Pat DiCicco | |
---|---|
Born |
Pasquale DeCicco February 14, 1909 Queens, New York, U.S. |
Died | October 24, 1978 New York, New York, U.S. |
(aged 69)
Other names | The Glamour Boy of Hollywood |
Occupation | Agent, Movie Producer |
Spouse(s) |
Thelma Todd (m. 1932–1934; divorced) Gloria Vanderbilt (m. 1941–1945; divorced) Mary Jo Tarola (m. 1953–1960; divorced) |
Pat DiCicco (February 14, 1909 – October 24, 1978) was an agent and movie producer, as well as an alleged mobster working for Lucky Luciano. He married and divorced both Thelma Todd and Gloria Vanderbilt. He was a cousin of Albert R. Broccoli and gave him his well-known nickname "Cubby."
Todd's marriage in 1932 to DiCicco was particularly unstable and frequently erupted in drunken brawls, one of which resulted in a broken nose for DiCicco and an emergency appendectomy for Todd.
At 17 years old, Gloria Vanderbilt went to Hollywood where she married DiCicco in 1941. DiCicco proved to be a temperamental and abusive husband who called her "Fatsy Roo," and regularly beat her. "He would take my head and bang it against the wall," Vanderbilt said. "I had black eyes." They divorced in 1945.
DiCicco is alleged to have been involved in an altercation with comedian Ted Healy just before the latter's death in 1937.
A source alleged that actor Wallace Beery, producer Albert R. Broccoli, and Broccoli's cousin, agent/producer Pat DiCicco beat Healy so badly that he fell into a coma and died. While there is no documentation in contemporaneous news reports that either Beery or DiCicco was present, Broccoli admitted that he was indeed involved in a fist fight with Healy at the Trocadero. He later modified his story, stating that a heavily intoxicated Healy had picked a fight with him, the two had briefly scuffled, then shook hands and parted ways. In other reports, Broccoli admitted to pushing Healy, but not striking him.
There is disagreement over whether Healy died as a result of the brawl or due to his well-known alcoholism. Due to the authorities' disinterest in investigating Healy's death, an autopsy was not performed until after Healy's corpse had been embalmed; rendering the examiner's note that Healy's organs were "soaked in alcohol" and useless in determining a cause of death.
Following the autopsy, the Los Angeles county coroner reported that Healy died of acute toxic nephritis secondary to acute and chronic alcoholism. Police closed their investigation, as there was no indication in the report that his death was caused by physical assault.