American actor, dancer and vaudevillian. Tom Patricola was for five
years (1923-28) a leading comic with "George White's Scandals". Though
rather stocky and muscular, he excelled as an eccentric song-and-dance
man. He was particularly famous as a fleet-footed performer of the
"Black Bottom", accompanying fellow hoofer
Ann Pennington. Intent on getting
into the movies, Tom later joined Fox as a contract player. However,
his film career turned out to be somewhat desultory, and was largely
confined to two-reel comedy shorts for Educational. His few appearances
in better quality productions
(
Louisiana Purchase (1941),
Rhapsody in Blue (1945)) took
place when he was well past his prime, and these were merely bit parts
or cameos. Tom's sister, Isabella, was a noted vaudeville singer and
violinist.