Looking for Mabel Normand

 

ROSCOE ARBUCKLE’S

PLANTATION CAFÉ

by

MARILYN SLATER

June 27, 2009

In O.O. McIntyre column “New York Day By Day” that was published September 7, 1928 tells of the glorious opening night of the Plantation Café as a guest of Tom Mix. 

 

There seems to have been a Plantation Café before Roscoe Arbuckle opened his in 1928 as Eddie Frazier and his Plantation Orchestra recorded under the Sunset label among their hits were “Cheatin' On Me” and “Everything Is Hotsy” in 1925 and the article about Pauline Garon introducing the style of painting faces on bare knees at the Plantation in 1925 couldn’t have been at Arbuckle’s café as it was only opened in September 1928. http://looking-for-mabel.webs.com/kneeart1925.htm

 

 

Fatty Arbuckle opened his Plantation Café across the street from La Ballona School in Culver City; the City boundaries were so irregular they often cut through buildings. Cash registers were equipped with wheels so that police raids could be thwarted by changing from Los Angeles to Culver City jurisdiction and vice versa.

Arbuckle had returned from a not too successful trip to Paris where his stage performances were not well received, it was reported that he was booed off the stage.  Arbuckle returned home to Los Angeles trying again to re-establish a career.  In his 1928 incarnation he was the owner and master of ceremonies of his “Plantation Café”

 Enough time had past that although people remembered the episodes that had resulted in his retirement as a screen actor, they were happy to see a more mature and sedate entertainer.  A more polished and dignified Arbuckle not the jolly boy who lark about with Mabel Normand at Keystone.  However, when his theme song “Laugh Clown Laugh” was played he did one of his signature tumbles to the cheers of the crown of his friends and former colleagues and some eyes were damp at seeing their old friend in the spotlight once again.  

The waiters wore his ‘country boy’ costumes and were all over 200lbs and severed an opening night dinner of $10-a-plate, which in 2009 inflated dollars would set you back $120.00 per plate.

Mabel Normand was not able to attend as 1928 was a year of health decline for her but she did send a bigger than life replica of Roscoe in his overalls in flowers but a number of Arbuckle’s friends were there that opening night, happy to share his future and wish him good fortune.  After dinner, Arbuckle thanked his guest for coming and introduced the cabaret acts and than the fun really began. The evening according to McIntyre became extremely informal with Buster Keaton, Tom Mix, Al St. Johns, Jack Pearl and Arbuckle performing head-spins, flip-flops, face-slapping and funny-falls.  And yes, a waiter hurled a custard pie.  Tom Mix found Buster Keaton doing a high dive into his arms when he looked away. A grand time of ‘Tom Foolery” or as McIntyre described the evening “Low comedy at its depths and yet somehow through it all was Punchinello note of sadness – the clown who cannot laugh.”