Fatty Arbuckle and His Funny Friends

(Fantagraphics, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Marilyn Slater

Fatty (Roscoe) Arbuckle was a popular star on the vaudeville circuit before he graduated to movies. Despite his rotund appearance, he was capable feats of grace and agility and became major comedy star in silent movies. He worked alongside such legends as Charlie Chaplin and Mabel Normand and had appeared in 40 movies by 1914. But his career was severely damaged in 1921 when a young woman at one of his parties died under mysterious circumstances. He was charged in connection with her death but was completely exonerated. Nevertheless, a cloud of suspicion hung over him until he died in 1933.

This magazine collects comic strips that were printed in a publication named Kinema Comic in England in 1921. The strips, which are now in public domain, featured leading motion picture stars of the time. The “humor” is very fundamental and unpretentious, indicating exactly what situation or turn of events is supposed to be funny. These strips are definitely a product of its time and to some extent, its country. Although Fatty Arbuckle was an American star these strips portray him as an Englishman with dialogue like, “Right y’are me old blossom!”

— George Haberberger

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