Pioneering silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle — whose career was ruined following charges that he raped and murdered actress Virginia Rappe in 1921 (he was acquitted) — is getting a proper biopic treatment in the HBO movie The Day the Laughter Stopped , with Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet set to star. The tragic story will be spun by John Adams scribe Kirk Ellis, with Barry Levinson attached as director. Seems like a perfect storm of talents; I just wish HBO titled it something a little more Arbucklian, like Fatty’s Big Murder or Mabel’s Confounding Demise . [ Vulture ]

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Eric Stonestreet to Play Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle in New HBO Movie