Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and Mabel Norman, silent screen
comedy stars,
flank Mayor Jimmy Rolph on the steps of City
Hall,
under construction in 1915.
One of motion pictures' early stars, Fatty
Arbuckle ranked second only to Charlie Chaplin in popularity as a
film comedian. He was accused of killing a young actress, Virginia
Rappe, in September 1921, at the St. Francis Hotel during a wild
orgy.
His first two trials ended in hung juries. His
innocence was not declared until the third trial. By that time, his
reputation was ruined and many exhibitors banned his earlier movies.
He never acted in an American movie again, although he directed
several under the pseudonym "Will B. Good." |