by Greg Merritt
“[A fat man] is regarded…” “On the Advantages of Embonpoint,” Photo-Play Journal, February 1919, 52.
A tongue-in-cheek article in the Los Angeles Times … “Is Fate Stacking Up the Refinement on ‘Fatty’?,” Los Angeles Times, June 16, 1919.
the PCL’s Vernon Tigers … Team history via Dennis Purdy, Kiss ‘Em Goodbye: An ESPN Treasury of Failed, Forgotten, and Departed Teams (New York: ESPN, 2010), 338-39; “Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle’s Vernon Tigers,” Sports Hollywood, www.sportshollywood.com/vernontigers.html.
“the longest bar in the world”… Kiss ‘Em Goodbye, 336.
“I’m just going into it for the sport… “ “Arbuckle Is Now Magnate,” Los Angeles Times, May 6, 1919.
“just bought them to please Anger”… Roscoe Arbuckle, interview by Ray Frohman, Los Angeles Herald, October 28, 1919.
“San Francisco won a ball game… “ “Pitchers Are Very Scarce,” Los Angeles Times, May 16, 1919.
The actors performed baseball sketches … “Fatty Makes ‘Em Like Defeat,” Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1919.
He estimated ahead of time … “Arbuckle Party Off for North,” Los Angeles Times, August 8, 1919.
Arbuckle and Keaton reveled in practical jokes… Buster Keaton with Charles Samuels, My Wonderful World of Slapstick (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1960), 113-22.
“Few of us in that whole Hollywood gang…” Ibid., 155—56.
Arbuckle interacted with Virginia Rappe … “Film Actor on Stand,” Los Angeles Times, November 29, 1921.
“I mean to have some real drama … “ “The Sad Tale of Arbuckle,” Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1919.
the Directors Ball… West Coast News, New York Telegraph, December 7, 1919.
performing on a New York stage … Theater and Arts, New York Times, December 21, 1919.
“Instead of passing from us …” “John Barleycorn Died Peacefully at the Toll of 12,” New York Times, January 17, 1920.
“The reign of tears is over …” Daniel Okrent, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition (New York: Scribner, 2011), 2.
“Had to do it to save my cellar!”… “Buys Home to Save Cellar,” Los Angeles Times, January 12, 1920.
According to the census … US Census Bureau, Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920, population of Los Angeles, CA, precinct 188, sup. dist. 8, enum. dist. 443, January 2, 1920 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1921).
“He and the big St. Bernard… “ Minta Durfee, “The True Story About My Husband,” Movie Weekly, December 24, 1921.
He continued decorating the house … West Adams house details via Minta Durfee, unpublished manuscript, 53, Minta Durfee Arbuckle Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA.
the mammoth skeleton and innards of a Pierce-Arrow … “Conspicuous Consumption: Fatty Arbuckle’s Fabulous Pierce-Arrow,” Special Interest Auto, February 1990, 44-46.
“a special squad of police”… “Arbuckle’s Car Is a Genuine Knockout,” Los Angeles Times, May 2, 1920.
a dog wedding… “Arbuckle Held Without Bail as Murderer,” Chicago Tribune, September 12, 1921.
“a ‘spirited’ program …” “Mexican Halloween,” Los Angeles Times, October 30, 1920.
“It is evident that Fatty Arbuckle …” Review of The Round Up, Variety, October 10, 1920.
Passport application of Roscoe Arbuckle … Via National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC.
His bitter stepmother claimed… “Film Comedian Forgets His Two Blind Sisters,” Oakland Tribune, September 12, 1921.
marrying a former Ziegfeld Follies showgirl… “Arbuckle Marrying?,” Variety, November 19, 1920.
he literally missed the boat… Variety, November 26, 1920.
Arbuckle joked that he might… Ibid.
“Paris went wild…”Plays and Players, Photoplay, March 1921, 89.
Four thousand Parisians crowded… “Arbuckle Besieged,” New York Times, December 1, 1920.
he laid a bouquet on the spot… “French Receive ‘Fatty’ Warmly,” New York Herald, Paris ed., December 1, 1920.
a dinner attended by 150 British notables … New York Herald, Paris ed., December 6, 1920.
14. First Trial
“Now that the wave of insanity … “ “Plot Is Thinning,” Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1921.
“Enclosed in the following space… “ “The Arbuckle Case,” Moving Picture World, October 1, 1921, 513.
a screening in Sing Sing prison … “Sing Sing Bars Arbuckle Film,” New York Tribune, October 7, 1921.
“I want you to have explicit faith … “ Roscoe Arbuckle, letter to Joseph Schenck, October 1, 1921, Adolph Zukor Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA.
San Francisco detectives tailed Arbuckle … “Brady Sleuths Dog Arbuckle,” Los Angeles Times, November 10, 1921.
“A palatial residence was to be our home …” Minta Durfee, unpublished manuscript, 52, Minta Durfee Arbuckle Collection, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills, CA.
”We slept in separate bedrooms …” Minta Durfee, interview by Stuart Oderman, September 1969, in Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle: A Biography of the Silent Film Comedian, 1887-1933 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1994), 174.
the official story was that he had quit… “Chief Counsel Quits Case and Lauds Arbuckle,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 6, 1921.
“a million-dollar array of counsel”… “No Verdict Returned,” Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1921.
Rappe had left a daughter … “Daughter Is Left by Virginia Rappe,” Los Angeles Times, October 16, 1921.
“If [Rappe’s] estate is of any value … “ “Virginia Rappe Had a Daughter,” Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), October 23, 1921.
others in Chicago had more sensational tales … “‘Fatty’ to Get Depositions of 3 Chicago Witnesses,” Chicago Tribune, October 27, 1921.
lambasted the San Francisco prosecutor … “Ho, Hum, ‘Wild Parties’ Tame,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 1921.
Al Stein, an assistant director to Fred Fishback … “Dead Movie Man in Arbuckle Case,” Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), October 11, 1921.
Her estate consisted of … “Virginia Rappe Had a Daughter.”
Gobey’s Grill… “Case Up Today,” Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1921.
Jack Lawrence, the deliveryman … “Man Under Arrest Admits Vending Arbuckle Liquor,” Chicago Tribune, October 18, 1921.
What the microscope reveals … “Microscope’s Evidence May Determine Arbuckle’s Fate,” Evening Independent (Massillon, OH), October 31, 1921.
“a drugstore is a veritable laboratory … “ Eugene B. Block, The Wizard of Berkeley (New York: Coward-McCann, 1958), 32.
After obtaining a chemistry degree … Heinrich background and details of kidnapping case via Katherine Ramsland, “He Made Mute Evidence Speak: Edward O. Heinrich,” Forensic Examiner, fall 2007, 62—64.
Visiting the room on three occasions … “Microscope’s Evidence.”
“I’m certainly glad my trial…” “Arbuckle Ready for Trial,” New York Times, November 13, 1921.
headlines appeared such as … “Women May Try Arbuckle,” Toledo News-Bee, November 16, 1921.
“When the jury finally is completed… “ “Brady Bans Matron from Actor’s Panel,” San Francisco Examiner, November 17, 1921.
While the male occupations varied … “11 Jurors to Try ‘Fatty’ Passed by Attorneys,” Chicago Tribune, November 16, 1921.
McNab asked Dr. Arthur Beardslee … “Arbuckle’s Aim Short,” Los Angeles Times, November 20, 1921.
“I do not know what she was doing …” People v. Arbuckle, Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco, first trial transcript, 962.
Prevost recounted how … Ibid., 882—84.
“a big roll of money … “ “Zey Prevost
, Alice Blake in Witness Chair,” San Francisco Examiner, November 22, 1921.
When Blake returned to the stand … Ibid.
Al Semnacher told of seeing Rappe … People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 1043-45.
“No, no, oh my God!”… “Arbuckle’s Side Opens,” Los Angeles Times, November 23, 1921.
Edward O. Heinrich’s presentation … People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 1106-23.
a front-page headline would scream … “‘Avenger’ May Testify Against Arbuckle,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 30, 1921.
Delmont would be arrested… “Mrs. Delmont Held in Bigamy Charge,” Pittsburgh Press, December 3, 1921.
the defendant’s nervous tics … “Film Actor Is Nervous,” Los Angeles Times, November 19, 1921.
purposefully distracting himself … “Girls Help Arbuckle,” Los Angeles Times, November 22, 1921.
“There was but one feature …” “Name of Mrs. Delmont Out of Star’s Case,” San Francisco Examiner, November 20, 1921.
“Society women continue to make up … “ “Arbuckle Likely to Go on Stand in Own Defense,” Atlanta Constitution, November 25, 1921.
an article sympathetic to Arbuckle … Anthony Slide, Inside the Hollywood Fan Magazine: A History of Star Makers, Fabricators, and Gossip Mongers (Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2010), 157.
Screenland asked on its cover… “Is Virginia Rappe Still Alive?,” Screenland, December 1921, 20-21.
“The state has miserably failed… “ “Arbuckle’s Side Opens.”
Is it not an insult… “Arbuckle’s Battle On,” Los Angeles Times, December 2, 1921.
Arbuckle offered “girlie”… People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 1163.
was said to appear “thoughtful”… “Arbuckle, with Jury, Visits Scene of Orgy,” New York Tribune, November 24, 1921.
feasted on turkey stuffed with oysters … “Arbuckle Last Witness,” Los Angeles Times, November 25, 1921.
in the cold rain to a restaurant … “Film Folk Summoned,” Los Angeles Times, November 28, 1921.
Rumwell had been arrested … “Physician Is Held in Arbuckle Case,” Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1921.
In the latter group were… “Angelenos on Stand,” Los Angeles Times, November 26, 1921.
referring to himself as “Sherlock Holmes”… “Film Actor to Testify,” Los Angeles Times, November 27, 1921.
The defense had one final witness … Arbuckle testimony and courtroom behavior via People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 1659-89; “Film Actor on Stand,” Los Angeles Times, November 29, 1921; “Big Crowd Storms Hall of Justice to Hear Arbuckle,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 29, 1921; “Arbuckle on Stand, Denies Harming Rappe Girl, Says He Aided Her,” San Francisco Chronicle, November 29, 1921.
the deposition of Dr. Maurice Rosenberg … “Film Actor on Stand.”
the state began calling rebuttal witnesses … “Witness Is Arrested,” Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1921.
The final witnesses in the trial… “Jurors Get Case Soon,” Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1921.
the one centered on Irene Morgan … “Arbuckle’s Battle On”; “Nurse, Witness for Arbuckle, Found Poisoned,” New York Tribune, December 2, 1921.
the state’s closing argument… People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 2127—80; “Arbuckle’s Battle On.”
“She alternated their journeys …” “Arbuckle’s Battle On.”
McNab began the defense’s closing… People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 2188—268; “No Verdict Returned.”
It returned to the state … People v. Arbuckle, first trial transcript, 2271—93.
“It is considered a forgone conclusion …” “Death Threat Made Against Big Comedian,” Warsaw Daily Times, December 2, 1921.
headlines like the San Francisco Examiner’s … “Woman Votes Actor Guilty Says Report,” San Francisco Examiner, December 3, 1921.
saw Arbuckle joking with reporters … “Arbuckle’s Jury Hung,” Los Angeles Times, December 4, 1921.
Arbuckle played hide-and-seek … “Jury Fails to Agree,” Los Angeles Times, December 5, 1921.
“We had some wild times … “ “Jury 10 to 2 for Acquittal of Movie Star,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 5, 1921.
“We felt the case …” Ibid.
“The ten members of the jury … “ “Foreman of Jury Makes Statement,” San Francisco Examiner, December 4, 1921.
It was reported that he voted … “Woman Juror Balks Verdict for Arbuckle,” New York Tribune, December 5, 1921.
“It was the matter of fingerprints …” “Mrs. Hubbard Declares She Did Her Duty,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 5, 1921.
“The jury was subjected…” “Anent Mixed Juries,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 7, 1921.
“It is a fair presumption … “ “Possibly Old Fashioned But—,” Chicago Tribune, December 5, 1921.
“Regardless of the guilt or innocence …” “Juror Praised, Arbuckle Scored by Vigilants,” San Francisco Call and Post, December 7, 1921.
“I just want to congratulate… “ “Woman Juror Balks Verdict.”
“The poor boy”… Ibid.
“While this is not a legal acquittal …” “Arbuckle Says Juror’s Stand Real Acquittal,” San Francisco Chronicle, December 5, 1921.
15. Overture: 1921
Eight hundred fifty-four feature films . . .”The Dream Merchants: 1920—1928,” episode 3 of Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood, TCM documentary miniseries, November 15, 2010.
nearly 40 percent of Americans … Ibid.
“Last March I traveled on the same train …” O. O. McIntyre, New York Day by Day, Pittsburgh Press, September 28, 1921.
”Under the prismatic spell…” O. O. McIntyre, New York Day by Day, Reading Eagle, March 2, 1934.
“While most of us are struggling… “Notice for Brewster’s Millions, Logansport Pharos-Tribune, May 28, 1921.
“PGR His UNCLE SAMUEL …”Advertisement for The Dollar-A-Year-Man, Milwaukee Sentinel, April 24, 1921.
“Did you ever hear of slapstick drama?…” Review of The Traveling Salesman, The Shadow Stage, Photoplay, July 1921, 68.
“I can’t sleep nights …” Delight Evans, West Is East, Photoplay, June 1920, 44.
“It would be hard to imagine … “ Jesse L. Lasky with Don Weldon, I Blow My Own Horn (Garden City, NY Doubleday, 1957), 153.
Arbuckle’s recurrent speeding stops … “Fatty’s History Is Spectacular,” Los Angeles Examiner, September 11, 1921.
On April 15 Daniels arrived… “Out of the Past: Film Star Nabbed in Orange County,” Orange Coast Magazine, April 1985, 170-71; “Jail Term for Bebe Daniels,” Los Angeles Times, March 29, 1921; “Bebe Daniels Has Busy Day,” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1921.
Arbuckle appeared in the movie-themed comic … Strips reprinted in Fatty Arbuckle and His Funny Friends (Fantagraphics Books, December 2004).
a now-famous Ralph Barton caricature … “When the Five O’Clock Whistle Blows in Hollywood,” Vanity Fair, September, 1921, 50.
“Since he had made his fortune”… “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle Good to Family, Says Sister,” New York Tribune, September 14, 1921.
“I know of many cases …” Minta Durfee, “The True Story About My Husband,” Movie Weekly, December 24, 1921.
“Roscoe Arbuckle helped lead…” Plays and Players, Photoplay, May 1921, 80.
“Roscoe Arbuckle—not being much of a horseman … “Plays and Players, Photoplay, October 1921, 112.
“road-” standing in for “whore-” … “‘Fatty’ Not at Party in Roadhouse,” Los Angeles Times, July 13, 1921.
Mishawum Manor “chicken and champagne orgy”… Details of the event via “Tufts Gives Facts of Movie Dinner,” New York Times, July 28, 1921.
“The orgy was described as … “ “Can’t Find Providence Man Whose Name Was Used to Obtain Big Hush Money in the Tufts Scandal,” Providence News, Ju
ly 12, 1921.
Kingston was tried and convicted… “Attorney General v. Tufts,” Northeastern Reporter 132 (August 30-December 27, 1921): 331-34.
Paramount hush money … “Coakley Tells How He Spent Movie Men’s $100,000 Hush Fund,” Evening Tribune (Providence, RI), July 14, 1921.
Coakley admitted … Ibid.
removed Tufts from office … “Supreme Court Removes Tufts,” Boston Globe, October 2, 1921.
frequently described as a party in his honor… “District Attorney Pelletier and Three Boston Lawyers Are Before Court on Charges,” Providence News, September 30, 1921.
“Though the first reel was a riot…” “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle $50 Out After Having Real Fight,” Baltimore Sun, July 21, 1921.
a very different version of the Congress Hotel story … “Fatty’s History Is Spectacular.”
“the row [Arbuckle] had… “Louella Parsons, In and Out of Focus, New York Morning Telegraph, August 7, 1921.
“This is an actual photograph … “Advertisement for Omar cigarettes, Milwaukee Sentinel, August 3, 1921.
premiere of The Three Musketeers … “3 Musketeers Showing,” Los Angeles Express, September 1, 1921.
announced the local premiere of another film … “Gasoline Gus Arbuckle Show at Grauman’s,” Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1921.
16. Second Trial
“This case has put… “ “Arbuckle Home; Hits at Brady,” Los Angeles Times, December 7, 1921.
brooch and a $1,000 jeweled purse … “Fatty Arbuckle in Court Again,” Norwalk Hour, January 11, 1922.
“My wife has proven … “ “Arbuckle Broke, Plans to Return to the Movies Feb. 1,” Evening Independent (Massillon, OH), January 6, 1922.
the first trial cost… Ibid.
For its last two issues … Minta Durfee, “The True Story About My Husband,” Movie Weekly, December 24, 1921; Roscoe Arbuckle, “Roscoe Arbuckle Tells His Own Story,” Movie Weekly, December 31, 1921.
speaking with reporters in a corridor … “Arbuckle Fears to Lose Public Liking,” Evening News (San Jose), January 17, 1922.
“It was the day before …” Dashiell Hammett, “Seven Pages,” 1926 manuscript, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin.
“The whole thing…” Ibid.