Virginia Rappe

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Zelliene Virginia Rappe (Template:IPAc-en; July 7, 1891 – September 9, 1921)[1] was an American model and silent film actress. Working mostly in bit parts, Rappe died after attending a party with actor Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who was accused of manslaughter and rape in connection with her death, though he was ultimately acquitted of both charges.

Early life and career

Virginia Rappe was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 7, 1891 to a single mother, Mabel Rappe. Mabel died when Rappe was aged 11.[2] Rappe was then raised by her grandmother.[3]Template:Sfn

At age 18, she began working as a commercial and artist's model,Template:Sfn moving to San Francisco, California, to pursue this career in 1916. There she met dress designer Robert Moscovitz and they became engaged, but shortly afterward he was killed in a streetcar accident.Template:Sfn

Rappe moved to Los Angeles, where in early 1917 she was hired by director Fred Balshofer and given a prominent role in his film Paradise Garden,[4] opposite screen star Harold Lockwood. Balshofer hired her again to costar with early drag performer Julian Eltinge and newcomer Rudolph Valentino in Over the Rhine.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". This film was not released until 1920, when Balshofer recut it and released it under the title An Adventuress, and later in 1922, after Rappe's death, as The Isle of Love.[5] She was named "Best Dressed Girl in Pictures" in 1918.Template:Sfn

In 1919, Rappe began a relationship with director and producer Henry Lehrman. The couple eventually became engaged and lived together, but in the United States Census of 1920, the young actress is listed as a "boarder" in Lehrman's home in Los Angeles.[6] Rappe appeared in at least four films for Lehrman: His Musical Sneeze, A Twilight Baby, Punch of the Irish and A Game Lady. However, since many of Lehrman's films are lost, the exact number of roles she performed for him cannot be determined.

Following Rappe's death, rumors arose, supposedly to besmirch her character, that she had given birth in Chicago in 1918 and put the baby in foster care. These rumors were proven false by autopsy.[7]

Death

File:Virginia-Rappe-Coffin-1921.jpg
Rappe's casket arrives in Los Angeles, September 17, 1921.
File:The American florist - a weekly journal for the trade (1921) (17957015190).jpg
Casket of Virginia Rappe

The circumstances of Rappe's death in 1921 became a Hollywood scandal and were heavily sensationalized by the media of the time. During a party held on Labor Day, September 5, 1921, in Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle's suite at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, Rappe allegedly suffered a trauma. She died four days later on September 9 from a ruptured bladder and secondary peritonitis.[8] She is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles alongside her fiance Henry Lehrman.[9]

File:VirginiaRappe creditStaceyPalmer TheSilentFilmCemeteryProject.jpg
The gravesite of Virginia Rappe (with incorrect birth year) at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, maintained by The Silent Film Cemetery Project

The exact events of the party remain unclear, with witnesses relating numerous versions of what happened. It was alleged that Rappe had died as a result of a violent sexual assault by Arbuckle. Arbuckle's accuser, Bambina Maude Delmont, had accompanied Rappe to the party; she had first met Rappe only a few days earlier.Template:Sfn Delmont, however, had a police record for extortion, prostitution and blackmail.[10] Subsequent witnesses testified that Rappe had for some time suffered from cystitis, a condition which could have been aggravated by consuming alcohol.[11] Witnesses also testified that Rappe had previously suffered from venereal disease, so there were allegations that her death was brought on by her health rather than by an assault, however her autopsy revealed no sign of venereal disease or any current or prior pregnancies.[10]

After three manslaughter trials, Arbuckle was formally acquitted; his acquittal in the third trial was accompanied by an unprecedented statement of apology from the jury stating, in part, that, "Acquittal is not enough for Roscoe Arbuckle. We feel that a great injustice has been done him... there was not the slightest proof adduced to connect him in any way with the commission of a crime."[12] Nevertheless, Arbuckle's reputation and career were ruined because of the scandal.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes <templatestyles src="Template:Tooltip/styles.css" />Ref.Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
1916 The Foolish Virgin Salesgirl Uncredited bit part Template:Sfn
1917 Paradise Garden Marcia Van Wyck Lost film Template:Sfn
1918 Wild Women and Tame Lions Lost film; allegedly uncredited
1919 Template:Ill

[13]

1920 A Twilight Baby
1920 An Adventuress Vanette Reissued in 1922, heavily re-edited, as The Isle of Love

[5]

1920 The Kick in High Life Uncredited
1920 Wet and Warmer Undetermined role Uncredited
1921 The Punch of the Irish The Object Of Attention
1921 A Game Lady Undetermined role

See also

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References

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Sources

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Further reading

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External links

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  1. ↑ Notorious Crimes, Criminals and Criminal Trials in American History Template:ISBN p. 30
  2. ↑ Slapstick Divas: The Women of Silent Comedy Template:ISBN p. 1967
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ "The Fourteenth Census of the United States: 1920", City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, enumeration date January 10, 1920. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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