ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE - AUTOGRAPH NOTE SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: KEN KLING - HFSID 156122

ROSCOE "FATTY" ARBUCKLE; KEN KLING
Handwritten note from Arbuckle, and - on verso - original art by Ken Kling featuring his cartoon characters Joe and Asbestos
Autograph Note signed: "To Amelia/Sincerely Yours/Roscoe Arbuckle", 5x3½ album leaf. On verso is original art signed: "Ken Kling". His original drawing of his cartoon characters Joe and Asbestos, with Joe shown singing "I'd like to steal ya." Joining Mack Sennett's Keystone Kops in 1913, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (1887-1933) quickly rose to stardom in a series of short silent film comedies with such costars as Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin and Chester Conkling. From 1916, he wrote and directed many of his own films as well as some of the other stars of comedy. In 1921, at the peak of success after signing a huge contract with Paramount Pictures, Arbuckle's career was ruined by a sexual assault scandal. After three trials, two hung juries, and an acquittal, Arbuckle was found innocent but public opinion forced Arbuckle's retirement from the screen. He made a brief comeback under the alias William Goodrich (he signed a six-film contract with Warner Bros. in 1932 and a feature film contract in 1933), he passed away. Syndicated newspaper cartoonist Ken Kling (1895-1970) drew "Joe and Asbestos" from 1926 until his death in 1970, interrupted in the late 1920s when he crafted another strip, "Windy Riley." "Joe and Asbestos" was popular because the public believed it contained genuine racing tips. In fact, Kling knew nothing about horse racing, and yet the "tips" proved astonishingly accurate!  Lightly creased and soiled. 3¾-inch tear repaired with tape. Show through from cartoon touches part of "Sincerely", the "e" of Roscoe and all of last name. Show through at blank areas, heavy at blank right margin. Two foil stars affixed at blank areas.