Tom Patricola (January 22, 1891 – January 1, 1950) was an American actor,
comic
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
and dancer who starred in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
and motion pictures. Born in
, Patricola established his fame as a hoofer, becoming a leading interpreter of the
Black Bottom dance.
Besides excelling at
eccentric dances, Patricola also sang and played the
ukulele
The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings.
The tone and volume of the instrumen ...
.
Marketing himself as a novelty act, Patricola was described as a "mop gone crazy" as he danced while simultaneously singing and playing the ukulele. He was also a noted
clog dancer
Clogging is a type of folk dance practiced in the United States, in which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the downbeat with the ...
.
Career
His fame as a song and dance man was assured by five seasons as a headliner with ''
George White's Scandals
''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...
'', a Broadway musical revue, from 1923 to 1926 and 1928. He was noted for dancing the Black Bottom with
Ann Pennington in the 1926 version of ''Scandals''.
While employed by George White, Patricola was coached by the African American choreographer
Buddy Bradley
Harold "Buddy" William Bradley Jr.,Peter Bagge ''Hate'' #6, 1991 Fantagraphics; page 6, panel 3. generally referred to as Buddy Bradley, is a comic book character created by Peter Bagge and the main protagonist in several of his comic books, mos ...
.
With the advent of the talkies,
Fox Film Corp. signed Patricola on as a contract player. He made his movie debut in the comic musical ''
Words and Music'' (1929), which was the first credited screen appearance of
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...
(billed as "Duke Morrison"), but unlike The Duke, he never became a star, let alone a cinematic legend. From 1929 to 1931, he appeared in feature-length musicals and several Spanish-language versions of English-language pictures. After mid-1931, he began appearing in comic shorts made by the
Educational Film Corp. of America that were released by Fox.
Patricola made his last short for Educational in 1938. Thereafter, he only made two confirmed appearances in the movies, in uncredited bit parts. In the more notable of the two, (''
Rhapsody in Blue
''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...
'', 1945), he recreated the George Gershwin hit "
Somebody Loves Me
"Somebody Loves Me" is a popular song, with music written by George Gershwin, and lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva. The song was published in 1924 and featured in ''George White's Scandals'' of 1924.
This is not to be confused with ...
" that he introduced in ''
George White's Scandals
''George White's Scandals'' were a long-running string of Broadway revues produced by George White that ran from 1919–1939, modeled after the ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The "Scandals" launched the careers of many entertainers, including W. C. Fie ...
'' of 1924. He made one final appearance on Broadway in the musical-comedy ''Hold Your Horses'', which ran for 88 performances in 1933. He reportedly appeared in George White's 1932 Broadway revue ''Music Hall Varieties''.
Death
Patricola died on New Year's Day, 1950 in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
, aged 58, after undergoing brain surgery. His sister,
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
Places
United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpor ...
, had a successful career in vaudeville as a singer and violinist. She recorded the song "Somebody Loves Me" in 1924.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
1891 births
1950 deaths
American male film actors
American male dancers
American male comedians
Vaudeville performers
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from New Orleans
Eccentric dancers
20th-century American comedians
20th-century American dancers
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