THE SCANDALOUS FALL OF A HOLLYWOOD LEGEND!

say goodbye to hollywood

spirits, scandals, sins and the rise & fall of roscoe “fatty” arbuckle
by troy taylor (2025)

On Labor Day 1921, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, then at the height of his fame and fortune as one of the biggest comedy film stars in the world, hosted a party that ended in tragedy. That afternoon at San Francisco’s best hotel, he was alone in room 1219 with a little-known actress named Virginia Rappe. Four days later, she died and the resulting scandal not only forever changed the way that Americans would look at the bright lights of Hollywood and the faces that appeared on the silver screen but would lead to the shocking fall of the nation’s favorite “funny fat man” and hauntings that linger to this day.

Author Troy Taylor unravels the true story of Roscoe Arbuckle’s rise to stardom and his fall from grace, exploring the sensational sex scandal that ruined the reputations of everyone involved and created a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Drawing from records and newspaper archives, he reveals the story behind the headlines, revisits Arbuckle’s three criminal trials, and brings to life the glittering world of Roaring ‘20s California.

After more than a century of legends, lies, rumors, and speculation, the truth behind what happened on Labor Day 1921 can finally be told!

extra! extra! more about the book

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was a success story of the early days of Hollywood. He was more popular than Charlie Chaplin, and in 1921, he earned over $1 million a year. After a career as a child in vaudeville, he ended up in Hollywood, working for Mack Sennett’s Keystone Film Company. Fatty – as Sennett nicknamed him – made a fortune and signed contracts to act and direct, making a huge salary. He appeared in dozens of shorts and, in 1920, made his first full-length movie.

In January 1921, he signed a major contract with Paramount Pictures, which pushed him into an exhausting schedule that culminated in him filming three movies at once in the summer of 1921. By Labor Day weekend, Fatty was exhausted and made plans to go to San Francisco to relax over the holiday.

What started as a relaxing weekend turned into a wild three days of partying at the St. Francis Hotel with Fatty’s friends, actor Lowell Sherman, and director Fred Fischbach. Fatty paid for three adjoining suites on the hotel’s 12th floor, and the party kicked off on the third day with more booze and with the arrival of Fred’s friends, Al Semnacher, who was in San Francisco celebrating his pending divorce. He brought along Maude Delmont, a woman with a police record involving blackmail, prostitution, and swindling, as well as a small-time actress named Virginia Rappe.

It was Virginia’s death that weekend — under mysterious and still unclear circumstances — that made newspaper headlines around the world. The scandal that followed her death had nothing to do with her fame, or lack of it – it was the fact that she was at a party hosted by “America’s Funnyman,” Fatty Arbuckle. Her death would destroy Roscoe’s career and leave behind some tragic Hollywood ghosts.

Rumors, stories, and gossip quickly spread, and while none of the stories were true, it didn’t matter — the damage was done. Soon, churches and women’s groups across the country were crusading against Fatty. His films were pulled from general release, Paramount suspended him, and he was banned from the business before he even had a chance to defend himself.

Fatty was eventually put on trial three times by the District Attorney in San Francisco, but the mystery of what happened in that suite at the Hotel St. Francis has never been solved. To this day, rumors and legends still plague the case, which is why Troy Taylor returned to the original records and archives in search of answers. This book is the result of that search — a look back at classic Hollywood, silent films, Prohibition-era California, and the unexplained death of Virginia Rappe.

Don’t miss one of Troy’s favorite books — a true story of scandal, sin, and spirits who refuse to rest in peace, even after more than a century!