Roscoe Arbuckle Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Roscoe Arbuckle was born March 24, 1887, in Smith Center, Kansas and he was an American silent-film actor, comedian, and director whose work helped shape early screen comedy. He was widely known by the nickname “Fatty,” a stage name he later discouraged.

Arbuckle began his performing career in vaudeville during his teens and entered the film industry in 1909 when he joined the Selig Polyscope Company. He soon moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked under Mack Sennett and became one of the studio’s leading comic performers. Arbuckle appeared in numerous Keystone comedies, often performing his own stunts, and partnered frequently with actors such as Mabel Normand.

In 1917 Arbuckle formed his own company, Comique Film Corporation, working with producer Joseph Schenck. During this period he directed and mentored Buster Keaton, who made his screen debut in Arbuckle’s The Butcher Boy (1917). Arbuckle starred in and directed a series of successful short films, including Out West (1918), The Bell Boy (1918), and Back Stage (1919). In 1920 he signed a contract with Paramount Pictures and transitioned to feature-length films, including The Round-Up (1920) and Brewster’s Millions (1921).

Arbuckle’s career was interrupted in September 1921 when he was accused of manslaughter in the death of actor Virginia Rappe. He underwent three highly publicized trials; the first two ended in hung juries, and the third resulted in acquittal. Despite the acquittal, the scandal led to a temporary ban on his films and a significant decline in his acting career.

Beginning in the mid-1920s Arbuckle returned to filmmaking primarily as a director, working under the pseudonym William Goodrich. He directed numerous comedy shorts for Educational Pictures and other studios. In 1932 he began acting again in a new series of comedy shorts for Warner Bros. On June 29, 1933, the day after signing a contract for a feature film comeback, Arbuckle died of a heart attack in New York City.