Terry's Turn
I recently added a DVD from the early days of film to my collection of silent movies. It's called "Fatty Arbuckle Follies" and stars Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle in four silent films all made between 1913 and 1918. I didn't know much about Arbuckle before getting the DVD except he was a popular star back then and he had been involved in some kind of scandal so I did some research on him. Arbuckle's story is one of tremendous success followed by a swift fall from grace.
Roscoe Arbuckle started in show business as a teenager traveling the West Coast on the vaudeville circuit. Then in 1913 at the age of 26 Arbuckle hit it big when he signed with Mack Sennett's Keystone Film Company and became one of the famous Keystone Kops. Arbuckle was a big guy weighing between 250 and 300 pounds and he made his size a part of his comedy. Even though he was big he moved gracefully and did all the routines other silent performers did including throwing pies, exaggerated movements and falls.
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In 1921 Arbuckle signed a 3 year contract with Paramount Pictures for the unheard of sum of $1 million. A goodly amount now but it was a fortune back then. To celebrate the completion of three films all done at the same time and to celebrate his new contract with Paramount Arbuckle and some friends drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 3, 1921, for a Labor Day weekend party. It was to be a party no one would ever forget.
The happy group checked into a suite on the 12th floor at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco and on Monday, Sept. 5, the revelry started early with a pajama clad Arbuckle serving drinks. Large amounts of alcohol were consumed even though Prohibition was in effect. Around 3 p.m. Arbuckle left the group to change clothes to go sight-seeing with a friend. There are different versions of what happened next.
Maude "Bambina" Delmont who was reported to have set up famous people in order to blackmail them claimed Arbuckle lured 26 year old Virginia Rappe into his bedroom. Delmont then said she heard screams and tried to open the door but it was locked. When Arbuckle opened the door Delmont testified she saw Rappe naked and bleeding behind him.
Arbuckle denied that claim and said he went to change clothes and found Rappe vomiting in his bathroom. He assumed she'd had too much to drink and left her. When he returned to the room a few minutes later he found Rappe on the floor. He put her on the bed then went for help. When the other party guests arrived they found Rappe tearing at her clothes, something she reportedly often did when drunk. The hotel staff was contacted and Rappe was moved to another room. Since it appeared Rappe was being cared for Arbuckle left for his sight-seeing trip and then returned to Los Angeles.
Although Rappe didn't improve she wasn't taken to a hospital until 3 days later. Virginia Rappe died on Thursday from peritonitis caused by a ruptured bladder. Arbuckle was soon arrested and charged with her murder.
Newspapers went wild with the story of supposed Hollywood debauchery with Arbuckle guilty and Rappe as an innocent young girl. The papers left out the fact that Rappe had a history of abortions and may have had one shortly before the party. William Randolph Hearst who was never one to let the truth get in the way of a good story led the way in exposing what was obvious (to Hearst anyway) another example of Hollywood immorality. Hearst boasted to comedian Buster Keaton that Arbuckle's story sold more papers than the sinking of the Lusitania.
Theaters across the country stopped showing Arbuckle movies even though he was yet to be found guilty of any misdoing. It took three trials, the first two ending in hung juries before the final trial ended with a verdict of not guilty. The last jury even wrote Arbuckle a letter of apology for all he'd been through. The letter in part read, "Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We feel that a great injustice has been done him. We feel also that it was our only plain duty to give him this exoneration. There was not the slightest proof adduced to connect him in any way with the commission of a crime."
In response to the much publicized scandal Hollywood established a self-policing organization headed by Will Hays who immediately banned Arbuckle from film making but lifted the ban later in the year. Even though he was exonerated Arbuckle's acting career came to an end. He was able to get some jobs directing and even acted in several comedy shorts for Warner Brothers but never regained the popularity he once enjoyed. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle died of a heart attack June 29, 1933. He was 46.
Arbuckle's story illustrates how we can sometimes be too quick to judge people and how that judgment can ruin lives. Maybe there's a lesson there for all of us.
Terry Turner is a Prime Writer who can be reached at tturner174@longlines.com
