Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle

Made films the shows talk about.

Counted as director, the making department they hold the most credits in. The films the hosts said they directed, which the two lists below run through too: Sherlock, Jr. (1924).

Draws on

What the speakers say they, or a film of theirs, drew on. Each is a speaker's account: “the maker said so” when they report the maker's own words, “the host's read” when the read is theirs.

Houdini: 1 line

  1. unmapped (borrowed magic bits) · through Sherlock, Jr. (1924), which they directed: Houdini ⇒ Sherlock, Jr. (the host's read). The dream sequence let Keaton use vaudeville and Houdini-style magic bits in a movie grounded in reality.
    “there were magic bits that he knew from vaudeville, from Houdini and other magicians”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 0:53:54 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)

Merton of the Movies (stage play): 1 line

  1. lineage (possible source) · through Sherlock, Jr. (1924), which they directed: Merton of the Movies (stage play) ⇒ Sherlock, Jr. (the host's read). Keaton had seen a satiric play that may have given him the idea of a story set around a movie theater.
    “there's a satiric play apparently called Merton of the movies.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 0:53:06 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Rudolph Valentino: 1 line

  1. unmapped (namesake) · through Sherlock, Jr. (1924), which they directed: Rudolph Valentino ⇒ Sherlock, Jr. (the host's read). The villain is called the Sheik after Valentino.
    “the sheik's so named because a la Rudolph Valentino.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 1:07:31 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Drawn on by

What the speakers say drew on them or a film of theirs, marked the same way.

What's Up, Doc? (1972): 1 line

  1. lineage (homage) · through Sherlock, Jr. (1924), which they directed: Sherlock, Jr. ⇒ What's Up, Doc? (the host's read). The Chinese-dragon bicycle chase in What's Up, Doc? is a complete homage to the stag-party sequence.
    “The bicycled Chinese dragon sequence and what's up dog is complete homage to this sequence.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 1:38:39 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

What the speakers said they did

Directing (1) everyone in directing

Other (1) everyone in other

What was said about them, by kind

people (1)

  1. people (co-director): Sherlock, Jr. → Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle. Arbuckle was brought on as co-director and given the pseudonym William B. Goodrich, then edged out.
    “this is the movie where he came up with uh, William B. Goodrich, which was his, like, nom de plume for directing, uh, Freddie Arbuckle.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 0:55:49 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

unmapped (1)

  1. unmapped (reassignment): Roscoe (Fatty) Arbuckle → The Red Mill. Keaton's memoir says he and others conspired to get Arbuckle a job on The Red Mill, though historians say the dates do not fit.
    “conspired to get him a different job on a different movie called the Red Mill.”
    Blank Check with Griffin & David · Sherlock Jr. / The Navigator with James Urbaniak · 0:57:44 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)

Fun items about them

None.