Fatty Arbuckle Books

I, Fatty is a truly wonderful read. Loving silent film and partial to historical novels, I expected to enjoy this novel; not only did I thoroughly enjoy it, but as I read the final page I felt happy in the knowledge that Stahl - more than 80 years after the fact - had given Roscoe Arbuckle a voice with which to comment on the horror show that passed for a fair trial.

Vibrant writing is enhanced by thorough research of the silent film era and its star, with Stahl recreating the era, vividly capturing both the naivete and decadence of early Hollywood. You don't have to be a silent film fan to enjoy and appreciate this well-written, fast paced novel; I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great read.

Wow - I have just finished this book and am in absolute awe of it!!! What a terrific recreation of the life and times of Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, silent screen comic legend extraordinaire. Stahl does a wondrously good job taking the reader from Fatty's heartbreaking childhood in impoverished Smith Center, Kansas; his love-hate relationship with his alcoholic, abusive father; his years as a struggling vaudevillian; his accidental and amazing triumph as comic master of the silver screen and his ultimate downfall, framed for the rape and murder of "B" movie starlet, Virginia Rappe. Jerry Stahl is a marvellous writer and he gives fine, sympathetic voice to Fatty and makes him come alive for the reader. While it is a wonderful account of Fatty's life, it also gives an invaluable insight into the fledgling movie industry, with many anecdotes about Mack Sennett and the Keystone Studio, industry titans like Adolph Zukor and Joe Schenck and his fellow thespians like Mabel Normand, Wallace Reid, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Fatty's treatment by the press and the American public is incomprehensible when viewed over 80 years after his trial and I am amazed that he came through the trauma of it as well as he did. All in all, this is a fabulous book, beautifully written. A skilful blend of fact, pathos and humour and sure to please almost all who read it. It richly deserves the raves it has received.

Being a native San Franciscan, I've always been fascinated by the "real" backstory on the Arbuckle scandal. Jerry Stahl's novel takes you back to a time where the true person and his/her Tinseltown facade were as separate as California is from Florida. The first-person narrative style is great, told in the "lingo" of the day. I recommend this book highly.

"I, Fatty" by Jerry Stahl brings some much deserved notice and attention to Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, one of the greatest silent film comics to ever grace the screen.
Stahl has written a fictionalized account of Roscoe's reminiscing over his life, the beginning, the ups and downs and the tremendous fall he took for a crime he didn't commit, and Hollywood turning its back on its once Golden Boy.
Stahl's writing is fresh, funny, tragic and full of appropriate terms and slang for the early 20th century. You'll relive the glory days of early cinema, before income taxes, before world war, when actors, although considered lowly, were still gods and goddesses of their universe. As a reader, you will become entranced by Roscoe's story, even fictionalized - - this big man, so full of talent and yet lacking self-esteem, giving so much to the industry and becoming their censorship scapegoat.
But at the same time, it is clear this is a work of fiction. Roscoe Arbuckle was never a heroin addict. And this one creative license puts a slight taint on the whole tale, lest Mr. Arbuckle be remembered as a poor heroin addict. At least Mr. Stahl makes it clear that Mr. Arbuckle was an innocent victim in Virginia Rappe's death.
Overall, this book was a pleasure to read, despite the heroin allegations. Real gems from the silent era, such as Mabel Normand, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Joseph Schenck, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Gloria Swanson and even Bob Hope come alive in the pages. It's a quick and easy read and worth every moment spent turning the pages. Even knowing the sad outcome of Mr. Arbuckle's career and life after that Labor Day of 1921, the book will still keep you anxious to turn the page and read on.
Hopefully this book will help to shed light on the previously untapped genius of Roscoe Arbuckle, and give him some well deserved new fans.
Recommended.

First of all, I have to make it clear that Jerry Stahl's book I, FATTY is not about Roscoe Arbuckle. It is rather a novel about a fictional silent film comedian given Arbuckle's name. It seems quite obvious to me that Stahl's interest in Roscoe is based upon a fascination concerning the murder which never took place and the terrible trials rather than his importance as a comedian during the childhood of motion-pictures.

The main incidents from Arbuckle's life are here: the heavy boy who was abused by his father as a child, hired at Keystone in 1913, and quickly became one of the most popular comedians on the screen, until an awful scandal destroyed his career in 1921. He was declared innocent a half year later, but by then the audiences had already abandoned him.

Yes, most of the incidents in the novel are actually true; what's seldom true is how the incidents are described. After Roscoe's mother died while he was a child, his brutal father William began abusing him terribly; during a period he even wisped him. But no biography I've read covering the life of Arbuckle has mentioned that William screamed to him that he had "ruined her womanhood" and that he was guilty in her death.

Another imporant factual error is Roscoe's relation to drugs. While at the peak of his success, he got a serious sickness in his legs, which gave him enormous pains and his doctor feared that he could never be cured(which, fortuantely, turned out to be wrong). He was recommended by his doctor to use morphine a while to smother the pains, which he did; however, when declared healthy again he stopped and, as far as we know, never tried it again. In Stahl's book, on the other hand, "Fatty" is a serious abuser of drugs until his death.

It didn't surprise me then, that the comedian in I, FATTY died of an overdose of, exactly, drugs, which is far from true. According to his third wife Addie, he died quietly of a heart attack in his bed.

I didn't find Stahl's "Fatty" to be very sympatethic, either; he's constantly sarcastic and rarely says anything good about neither himself or anyone else when, in fact, the real Arbuckle actually described Charlie Chaplin as "the only comic genius of our time" and was overall a lovely person, according to most soures; a man with flaws, but one you'd like to be friends with.

Johnny Depp called this book "the true skinny on Fatty." Depp is a very good actor, but I doubt he knows very much about Arbuckle inasmuch as he claims this; I must admit I hope he doesn't make a movie about the comedian based on this book, which he says he'd like to.

This, however, doesn't make Stahl a bad writer. The book has some very clever lines and is overall a highly enjoyable novel, absolutely. But one must not take it as a biography about Roscoe Arbuckle, because it isn't. To you who want to know the true story, I recommend Stuart Oderman's biography; to you who simply are in the mood of fascinating entertainment, I recommend Jerry Stahl's I, FATTY.

I am About halfway through this book but it is well written , informative and definitely holds your attention. I decided to get this book after reading Jerry Stahl's novel" I ,Fatty" so I could get more factual info on Roscoe Arbuclkle and this book delivers!!!

If you want to know more about Roscoe than just the infamous scandal you should read this book. Roscoe had a very sad childhood and as a result he was not the "Clown Prince" off camera at all times. A very complex man, Roscoe was generous to his friends to a fault, he and Buster Keaton were well known pratical jokers and these stories are told. This book also talks about the health, alcohol and drug problems that plagued Roscoe. We have much to thank Roscoe for, not only was he a great comedic talent, he was at one time mentor to Buster Keaton. You have to keep reminding yourself that this is written with Minta Durfee's assistance and so it tends to skip through Roscoe's live after Minta.

Even today, 85 years after the incident, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle is better known as the very first victim of a Hollywood scandal rather than the master comedian he actually was. If you ask a stranger on the street who Fatty Arbuckle was, you will either get the answer "Oh yes, that's the fat comedian who raped and killed a young girl, isn't it?" or, if you are more lucky, "Who is that?"

This is a tragedy. The fact that Arbuckle's fans abandoned him back in the early 1920's is awful enough in itself (he WAS completely innocent in the death of the young actress), but what's even worse is that he still is compared to scandals of today, involving stars like Michael Jackson, etc.

But there is hope -- Arbuckle's talent has recently been celebrated in a wonderful DVD box including more than thirty of his short films, and a three-hour long documentary is on the way.

This book, ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE A BIOGRAPHY OF THE SILENT FILM COMEDIAN by Stuart Oderman, which was first published in 1994 and reprinted last year, is another triumph. It includes details about Arbuckle's childhood which was very sad --his mother died when he was five, his alcoholic father abandoned him when he was twelve, and, mainly because of his heavy weight, he had no friends-- and about his early stage career. The book is not only about Arbuckle -- it is about the whole era. You get the feeling that you actually is around Arbuckle all the time while you are reading. The scandal is described to last detail, but what's also described to last detail is Arbuckle's 23 year long movie career, from his first few one-reelers at Selig to his six Warner Brothers talkie shorts.

Arbuckle's relationship with women is also an important part of the story. Roscoe is known to have been very shy towards women (despite the fact that he actually was married three times), and Oderman explains, with deep understanding, Arbuckle's fear of women, why he could not (or at least very rarely) feel comfortable with their company. What's also very interesting to read about is the relationship between Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand (you've probably heard that they had an innocent, sweet romance which lasted some years before it gradually dissolved...well, that's not the cause!) and Buster Keaton's early movie career.

Oderman used years to interview several people who knew Arbuckle, among them Minta Durfee, who was Arbuckle's first wife and who played his leading lady in several of his early Keystone-films.

Instead of reading the new I, FATTY-novel by Jerry Stahl, which widely has got pretty good reviews, I recommend Stuart Oderman's biography. This is the true story of a master comedian and kind man -- and, although this is not a novel, you easily get the feeling that it is while you are reading.

It has a few weaknesses; at times, I think Oderman focuses a little too much on Arbuckle's bad sides. However, Roscoe was also a human being and none of us are saints. Oderman tells a lot about how generous Roscoe could be at times, too. The book also has some factual errors -- for example, it's stated here that Arbuckle appeared in three Warner Brothers shorts in the early 1930's; the correct number is six.

Anyway, all in all these flaws are quite minor, and ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE: A BIOGRAPHY OF THE SILENT FILM COMEDIAN is highly recommended from me to anyone who appreciate the comedies of the charming comedian, and to you who simply want to know the true story behind him.

My wife and I both had Mr Oderman as an english teacher at barringer high school. we have both read this book and it introduced me to a whole new world of comics. It even made me a fatty Arbuckle fan. E.R.Smith & Saaberah Smith

I had high hopes for this book- particularly given the $30 price tag. Don't get me wrong, I am more than willing to pay more for a good product. Unfortunately, there are several "little" problems that add up to a less than stellar experience. The first thing that struck me when I received the book was how thin it was. Now at 255 pages, it's not exactly a pamphlet but most of the other biographies that I own for silent film stars are more substantial. My real issues started within the first few pages. The text states that Arbuckle made 3 sound shorts in 1933 as part of an attempt at a comeback. Not true. Arbuckle made a total of 6 shorts in 1932-1933. The short that the text says was the first short made was in fact the LAST one made. Elsewhere, the text states that Buster Keaton gave up $250/wk on a show in exchange for $40/wk to work with Arbuckle and he considered the pay cut a small price to pay for his apprenticeship with Arbuckle. Keaton, if fact never bothered to ask initially how much he would make working with Arbuckle. There are other minor examples I could site. This may seem nitpicky of me but if these basic facts are incorrect and/or misleading, I am left to wonder what else in incorrect or misleading. There are also several typos throughout the book- not a big deal but one more minor thing that detracts from the work. I also noticed that on several occasions an incident that is sited in one chapter is sited again in the following chapter without adding anything to the retelling; it gives the impression of a school child told to write a 1000 word essay and repeats himself to reach the word requirement.

On the bright side, I have this to say about the book: It is certainly better that the Stahl book out there that, though a self proclaimed fictional work, many take to be more biographical than they should. Oderman's book is a balanced, non-sensationalized account of Arbuckle's life. Also I was pleased to see excerpts of interviews with Minta Durfee(Arbuckle's first wife). It was informative to read her take of events in her own words. Much of this material I have not seen elsewhere. In the end I enjoyed reading the book very much but I am left wondering how much of the material is accurate.

Andy Edmonds' book about Roscoe Arbuckle's murder trial during the 1920s is an exceptional read for fans of the silent movie era. Not only does it include information about Arbuckle's life before and after the trial, but it includes details provided from those who knew him best including his wives and the wife of Buster Keaton.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was one of the most beloved silent movie comedians of his time. His popularity soared before Chaplin or Keaton had really made it on their own. Children loved him for his wonderful prat-falls and large physical presence, and adults loved him for his sweetness and his ability to make anyone laugh. That all changed when a small time actress and well known prostitute Virginia Rappe died at a party thrown by Arbuckle. Her death was called murder, and Arbuckle was accused of having raped the girl so brutally that he ruptured her bladder in the process. The media turned the trial into a frenzy, making Arbuckle the scapegoat of Hollywood, in turn leading to the implementation of the Hays Office.

What this book fails to do is entirely convince the reader that there was a pre-conceived conspiracy against Arbuckle. Edmonds makes a fool-proof plea for the comedian's innocence of the crime he was charged with, further supporting the acquittal with hindsight, but she does not provide enough evidence to prove her assertion that the party in San Francisco was all a set-up. Still, it is a fascinating read on one of the most damaging events in the actor's life.

I can't really see a point to this book. It brings nothing new to the Arbuckle story, and the writing is weak. There's nothing here that wasn't covered in more detail -- and better -- in David Yallop's "The Day the Laughter Stopped."

Being a longtime fan of Buster Keaton and his pal Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, I had to pick this up. This story has all the requisite Hollywood characters and themes; the millionaire star, the bigamist old shrew out for money and blackmail, the Hollywood "Party Girl" with a past, a prosecutor with an eye on reelection instead of justice, witnesses threatened, illegal booze...it's all here. Arbuckle's career was ruined in a scandal. Ruined is not the correct word. Imagine a raw egg hitting a brick wall, and you get some idea of Arbuckle's life that Labor Day weekend back in '21. Arbuckle was innocent, but that didn't stop unscrupulous people from using him as a scapegoat for the "sins of Hollywood". This book also contains the only actual version of what REALLY happened. Arbuckle evidently related the actual story to very few people. Read on, the answer's at the end!

Don't let the sensationalistic-sounding title throw you -- this is an EXTREMELY well-written and compelling book about Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, the silent film comic who was wrongfully accused of rape and murder. A wonderful, funny man lost his career and his good name -- all because his Hollywood bosses wanted to save a few bucks. This book is well worth the out-of-print wait!

Andy Edmonds does an admirable job in detailing the tragic life of one of Hollywood's first and foremost comic actors, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Long before Lloyd, Langdon, Keaton, even Chaplin, there was Arbuckle. Aside from precursors Max Linder and John Bunny and a very few others who were brilliant innovators in their own right, Arbuckle was the first great American comic star of silent film. From 1912 to 1921 Arbuckle was the reigning king of slapstick. Incredibly agile for a 280 pounder, Arbuckle did wonderful comic pantomime and made dozens of memorable shorts with silent comedy legends like Mabel Normand, Minta Durfee, Al Saint John, and his best friend, Buster Keaton as his sidekicks. As we all know, Arbuckle, who wanted more autonomy on his own productions, was framed by greedy, spiteful studio heads (including Paramount chief Adolph Zukor) on a frumped up rape charge. The incident allegedly occurred at an infamous 1921 party in a San Francisco hotel. Of course, it was all a lie. Roscoe, targeted for his insubordination to the totalitarian studio system--- was unjustly persecuted as the poster boy for Hollywood hedonism and excess. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Most studio executives at the time lived self-indulgent lives that would make the inhabitants of Soddom and Gemmorah blush. Worst of all, Arbuckle was completely innocent of the phoney charges of rape. Spiteful over Roscoe's switching studios, certain detestable movie executives paid a bigamist and professional correspondent ("Bambina Maude Delmont") to testify against him on the fabricated rape charge. The alleged rape victim ----Virgnia Rappe (ironic first name, isn't it)---died as a result of internal hemmoraging. While Delmont claimed Rappe's death was due to Arbuckle's shoving a bottle inside her (an incident conveniently witnessed solely by the correspondent), medical results proved her death was actually due to a botched abortion she had recently received. Rappe was an infamous Hollywood [lady] who had had more abortions than even she could remember. She was also being treated for an advanced case of venereal disease. Most telling of all, she was known for attending parties, getting stoned, ripping off her clothes, and running into the streets crying "rape." After enduring three separate trials, and despite his eventually being found not guilty in a court of law, in the court of public opinion Fatty's career was utterly destroyed. He was labled a "fat pervert" by ignorant mobs who were susceptible to the vicious vitriol leveled at him by pseudo-moralist studio executives whose only real concern was saving their own asses and preserving their financial bottom lines. The once beloved comedian was literally spat on by men, women, and children who should have known better than to fall prey to the slander perpetrated by corrupt Hollywood mogols. Roscoe's films were pulled from circulation. His contracts were all cancelled and his name became associated with all that was rotten in Hollywood. Of course, the moguls who destroyed him continued on making millions. After the tragic 1921 episode Arbuckle was basically blacklisted in the industry and had to turn to directing under the pseudonym "William Goodrich." But even then jobs were few and far in-between. He longed to return to making people laugh on the screen but his popularity never rebounded even after he was allowed to return to acting. Roscoe's final years were sad, and he turned to the bottle. His Hollywood friends, particularly Buster Keaton, stood by the man whom he described as being "very shy, naive, and innocent." Keaton, in particular, fought to have studios give his friend work. But by the late 1920s Arbuckle was all but forgotten except as the cruel butt of tasteless jokes. Arbuckle never understood how or why he came to be so despised. When Roscoe died in 1933, Keaton said the cause was a broken heart. I enthusiastically recommend the purchase of this well-researched and well-written biography. At the time she was working on this biography on Roscoe, Andy Edmonds had already established a fine reputation for herself as the biographer of another tragic Hollywood legend, Thelma Todd. But this book is extra special. Why? Because it helps to publicly exonerate a wronged human being simply by revealing the truth. Arbuckle was a good, kind man who was actually very well-mannered and a gentleman around women----assuredly more gentlemanly than the hedonistic moguls who daily employed the casting couch as their unique version of "screen testing" of young starlets. Keaton put it best when he said that Roscoe was too naive for his own good. In honor of Roscoe Conklin Arbuckle's memory, I will end this review by stating that Roscoe was a great man and a great talent. He was always embarrassed when people referred to him as "Fatty." He deserved better. Here's to you, Roscoe.

After reading this (and other Arbuckle books)
I've realized there is a moral to the story.
If someone becomes violently ill at a party
you're hosting......
send them to the hospital.
V. Rappe's bladder infection could have been treated,
and she would perhaps have lived, and Arbuckle's
career might have survived.

Andy Edmonds' book about Roscoe Arbuckle's murder trial during the 1920s is an exceptional read for fans of the silent movie era. Not only does it include information about Arbuckle's life before and after the trial, but it includes details provided from those who knew him best including his wives and the wife of Buster Keaton.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was one of the most beloved silent movie comedians of his time. His popularity soared before Chaplin or Keaton had really made it on their own. Children loved him for his wonderful prat-falls and large physical presence, and adults loved him for his sweetness and his ability to make anyone laugh. That all changed when a small time actress and well known prostitute Virginia Rappe died at a party thrown by Arbuckle. Her death was called murder, and Arbuckle was accused of having raped the girl so brutally that he ruptured her bladder in the process. The media turned the trial into a frenzy, making Arbuckle the scapegoat of Hollywood, in turn leading to the implementation of the Hays Office.

What this book fails to do is entirely convince the reader that there was a pre-conceived conspiracy against Arbuckle. Edmonds makes a fool-proof plea for the comedian's innocence of the crime he was charged with, further supporting the acquittal with hindsight, but she does not provide enough evidence to prove her assertion that the party in San Francisco was all a set-up. Still, it is a fascinating read on one of the most damaging events in the actor's life.

Roscoe Arbuckle was one of the most popular comics of the silent film era, but it was inevitable that he would fall from grace and in a round-about way, he brought a lot of it on himself. The author clearly points out that Roscoe was well on the way to self destruction. He was a frequent buyer of bootleg booze during the era of prohibition. He was in trouble with the IRS and despite his million dollar a year salary, his reckless spending was already out of control. Its even been suggested that cocaine was involved at some of the big parties that Arbuckle had. Then comes Virginia Rappe and Maude Delmont, two Hollywood whores with $ signs in their eyes and larsony in their hearts. They saw the opportunity to make some cash and didn't care who they destroyed to get it. Delmont was hardly a stranger to the criminal world and Rappe was a well known slut with several abortions under her belt (No pun intended) Accusations of rape (with a Coke bottle no less)during a wild party was the begining of one of the biggest trials in California legal history. Equally appalling is how self righteous, sanctimonious and moralistic Hollywood became after the scandal broke. Most of the big name directors had round-the-clock mistresses and readily consorted with gangsters like Capone. Arbuckle would be aquitted of the charges, but the damage had been done. Forced to direct under an assumed name (William B. Goode and Reel Comedies) Roscoe faced a hard climb uphill and died on the verge of a comeback.

Andy Edmonds' book about Roscoe Arbuckle's murder trial during the 1920s is an exceptional read for fans of the silent movie era. Not only does it include information about Arbuckle's life before and after the trial, but it includes details provided from those who knew him best including his wives and the wife of Buster Keaton.

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle was one of the most beloved silent movie comedians of his time. His popularity soared before Chaplin or Keaton had really made it on their own. Children loved him for his wonderful prat-falls and large physical presence, and adults loved him for his sweetness and his ability to make anyone laugh. That all changed when a small time actress and well known prostitute Virginia Rappe died at a party thrown by Arbuckle. Her death was called murder, and Arbuckle was accused of having raped the girl so brutally that he ruptured her bladder in the process. The media turned the trial into a frenzy, making Arbuckle the scapegoat of Hollywood, in turn leading to the implementation of the Hays Office.

What this book fails to do is entirely convince the reader that there was a pre-conceived conspiracy against Arbuckle. Edmonds makes a fool-proof plea for the comedian's innocence of the crime he was charged with, further supporting the acquittal with hindsight, but she does not provide enough evidence to prove her assertion that the party in San Francisco was all a set-up. Still, it is a fascinating read on one of the most damaging events in the actor's life.