louise Brooks, who played the ingenue in Windy Riley Goes Hollywood (1931), told Brownlow of her experiences in working with Arbuckle: He made no attempt to direct this picture. But her condition worsened and when she was finally taken to hospital three days later her friend, Bambina Maude Delmont, told the doctor Arbuckle had raped Rappe. He had recently signed a deal with Paramount Pictures for a whopping $1 million (about $13 million today), an unheard-of sum at the time. The case led to the establishing of a Hollywood censorship board, which ruled that Arbuckle should never work in the industry again. [57] However, the project was shelved. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle had long been a performer. Clark Gable's Grandson Laid to Rest After Being Refused - Yahoo! Although Arbuckle was never tried for sexual assault, this notion has endured, largely because of how the trial was reported at the time. At the time of his acquittal, he owed over $700,000 (equivalent to approximately $11,300,000 in 2021 dollars[15]) in legal fees to his attorneys for the three criminal trials, and he was forced to sell his house and all of his cars to pay some of the debt. During the carousing, a 30-year-old aspiring actress named Virginia Rappe was found seriously ill in room 1219 and was examined by the hotel doctor, who concluded her symptoms were mostly caused by intoxication and gave her morphine to calm her. Author David Yallop cites Arbuckle's father's full name as William Goodrich Arbuckle as the inspiration behind the alias. He had also requested that all showings and bookings of Arbuckle films be canceled, and exhibitors complied. The role: Fatty Arbuckle In 1997, Chris Farley began planning his first dramatic film, a biopic about silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, a heavyset actor who was falsely accused of. Virginia Rappe died the following day from peritonitis, caused by a ruptured bladder. Arbuckle later wrote a premise for a film parodying Hart as a thief, bully, and wife beater, which Keaton purchased from him. Although cleared, Arbuckle faced ruinous legal bills and a public still widely convinced of his guilt. The scandal that followed her death had nothing to do with the fame, or lack of it, of the pretty actress - it was her link to the man who was known as "America's Funnyman . [44], In 1929, Doris Deane sued for divorce from Arbuckle in Los Angeles, charging desertion and cruelty. An infection that developed on his leg became a carbuncle so severe that doctors considered amputation. As Arbuckle left the party, revellers initially assumed the actress was just drunk. 'Fatty' Arbuckle and Hollywood's first scandal - BBC News Arbuckle's father had always treated him harshly[8] and now refused to support him, so he got work doing odd jobs in a hotel. "A grave injustice has been done.". The Fatty Arbuckle Trial: The Injustice of the Century . Mississippi-based Arbuckle historian David Pearson says the star was the inspiration to many overweight comics, such as John Belushi, Benny Hill, John Candy and Chris Farley. The resulting scandal destroyed Arbuckle's career along with his personal life. But it was such an amazing thing for me to come in to make this broken-down picture, and to find my director was the great Roscoe Arbuckle. [53] In this film, James Coco portrays a heavy-set silent film comedian named Jolly Grimm whose career is on the skids, but who is desperately planning a comeback. Arbuckle researcher Joan Myers describes the political climate and the media attention to the presence of women on juries (which had only been legal for four years at the time) and how Arbuckle's defense immediately singled out Hubbard as a villain; Myers also records Hubbard's account of the jury foreman August Fritze's attempts to bully her into changing her vote to 'not guilty'. During the party one of the guests, Virginia Rappe, an aspiring actress, was found seriously ill in room 1219, the room in which Arbuckle was to stay. Hollywood's First Scandal: The Tainted Legacy of Fatty Arbuckle For this trial, the jury deliberated for only a couple of minutes and came back with a verdict of not guilty. No one seems to remember the comedic genius of Fatty Arbuckle. Farley's film was signed with Vince Vaughn as his co-star. Paramount Pictures had paid him an unprecedented $3 million over three years to star in 18 silent films, and he'd just. [citation needed], Arbuckle and Dan Coombs, one of Culver City's first mayors, re-opened the Plantation Club near the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios on Washington Boulevard as Roscoe Arbuckle's Plantation Caf on August 2, 1928. [11], The exact events of the party remain unclear, with witnesses relating numerous versions of what happened. It was alleged that Rappe had died as a result of a violent sexual assault by Arbuckle. The 100 Best Silent Films of All Time - Paste Willmar tribune. [volume], January 28, 1920, Image 2 Durfee starred in many early comedy films, often with Arbuckle. One of Arbuckle's feature-length films known to survive is Leap Year, which Paramount declined to release in the U.S. owing to the scandal. It was to star Chris Kattan and Preston Lacy. He thought a victory in the Arbuckle case would send him on his way to . The first two cases ended in hung juries. Arbuckle's rehabilitation was finally complete when Warner Bros offered him a feature-film contract in 1933. [6] Arbuckle then joined the Morosco Burbank Stock vaudeville company and went on a tour of China and Japan, returning in early 1909. He was often heckled in the street. While much attention was paid to Hubbard after the trial, some former jury members told reporters that they believed that Arbuckle was indeed guilty, but not beyond a reasonable doubt. The grand jury yesterday evening indicted Roscoe Arbuckle on a charge of manslaughter. Because the first trial ended with a hung jury, Arbuckle was tried again. ThoughtCo, Sep. 2, 2021, thoughtco.com/fatty-arbuckle-scandal-1779625. Minta Durfee, the actress who was married to Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle and became Charlie Chaplin's first motionpicture leading lady, died Tuesday in Woodland Hills, a Los Angeles suburb. She died of a ruptured bladder. The papers went wild with thestory. At a raucous, three-day party in September 1921, a young starlet became severely ill and died four days later. Delmont was never actually called to the stand because prosecutors knew her testimony would never hold up in court due to her ever-changing stories. How A 'Not Guilty' Verdict Still Managed To Sink Fatty Arbuckle's Film Los Angeles-based film historian Cari Beauchamp says: "This was the first scandal in Hollywood with box office implications. Among the guests was Virginia Rappe, a 30-year-old struggling actress who suffered from chronic cystitis, a bladder inflammation. Silent film star Fatty Arbuckle indicted - the Guardian Rosenberg, Jennifer. There was a focus on large portions served on 13-inch plates. [citation needed], This article is about the actor Roscoe Arbuckle. A medical examination found no evidence of sexual assault. By Friday of that week, Virginia had died in the hospital and Arbuckle was charged with her murder. [6], In 1916, Rappe moved to San Francisco to pursue her career as an artist's model. Despite Arbuckle's acquittal, the scandal has mostly overshadowed his legacy as a pioneering comedian. She refused to look at the exhibits or read the trial transcripts, having made up her mind in the courtroom. But a scandal and false rumors destroyed his career. During the deliberations, some jurors joined Hubbard in voting to convict, but they all recanted except for Thomas Kilkenny. The third trial began March 13, 1922, and this time the defense took no chances. https://www.thoughtco.com/fatty-arbuckle-scandal-1779625 (accessed March 4, 2023). 2023 BBC. They were on the twelfth floor in a suite that contained rooms 1219, 1220, and 1221 (room 1220 was the sitting room). Delmont then told police that Arbuckle had raped Rappe; the police concluded that the impact of Arbuckle's overweight body lying on top of Rappe had eventually caused her bladder to rupture. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. In fact, witnesses testified that Arbuckle rubbed the ice on Rappe's stomach to ease her abdominal pain. [25], Arbuckle's trial was a major media event. Virginia Rappe was born in Chicago in 1891 to Mabel Rapp, who died when Virginia was 11. Fans also called Roscoe "The Prince of Whales" and "The Balloonatic". [19][20] Following his recovery, Arbuckle started his own film company, Comique, in partnership with Joseph Schenck. He also mentored Charlie Chaplin, Monty Banks and Bob Hope, and brought vaudeville star Buster Keaton into the movie business. These six short films constitute the only recordings of Arbuckle's voice. 05 Feb. 2012. [citation needed] In December of the same year, under public pressure, Hays elected to lift the ban. [30] At the beginning of the trial Arbuckle told his already-estranged wife, Minta Durfee, that he did not harm Rappe; she believed him and appeared regularly in the courtroom to support him. [66], Arbuckle is referred to in a nonsensical fashion in "Have You Seen Me? (2021, September 2). The same evidence was presented, but this time one of the witnesses, Zey Prevon, testified that Brady had forced her to lie. Hearst was gratified by the profits he accrued during the Arbuckle scandal, and he later said that it had "sold more newspapers than any event since the sinking of the Lusitania. Did Fatty Arbuckle Really Rape Virginia Rappe With A Coke Bottle Showing Editorial results for fatty arbuckle. Arbuckle, Fatty Crime--California--San Francisco Herald-Examiner Collection photographs Arbuckle, Roscoe,1887-1933 Rappe, Virginia,1896-1921 . [citation needed], During the whole trial, the prosecution presented medical descriptions of Rappe's bladder as evidence that she had an illness. "[16], Despite his physical size, Arbuckle was remarkably agile and acrobatic. In 1921, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was the highest-paid actor in the world. At least Arbuckle didn't have to deal with Twitter.". He was manly throughout the case and told a straightforward story on the witness stand, which we all believed. Though the newspapers of the day reveled in the gory, rumored details, juries found little evidence that Arbuckle was in any way connected with her death. He was simple, direct, and unflustered in both direct and cross-examination. Funnyman FATTY ARBUCKLE was the biggest thing in Hollywood literally but when he was accused of the heinous rape and murder of a notorious party girl his adoring public wanted him strung up! He suffered a heart attack later that night and died in his sleep. His stage name was Fatty Arbuckle, and he was a big, graceful actor with acrobatic ingenuity and a befuddled. Fatty Arbuckles night club in Coventry 3rd December 20011 of 4. Virginia Rappe - Wikipedia Delmont was touring the country giving one-woman shows as, "The woman who signed the murder charge against Arbuckle", and lecturing on the evils of Hollywood. Search instead in Creative? The jury saw this as an admission of guilt and deadlocked in a 10 to 2 vote for conviction. He also said: "The American nation prides itself upon its spirit of fair play. He discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope. Allegedly, during the party, Rappe made several drunkenly statements such as, Arbuckle did it and He hurt me. Roscoe Arbuckle, the youngest of nine children, reportedly weighed 16 pounds at birth in Smith Center, Kansas on March 24, 1887. From then until 1913, Roscoe was on the stage, performing as an . However, the name Fatty identifies the character that Arbuckle portrayed on-screen (usually a naive hayseed), not Arbuckle himself. [3], Arbuckle's attorneys later concentrated their attention on one woman named Helen Hubbard, who had told jurors that she would vote guilty "until hell freezes over". "He had magical comic timing. [3] Arbuckle hired as his lead defense counsel Gavin McNab, a competent local attorney. During a party held on Labor Day, September 5, 1921, in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's suite at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, Rappe allegedly suffered a trauma. According to Buster Keaton, Hearst boasted that Arbuckle's story sold more papers than thesinking of the Lusitania. At the hospital, Rappe's companion at the party, Bambina Maude Delmont, told a doctor that Arbuckle had raped her friend. Web. The Day the Laughter Stopped by David Yallop and Frame-Up! Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection. And it emerged in court that the prosecution had used intimidation to force several witnesses to testify against Arbuckle. After Arbuckle was arrested, the San Francisco D.A., one Matthew Brady, a man who wanted to be governor of California, pursued the case with a vengeance. "Rappe was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time because she wound up dead. He was 46. It also didnt help Delmonts credibility that shed sent telegrams to attorneys saying WE HAVE ROSCOE ARBUCKLE IN A HOLE HERE CHANCE TO MAKE SOME MONEY OUT OF HIM..