Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood
Synonymous with infamy, Roscoe Arbuckle, otherwise known as “Fatty” Arbuckle, is a figurehead for the ushering in of the Hollywood Production Code and the perils of fame. Several books have capitalized on the lurid events that presumably happened in Room 1219 of the St. Francis Hotel over Labor Day weekend in 1921; Greg Merritt’s Room 1219 isn’t one of them. One of the more concise looks at the Arbuckle trial and its aftermath, Room 1219 seeks out the players behind the trail, from Roscoe and his friends to the victim, the often ignored Virginia Rappe.
Most classic film fans know the highlights: Roscoe Arbuckle, at the top of his game as a Hollywood A-lister, was staying at the St. Francis hotel over Labor Day weekend. Drinks were consumed, girls went in and out. Virginia Rappe, a star on the rise, ended up dead of a perforated bladder. What happened leading up to Rappe’s death is one of the great mysteries of Hollywood.
Merritt begins by detailing Arbuckle’s rise to fame and how his poor upbringing caused him to embrace the follies of money a bit more extravagantly than he should have. It’s a tall order to blend two different biographies, both Arbuckle’s and Rappe’s, inside a true crime mystery with an added dash of film history, but Merritt succeeds. Based on your pre-existing knowledge on any of these subjects, particularly the formation of Hollywood and the Code, you might be able to skip sections here or there but Merritt’s voice remains clear and brisk, never staying in one location long.
Regardless of how he gets there, the book’s main thrust is in recounting the Arbuckle trials and the possible ways to explain Virginia Rappe’s death. Arbuckle’s acquittal is well-known, but what isn’t is the mud-slinging and ways the press turned against him. Arbuckle was no saint in the matter – with questions swirling about his participation leading up to and during the events always in question – but he certainly knew how to play the game, having his wife attend the trial and generally apologizing for his past behavior. In our current world of rape culture, Arbuckle’s story is generally utilized in other Hollywood rape cases, but doesn’t fit the requisite profile.
Where Merritt gives the least, but compelling, new information is in regards to Rappe. Merritt himself says Rappe’s name has suffered more than Arbuckle’s, with various newspapers labeling her a hanger-on and promiscuous, but Rappe was more than that. She was wild, yes, but she also had aspirations of being a fashion designer and actress. It’s disheartening reading how nothing’s changed since 1921 in what defines a perfect rape victim.
It’s easy to hold up Arbuckle as the poster boy for the perils of rape claims in America, but Greg Merritt remains respectable though never at the expense of the facts. He details the end result of Hollywood hedonism, but the question is where the line should be drawn? Arbuckle, more than anything else, was punished for being an example of the debauchery the Code was so dead-set against. Room 1219 looks at all the pieces that made one of the cleanest check-mates in history.
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Kristen Lopez View All
A freelance film critic whose work fuels the Rotten Tomatoes meter. I've been published on The Hollywood Reporter, Remezcla, and The Daily Beast. I've been featured in the L.A. Times. I currently run two podcasts, Citizen Dame and Ticklish Business.
Ticklish Business 
It’s sad that Rappe still doesn’t seem to be getting the full attention she deserves in this story. I’ll admit I’m far from an expert on this case, but the one documentary that I saw talk about the scandal glanced over her point of view too coldly and off-handedly.
Her story deserves just as much attention as Arbuckle’s when it comes to this case, is what I’m trying to say.
It certainly does. Thanks for reading!
I came to know about this and many more through “The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals”.
Thanks for the review and I added this to my to the reading list.
Let me know what you think of it after you read it! Thanks for reading.
There is strong evidence that Arbuckle was truly innocent of doing any harm to Rappe, and it’s sad that his name and career may have been ruined if so. However, guilty or innocent, I also think it’s a shame that Rappe is basically a footnote in Arbuckle’s story.
From a historical perspective, I find the aftermath (the rapid decline in audience attendance to Arbuckle’s films) a fascinating example of the power of the American public. If contemporary audiences could realize the power they wield, they might change some of the current studio offerings for the better.
I’m glad to hear that there’s a move toward revising the history on this. A lot of what I’ve read in the past amounts to nothing less than “slut-shaming” Rappe, and turning Arbuckle into the victim.
I really enjoyed this book when I read it. Loved your review!
Thank you!!