The Fatty Arbuckle case (1962)

"I want to open a nightclub in Hollywood," said Arbuckle. Til entertain in it" Sargent was flabbergasted. "Public opinion won't shut me down if it's my club. Ill fight them." Sargent said he couldn't do it on that kind of money. But in a few weeks, Arbuckle found two partners. It wasn't hard to do the way the stock market was booming. Arbuckle opened The Plantation Club in Culver City. The decor was wild, the music bouncy, the entertainment sophisticated. Arbuckle was host and entertainer. He added a chorus line and used actors to help with his skits. Drinks were made strong and the box office jumped. Arbuckle added more adult jokes: "A little dog looked up at a parking meter and said, Hell, you gotta pay now!' " "A large truck had a sign, 'Watch my behind, not hers!' " "There was an ad in want ads which read, 'Young lady seeks job as secretary. Willing to struggle if given a chance.'" The club was a big success. He got the big spenders, the movie men who were big earners. Arbuckle, for once, played it cool. He saved his money. But he kept trying to get a job in films. In fact he never stopped trying. The night club drew no public protests. It was possible the people didn't object to the comic in that setting. In fact, one night he noticed in the audience the secretary of a Moose Club that had personally protested his film making. Arbuckle enlarged the club and profits mounted— until the critical days of the stock market collapse. He wasn't caught in the crash— he had no money in stocks— but the heavy spenders couldn't spend anymore. They just didn't have it. After six months of half-filled rooms, Arbuckle could see the writing on his night-club wall. He decided to get out while he still had some money. It was a wise move. Business— all business— fell off badly and didn't stop slipping. The night club business was 153