Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle had an interesting and varied career as a vaudeville monologist, musical comedy star, and silent film comedian, writer, director, and producer.

Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle had an interesting and varied career as a vaudeville monologist, musical comedy star, and silent film comedian, writer, director, and producer. He was also the subject of scandal, having been accused of rape and murder in 1921. Though he was never indicted on these charges and was acquitted of manslaughter, his reputation was tarnished and the incident is alluded to even today. This book draws upon extensive research to provide an objective record of his life and work.

The biography portion of the volume overviews Arbuckle's many accomplishments and sheds light on his controversial life. Much of the material in the book comes from exclusive sources, such as the tape-recorded memoirs of Arbuckle's first wife and the author's recent, lengthy correspondence with the comedian's third wife and widow. Also included are two interviews with Arbuckle from 1916 and 1931, and a 1931 article about the path of his career after his scandal. The bulk of the volume provides entries for Arbuckle's theater and film work. These entries provide cast listings, plot summaries, and critical commentary. An extensive annotated bibliography lists books and articles of additional interest.