Barry Cassidy Rare Books -

2005 T Street Sacramento, CA 95811-6823 (916) 456-6307 bcrbooks@ix.netcom.com

Arbuckle, Minta Durfee and Addie Shelton Collection of Original Letters Describing Their Marriages to the Actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (b. 1887--d. 1933) was a silent movie comedian who achieved star status before his career was derailed by his connection to a sex scandal in the 1920's. His first wife, Minta Durfee Arbuckle (b. 1889--d. 1975) was a star in silent film comedies (1914-16) playing opposite Charlie Chaplin. She was married to Arbuckle from 1908 to 1918, when they separated. They were divorced in 1925. Addie Sheldon (b. 1905--d. 2003) was Fatty Arbuckle's third wife and was married to him from 1932 until his death. Sheldon was a Hollywood movie actress, using the stage name Addie MacPhail, from 1925 to her retirement in 1940. The collection of letters is written to Robert Young, Jr., an author who was working on a biography of Arbuckle, whifch was published in 1994. Summary of the collection: Minta Durfee Arbuckle. 17 letters (11 typed letters signed, 6 autograph letters signed. 33 total pages. Also: Photocopy of tape recorded recollections of her marriage to Fatty Arbuckle. 214 pages. The letters and tape recording were done in 1958, while Young was under contract with the literary agent Carleton Cole to work with Minta to produce a biography of Arbuckle. This project eventually fell through. The letters refer frequently to the tape recording and Minta uses them to emphasize points, make corrections and answer Young's questions. Addie Sheldon. 27 autograph letters (31pages) signed and six page typescript prepared by Young and corrected in holograph by Sheldon. In her letters Sheldon provides Young with information about the last two years of Arbuckle's life. In the process, even though it has been over 60 years and Sheldon is in her early 90's, she possesses a sound mind and a great memory. Robert Young. The collection also contains Young's own retained photocopies of the letters he has written to both Minta and Addie. These letters show the effort and scholarship Young put into his biography of Arbuckle, which was published by the Greenwood Press in their "Bio-Bibliography" series. Condition: Fine. Silent Movie Actors. Hollywood. Letters and Mauscripts (Book ID 8146) $3,750.00

Back to Home Page