How to Get Cancelled in Hollywood's Golden Age
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
History Hit
4.8 • 2.1K Ratings
🗓️ 29 May 2026
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How do you not only lose your own reputation and career, but also tank the reputation and freedoms of your entire industry?
Today we’re exploring the first real Hollywood scandal, when actor Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle was accused of assault and manslaughter.
Though he was acquitted in court, Arbuckle nearly lost everything. In recent years it has been argued that this was unfair, but we aren't so sure.
Kate finds out more in this episode with author and film critic Mick LaSalle.
This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. The producer was Stewart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.
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All music from Epidemic Sounds.
Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Do you want even more shocking and scandalous history? |
| 0:03.2 | Like why the ancient Greek statues had such small manhoods? |
| 0:06.8 | Or what went on behind closed doors in the Georgian era? |
| 0:10.8 | We'll sign up to History Hit, |
| 0:12.5 | where you can see me discover the scandalous side of history, |
| 0:15.3 | as well as hundreds of hours of original documentaries, |
| 0:18.7 | plus new releases every week, covering everything from prehistoric |
| 0:22.8 | Scotland to the Treaty of Versailles sign up to join me in locations around the world and explore |
| 0:29.2 | the past just visit history hit dot com forward slash subscribe hello my lovely betwixters it's me |
| 0:37.4 | kate lister how the hell are you doing welcome back to betwixters. It's me, Kate Lister. How the hell are you doing? Welcome back to |
| 0:40.1 | Betwix the Sheets. Hello, thank you for stopping by. How fabulous to see you once again. |
| 0:45.8 | But before we can go any further together, I do have to tell you, this is an adult podcast, |
| 0:49.0 | spoken by adults, to other adults, about adult things, an adulty way of covering arranged |
| 0:51.5 | adults, subjects, and you should be an adult too. Right, let's get on with it. |
| 1:09.2 | Thank you. about adult things, an adulty way you're going on to be an adult subject. You should be an adult too. Right, let's get on with it. It's 1921 Hollywood and we are at the home of a silent movie icon. |
| 1:13.5 | Roscoe Fatti R. Bbuckle, a master of physical comedy. |
| 1:19.3 | The house, no, not a house, a mansion has 20 rooms, |
| 1:23.2 | servants flitting about, serving every needs of the boss and his guests. |
| 1:27.3 | If you wanted to, you could play with the host's trusty Pitbull Luke or wait for the opportune moment to run a bubble bath in one of his gold leaf bath tubs, no less. |
| 1:34.2 | This place is the epitome of rich. |
| 1:38.0 | Arbuckle, with his fleet of cars, is on a million dollars a year, and that was in 1921, folks. |
| 1:47.0 | But the good times are not going to last. |
... |
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