SAUGUS — Paul D’Angelo has gathered other comedians for a fundraising event at Giggles Comedy Club Thursday in support of Patty Ross.
“Patty was one of the best comics to come out of Boston. She was a great stand up,” D’Angelo said. “I got her started 35 years ago.”
D’Angelo explained that he had been working as an assistant district attorney in Essex County and had set aside a couple of days to do a trial. He had given some cases to a man named Fred Cronin, former supervisor of the district court.
“He came in one morning and said, ‘I met this really funny woman at the Porthole Pub last night. And I told her she’s so funny, she should be a stand up comedian.’”
Ross had responded that she had always wanted to be a stand up comedian and Cronin had mentioned D’Angelo as someone who could help her out.
“He gave me her number and for some reason the case continued or pleaded out…I had a couple of hours and I called up Patty Ross and said ‘You know, if you want to come down and meet at Brody’s Pub in Peabody, I’ll get you started,” he said.
All it took was this one meeting for D’Angelo to know Ross could be something.
“I told her the day you can become yourself on stage, you’re going to be a big success, because she was such a unique personality, such a naturally funny woman. I got her on stage, and she took off from there and became a fantastic stand up,” D’Angelo said.
But Ross’s true passion, he said, was acting. “She moved out to LA. In fact, I was so close to her I used to stay with her in LA for weeks at a time. And when I moved out to Hollywood for six years, I lived basically two blocks from Patty…We were like brother and sister.”
Ross ended up being in Adam Sandler movies, Farrelly brothers’ movies, Academy Award winner Spotlight, a sitcom with Andrew Dice Clay, and other television appearances. However, Ross is now dealing with serious health issues.
“She’s been bedridden for a couple years,” he said. “She’s got very debilitating medical issues and life-threatening issues, and she obviously can’t make a living now. Her mother just passed away, who has been her sole companion while she’s been bedridden, and I just feel so bad for her.”
D’Angelo reached out to Mike Clark, who books Giggles Comedy Club and Steve Castraberti who owns Prince Pizza.
“They were both very accommodating to put this fundraising event together. Comics are usually very supportive of each other. They’ve all been touched by Patty. All had been influenced by her, had contact with her, and they’re all willing to help,” he said.
D’Angelo has started a GoFundMe for Ross and is hoping to raise more Thursday night.
“I got some great action items. I had my own art exhibit a year or so ago, and I’m donating some of my signed prints on Canvas for auction,” he said.
D’Angelo continued that any expiring actors, actresses, producers can try to win an hour with Angela Perry, the owner of Boston Casting. There will also be a gift certificate towards acting classes there. Dorothy Aufiero, producer of Good Will Hunting, The Fighter, and Patriots Day is offering an hour of her time at a coffee shop in which they can pitch her ideas for a script or if they just want to learn about movie making.
“Another woman has offered a weekend at one of her lake homes in Maine and another at her lake home in Massachusetts for auction,” he said.
Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the show will start at 7:30. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at Gigglestickets.eventbrite.com
