Silent Film Actor Fatty Arbuckle’s Scandal Explained

Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual assault. Please read carefully.

Roscoe Conkling Arbuckle, better known as Arbuckle the Fatwas one of the greatest silent film actors of the early 20th century. The round-faced, stocky actor began acting at an early age in theaters and vaudeville shows. In his mid-20s, he signed with the Keystone Film Company run by producer and director Marck Sennett, aka the “King of Comedy.”

Arbuckle was known for his versatile acting skills and comedic chops. Audiences loved his facial expressions and his slapstick sense of humor, which came naturally to him. He signed a three-year contract with Paramount to appear in 18 silent films, and was to be paid $1 million a year (about $17.5 million in today’s money)—a rare offer at the time. Biographer Stuart Oderman described Arbuckle’s greatness by saying, “He was the guy who discovered Buster Keaton and helped mentor Charlie Chaplin. He had magical comic timing. He was one of the greatest of all time.”

Unfortunately, Arbuckle was involved in what many consider to be Hollywood’s first scandal, and he was never able to restore his reputation.

Labor Day

Arbuckle was the picture of success. He had hundreds of films to his credit, a million-dollar contract, a fleet of cars, a mansion in Los Angeles, and hordes of adoring fans. By September 1921, several of his films were being shown in theaters, and the actor decided to take a much-needed break from work by attending a party in San Francisco thrown by his friend Fred Fischbach.

Arbuckle, Fischbach and another friend, Lowell Sherman, went to the luxurious St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco on September 5 to spend Labor Day. Fischbach booked three adjoining rooms, 1219, 1220 and 1221, on the 12th floor. It was Prohibition, but this was not a party without alcohol. According to Arbuckle, Fischbach was the one in charge of everything, including the guests, one of whom was model and actress Virginia Rappe.

Rappe was with his friends, Maude Delmont and Alfred Semnacher. The drinks were flowing, the guests were dancing and everyone was having a good time. What happened next is unclear, as the testimonies of the witnesses were contradictory. What is certain is that this was the beginning of Arbuckle’s downfall.

The Allegations Against Fatty Arbuckle

At one point during the evening, Rappe was heard screaming in pain in room 1219. Guests entered the room and a doctor was called to help the actress, who was clearly in distress. The doctor stated that she was suffering mainly from the effects of alcohol. Rappe was given morphine, but her condition did not improve. Despite this, it was not until three days later that she was taken to hospital, where she died on September 9. The cause of her death was peritonitis (swelling of the abdomen) caused by a ruptured bladder.

According to Arbuckle, he had planned to leave the party and go sightseeing before the incident occurred. He headed to his room, 1219, to change when he saw Rappe vomiting in the bathroom. He then helped her clean up and put her to bed to rest, thinking she was just drunk, but she was tearing off her clothes. Arbuckle went back to the party in the other room, but when he returned, he saw her on the floor, still in pain. He said that’s when he went to get help.

Rappe’s friend Delmont, however, has a different version of what happened. She said she saw Arbuckle lead Rappe into her bedroom and tell her, “I waited five years for you, and now I have you.” Rappe’s screams were then heard minutes later. Delmont claimed she tried to enter the bedroom, but the door was locked, and when Arbuckle opened it, she saw her friend naked. She said Arbuckle sexually assaulted Rappe, and she heard her scream, “I’m dying. He did it.” Delmont told authorities that Arbuckle’s heavy weight ruptured Rappe’s bladder during the assault.

Arbuckle was charged with first-degree murder—later upgraded to manslaughter—the day after Rappe’s death, and he turned himself in at the police station. Meanwhile, newspapers had a field day with the scandal. Arbuckle was called a “beast” and his party was described as an “orgy.” Theaters stopped showing Arbuckle’s films, and Paramount stopped paying him his checks. Other studios added morality clauses to their contracts, stipulating that stars would not be paid if they “lost the respect of the public.”

Fatty Arbuckle’s Trials

At Arbuckle’s first trial, the prosecution accused him of drugging Rappe, taking her to his bedroom, and sexually assaulting her, puncturing her bladder in the process. Some witnesses corroborated this account, but they were not clearly heard under cross-examination. Arbuckle testified and was forthright about speaking his mind. He said he was simply trying to help Rappe, whom he assumed was extremely intoxicated. A nurse at the hospital where the actress was taken testified that Rappe had told her she had been in pain for weeks before the party. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and ultimately voted 11 to 1 for acquittal. The trial ended in a mistrial.

The second trial took place a few months later. It was largely a repeat of the first trial, but the defense chose not to have their client testify. This was detrimental to the defense, as the jury was unable to hear Arbuckle’s version of events in his own words. Still, the trial ended in another mistrial, this time with the jury voting 9–3 in favor of conviction.

The third trial began in March 1922. Arbuckle took the stand again to give his version of events. More information came to light during the trial. Some prosecution witnesses admitted that the prosecutor had coerced them into testifying. Delmont, who was adamant that Arbuckle had sexually assaulted Rappe, had a shady reputation. She had been accused of bigamy and fraud. She was known as Madame Black and would send women to extravagant parties and have them accuse men of sexual assault so she could blackmail them for money. Her account of the party also contained inconsistencies. Just two days before Rappe’s death, Delmont sent a letter to her friends saying, “We have Roscoe Arbuckle in a hole here for a chance to make money off him.”

Witnesses also said they had seen Rappe intoxicated before and that she had a tendency to undress when drunk, even in the presence of others. Relatives of the actress also said she had long suffered from chronic cystitis, also known as painful bladder syndrome. The coroner’s autopsy report showed there was no evidence that Rappe had been assaulted “in any way.”

The jury deliberated for just over five minutes and returned a verdict of not guilty. In addition, they had a letter of apology for Arbuckle. They stated that the acquittal was not sufficient and that he should be exonerated of the crime. The letter said in part: “There has not been one shred of evidence adduced to connect him in any way with the commission of any crime. He has been manly throughout the case and told a simple story on the witness stand, which we all believed.” They stated that what happened to Rappe was unfortunate, but that there was no evidence that Arbuckle was responsible.

Big Arbuckle never got over it.

In December of that year, the cancellation of Arbuckle’s film screenings was reversed, but the damage was already done. Arbuckle had a hard time returning to film after the scandal. Instead, he worked in the shadows as a screenwriter and director under the name William Goodrich, but his reputation in Hollywood was never the same.

In 1932, Arbuckle appeared in two successful talkies for Warner Bros. This led to his signing with the studio in 1933, and after signing, he celebrated his birthday with his friends. Sadly, Arbuckle died of a heart attack in his sleep that night, aged just 46.

If you know someone who is experiencing sexual violence, contact RAIN or the National Sexual Abuse Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.

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