Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood, Greg Merritt (3.5)
For those unaware (or just too young), Fatty Arbuckle was a contemporary of Charlie Chaplin in silent movies who was very famous at the time, but due to a scandal (in Room 1219!) he was one of the first ‘cancelled’ celebrities. Prior, those in Hollywood enjoyed a private life that could be quite different from their on-screen personas. The mystery and trials around the death of the actress Virginia Rappe was one of the first times where the curtain was pulled back and the viewing public let their imaginations run wild. I particularly liked how the author walked through the trials and evidence, described the times before the incident and after and ultimately gave his opinion on what actually happened using only reliable background information. In many ways, the pre-internet celebrity had an easier time, though cancelled is still cancelled.
I have been fascinated by this case since childhood, growing up as I did surrounded by studios and "industry" people. I shall definitely have to read this! I've always been on the side of Arbuckle......let's see if my beliefs change!
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