A short survey of the notable yet also tragic career of Fatty Arbuckle, both a warm and endearing comic, and a subtle director.

Fatty Joins The Force
A typical Mack Sennett short, full of the obvious kind of knockabout slapstick for which Arbuckle is (erroneously) remembered.

• (1914, 10 mins, silent, Print courtesy of W.K.E.)

Waiter's Ball
“Working away from Sennett's influence, Arbuckle starred in and directed this delightful film .... The material may be what Sennett wanted, but the treatment is peculiarly Arbuckle's, warm, comradely (tending the audience into his confidence via a knowing wink, like Oliver Hardy) and also with a delightful sense of cameraderie in the slapstick mayhem with Al St. John. The film also gives Arbuckle an opportunity for his famed dame masquerade.” -W.K. Everson

• Directed by Fatty Arbuckle. Produced by Mack Sennett. With Fatty Arbuckle, Al St. John. (1916, 25 mins, silent, Print courtesy of W.K.E.)

Leap Year
“Unreleased, uncopyrighted, totally suppressed because of the scandal, this is a fascinating oddity. Although it shows clear signs of Arbuckle's control some of the time, it is also typical of that period (before Keaton, Lloyd and Chaplin had switched to features) when a kind of snobbery relegated sight gags to 2-reelers, and believed that feature comedies should be more sophisticated. This is really Adolphe Menjou or Raymond Griffith territory, with only the occasional bravura visual sequence for Arbuckle to display his grace and virtuosity. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable frolic, with some excellent location work on Catalina Island.” -W.K. Everson

• Directed by James Cruze. Produced by Paramount. Photographed by Karl Brown. With Fatty Arbuckle. (1921, silent, 70 mins, Print courtesy of W.K.E.)

Buzzing Around
“After more than ten years of virtual banishment, and limited directorial opportunities under pseudonyms, Arbuckle was able to get back into a series of slapstick two-reelers, filmed at Warner's Brooklyn Studios - and in the streets of Brooklyn. This is the best of that series, reuniting Fatty with Al St. John, and showing that his abilities and his invention were still unimpaired. Moreover, he looked good, and there was nothing wrong with his voice. He might well have re-established himself, but sadly he died soon after this film was made.” -W.K. Everson

• Directed by Alf Goulding. Produced by Warner Brothers. With Fatty Arbuckle, Al St. John. (1933, 20 mins, Print courtesy of W.K.E.)