An oversized yet surprisingly agile comic, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (1887-1933) was one of the silent screen's best-loved performers before scandal dimmed his star. Born in Kansas, Arbuckle performed in carnivals before entering films as an extra in 1908. Joining Mack Sennett's Keystone Cops in 1913, he rose to stardom in a series of comedy shorts, performing with Mabel Normand, Ford Sterling, Chester Conklin, Charlie Chaplin and others. He soon was writing and directing many of his own films as well as those of other comics. Setting up his own production company in 1917, he produced many comedies of his own and gave Buster Keaton his break in films.

In Fatty Joins the Force (1913), Arbuckle wins a position on the police force by saving the Police Commissioner's daughter, then gets into trouble due to a case of mistaken identity. Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day (1915) is one of several films Arbuckle made with Normand that use their names in the title; they play a man and woman who are married to others and develop a friendship that makes their spouses jealous. The title for Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition (1915) is self-explanatory, with the two playing a married couple and Fatty being distracted by some hula dancers. Coney Island (1917) has Fatty masquerading as a female at the beach, with Keaton cast in a double role as a rival for a pretty girl and, later in the film, as a cop.

The silent feature Leap Year (1921), starring Arbuckle as a wealthy Californian who is pursued by beautiful women despite his bulky physique, was never released. As it was being prepared for distribution, the scandal broke that brought a temporary halt to his career. During a party thrown by Arbuckle in San Francisco, an actress named Virginia Rappe was seized by convulsions. She later died of a ruptured bladder, and Arbuckle was accused of manslaughter allegedly resulting from a sexual attack. After two hung juries, Arbuckle was acquitted. But in the meantime his films had been banned, and the notoriety surrounding the incident helped create the atmosphere that led to the establishment of the Hays Office as a means of self-regulation and censorship in the film industry.

Unable to appear on the screen, Arbuckle began directing other stars, including Keaton and Al St. John, under the pseudonym William Goodrich. In 1932 he finally began acting again in a series of comedy shorts for Warner Bros. He showed much of his old spirit and comic finesse, and the success of the shorts led to a contract to make more feature films. Unfortunately, Arbuckle died in his sleep, at age 46, the night after he signed the contract.

The films in TCM's salute to Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle airing on 1/5 are Fatty Joins the Force (1913), A Flirt's Mistake (1914), The Knockout (1914), Leading Lizzie Astray (1914), Fatty and Mabel at the San Diego Exposition (1915), Fatty and mabel's Simple Life (1915) and Fatty's Chance Acquaintance (1915).

The program on 1/12 will consist of Fatty's Faithful Fido (1915), Fatty's New Role (1915), Fatty's Plucky Pup (1915), Fatty's Tintype Tangle (1915), Mabel and Fatty's Married Wife (1915) and Mabel and Fatty's Wash Day (1915).

by Roger Fristoe