
SCREEN WRITER STARLET PROFESSIONAL
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's father had always treated him harshly and now refused to support him, so he got work doing odd jobs in a hotel. Arbuckle enjoyed performing and continued on until his mother's death in 1898, when he was 11. He first performed on stage with Frank Bacon's company at age 8 during their performance in Santa Ana. Īrbuckle was nearly two when his family moved to Santa Ana, California. The birth was traumatic for Mary and resulted in chronic health problems that contributed to her death eleven years later. Consequently, he named him after Senator Roscoe Conkling of New York, a notorious philanderer whom he despised. He weighed in excess of 13 pounds (5.9 kg) at birth and his father believed that he was illegitimate, as both parents had slim builds. Roscoe Arbuckle was born on March 24, 1887, in Smith Center, Kansas, one of nine children of Mary E. Early life Arbuckle with his and Minta Durfee's dog Luke, c. He was finally able to return to acting, making short two-reel comedies in 1932–33 for Warner Bros.Īrbuckle died in his sleep of a heart attack in 1933 at age 46, reportedly on the day that he signed a contract with Warner Bros. He later worked as a film director under the pseudonym William Goodrich. In their deal, Keaton promised to give him 35% of the Buster Keaton Comedies Co.

Hays lifted the ban within a year, but Arbuckle only worked sparingly through the 1920s.

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While Arbuckle saw a resurgence in his popularity immediately after his third trial (in which he was acquitted) Zukor decided he had to be sacrificed to keep the movie industry out of the clutches of censors and moralists. Zukor was faced with the moral outrage of various groups such as the Lord's Day Alliance, the powerful Federation of Women's Clubs and even the Federal Trade Commission to curb what they perceived as Hollywood debauchery run amok and its effect on the morals of the general public. Hays after the trial, and he was publicly ostracized. At the behest of Adolph Zukor, president of Famous Players–Lasky, his films were banned by motion picture industry censor Will H. The third jury took the unusual step of giving Arbuckle a written statement of apology for his treatment by the justice system.ĭespite Arbuckle's acquittal, the scandal has mostly overshadowed his legacy as a pioneering comedian. The first two trials resulted in hung juries, but the third trial acquitted Arbuckle. A friend of Rappe accused Arbuckle of raping and accidentally killing her. Francis Hotel in September 1921, and died four days later. Rappe had fallen ill at a party hosted by Arbuckle at San Francisco's St.

Arbuckle was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s and one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood, signing a contract in 1920 with Paramount Pictures for $1,000,000 a year (equivalent to $14,608,000 in 2022).Īrbuckle was the defendant in three widely publicized trials between November 1921 and April 1922 for the rape and manslaughter of actress Virginia Rappe. He also mentored Charlie Chaplin, Monty Banks and Bob Hope, and brought vaudeville star Buster Keaton into the movie business. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel Normand and Harold Lloyd as well as with his nephew, Al St. Roscoe Conkling " Fatty" Arbuckle ( / ˈ ɑːr b ʌ k əl/ Ma– June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. Fatty Arbuckle ad from The Film Daily, 1932
