IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

If you are only familiar with Roscoe “Fatty”Arbuckle in relation to the Hollywood scandal that destroyed his career (despite his innocence), you are missing out on the work of one of the finest comedians of the silent era.  Arbuckle was one of the few actors that could share the screen with Charles Chaplin (most notably in the 1914 short The Rounders) and not be completely overshadowed; and Buster Keaton considered Arbuckle to be a both a friend and a mentor.  Roscoe Arbuckle launched Keaton’s film career by hiring him as a gag man and supporting comic in a series of knockabout short comedies between 1917 and 1920.  During that time Keaton learned the mechanics of filmmaking from Roscoe, eventually becoming a second director on the Arbuckle shorts.  Without Arbuckle’s tutelage and willingness to share the spotlight with Buster on screen, Keaton would not have been able to advance to star status in his own short comedies when Arbuckle took the leap to full-length features.

Surprisingly, when Roscoe Arbuckle made the move to feature-length films, he decided to depart from the formula that made him a star.  Arbuckle had began as a stage actor and singer, performing material that ranged from straight dramatic roles to vaudeville variety acts.  While the public saw him as “Fatty,” the lowbrow, slapstick clown, Roscoe knew he was capable of more and was eager to prove it.  In features, Roscoe largely discarded knockabout slapstick, in favor of light comedy that emerged organically from the character and situations.  What’s more, he was more than happy to step out of his safety zone.  Consequently, Arbuckle’s first feature was, of all things, a Western drama.

In The Round-Up, Arbuckle stars as Sheriff William Henry Harrison Hoover, known affectionately to the townspeople of Lone Pine as “Slim.”  Despite Slim’s rotund figure (Arbuckle often topped out at 300 pounds), he is an able lawman who is both quick-witted and fast on the draw.  Slim Hoover is respected by the townspeople, but the love of a good woman eludes him, and much of the plot is concerned with a couple of melodramatic love triangles.  Still, there is no shortage of action, as Slim is forced to tangle with a half-breed bandit (familiar, plug-ugly Wallace Berry) and a band of Indians renegades in order to clear a man of a murder he didn’t commit.

While The Round-Up would be categorized as a Western drama, Arbuckle does injects a little light comedy into the story — most prominently when he struggles with a store-bought suit to attend a friend’s wedding.  However, for most of the running time, he plays it straight.  In doing so, he proves to be an able dramatic actor and an effective action star.  Arbuckle is so light on his feet and is so physically adept that it is easy to buy him as a Western hero.  Whether playing for comedy or playing it straight, Arbuckle was an actor that the camera loved.

Whenever Arbuckle or Berry are on screen, the movie sings.  Unfortunately, the romantic subplots are pretty pedestrian and many of the supporting actors don’t make much of an impression.  In fact, the two more conventional leading men in the film, Tom Forman and Edward Sutherland, wisely left acting for more distinguished careers as movie directors.  Audiences also have to allow for some minor racism (in that Berry’s character is automatically assumed to be a villain due to his mixed blood), which was not unusual for films of the period.  However, even when the story sags during the Arbuckle-less portions of the narrative, the audience can still enjoy the beauty of this 100 year-old film.

Producers did not skimp on the production of The Round-Up.  Rather than filming on the studio lot, the cast and crew traveled to Lone Pine, California, for a more authentic feel.  It is the first of 300 Westerns to be shot on the location (which is still used for movie production to this day).  The natural setting greatly enhances the authentic feel of the Western and the beauty of the camerawork.

The Round-Up was a hit upon its original release, and Arbuckle’s subsequent features were also well received by audiences and critics.  Unfortunately, Roscoe’s acting career was put on hold in September of 1921, when he was arrested and charged in the death of actress Virginia Rappe (who died after attending a party Arbuckle was hosting).  Despite being exonerated of all charges (Rappe’s death was due to a medical condition exacerbated by alcoholism), Arbuckle was banned from the screen for several years, and his silent features were unseen by audiences for decades.

While I had viewed several “Fatty Arbuckle” short comedies over the years, The Round-Up was the first of Arbuckle’s features that I had the pleasure to watch.  It has made me eager to see the rest.  The Round-Up may be an unusual change of pace for the comedian that audiences loved as “Fatty,” but it works.

USA/B&W-70m./Dir: George Melford/Wr: Tom Forman (based on the play by Edmund Day)/Cast: Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle, Mabel Julienne Scott, Irving Cummings, Tom Forman, Jean Acker, Edward Sutherland, Wallace Berry, Guy Oliver, Jane Wolf, Lucien Littlefield, Fred Huntley, George Kuwa, Buster Keaton 

For Fans of: The Round-Up should appeal equally to fans of silent Westerns (of the William S. Hart variety) and to silent comedy aficionados.

Video: The Round-Up has been released as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack by CineMuseum LLC, the company responsible for the fantastic 3-disc Blu-ray box set, The Mack Sennett Collection, Vol. One.  The presentation of The Round-Up is just as impressive as their prior release.  The picture has been window-boxed to avoid any loss of the image, and it is incredibly sharp and clear for a film produced in 1920.  Most of the scratches, speckles, and other signs of age have been digitally removed, without disturbing the natural film look.  The video also features the best application of color tinting (which is accurate to the film’s original theatrical presentation) that I’ve seen in a silent film restoration.  Such care has been taken in the presentation, that I feel I should quote the restoration description from the included booklet:

“The Round-Up has been digitally transferred and restored by CineMuseum LLC using the beautiful 35mm preservation negative which was generously provided by the Paramount Archives and The Library of Congress – National Audio Visual Conservation Center.

The 4K transfer was executed with a Lasergraphics Scanstation pinless scanner.  This unit was selected for its excellent image reproduction and its gentle handling of unique archival materials.  The digital restoration work included image stabilization, dirt, line, and scratch removal, as well as various other proprietary digital processes to help minimize the appearance of age and wear contained within the original motion picture material.

According to original production notes, the climatic desert battle sequence was originally toned (or possibly tinted) with a sepia color which provided an arid, sun-baked quality.  The producers suspect that the night sequences may also have been toned.  Unfortunately, at some point during this film’s life, the original tinting and toning were lost, possibly when the film was preserved to a black and white negative stock.  As such, CineMuseum has carefully recreated the sepia toning effect for the desert sequences and incorporated a stunning duotone blue color for the night scenes.

We believe that this presentation is as close to that which audiences first experienced during the original 1920 release as modern technology is able to recreate.”

CineMuseum LLC is currently at work on The Arbuckle Anthology, a Blu-ray collection, featuring new HD restorations of fifty Arbuckle films, ranging from his earliest screen appearances through his final works of the 1930s.  Based on the quality of the presentation of The Round-Up, that upcoming collection should be truly definitive.

In addition to containing the restored presentation of the film, the Blu-ray and DVD discs include:

• A new piano score composed and performed by Donald Sosin which ably supports the story.
• An audio commentary from author and film historian Richard M. Roberts.  Roberts is occasionally a bit manic in his delivery, but the track is well-researched, entertaining, and informative.
• Two new restorations of Arbuckle’s earliest Keystone comedy shorts: A BANDIT and PEEPING PETE (both 1913), featuring new organ scores composed and performed by Dennis Scott.
• a gallery of original theatrical posters, lobby cards, glass slides, stills, programs, and memorabilia
• PLUS: A full color booklet featuring production information, restoration notes, and more!

My only criticism regarding the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is that it is housed in a standard DVD case, rather than a more compact Blu-ray case.  This is really just a matter of personal taste, since the vast majority of the videos on my shelves are Blu-rays.  I have no complaints whatsoever about the contents of the discs themselves.

Streaming: The Round-Up was unavailable on any streaming platform at the time of this review.

More to Explore: If you can’t wait for CineMuseum LLC’s The Arbuckle Anthology, you do have other Arbuckle home video options.  Paul Gierucki, the restoration director of The Round-Up, previously released the 4-DVD set The Forgotten Films of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, featuring 31 Arbuckle films.  The 5-disc Blu-ray box set Buster Keaton: The Shorts Collection 1917-1923 contains the Arbuckle shorts that co-starred Buster Keaton.  Finally, the Warner Archive Collection has included the final six sound short subjects that Arbuckle made before his untimely death (at age 46) as part of the 2-DVD set The Vitaphone Comedy Collection Volume One – Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle/Shemp Howard (1932-1934).

Trivia: Keep an eye out for a Buster Keaton cameo in the climatic action sequence of The Round-Up.  Keaton played the part of an Indian and did a stunt fall as a favor to his good friend.

For More Info: The new book, Rediscovering Roscoe: The Films of “Fatty” Arbuckle by Steve Massa, is a film by film examination of Arbuckle’s work as a performer and director.