Dick Contino's screen appearances in the notoriously poor films Daddy-O (1959) and The Beat Generation (1960) form the primary basis of his contemporary reputation. Between 1948 and 1951, however, the accordionist commanded top billing as a live performer and commanded fees of 4,000 dollars per night. An RCA Victor recording contract stood alongside a signature instrument line, giving him unusual leverage in an era when electric guitars remained largely confined to jazz settings and before the accordion had been widely dismissed in serious musical circles. Robert Klein captured that later attitude on Child of the 50's by noting the instrument proved “groovy if you're in a prisoner-of-war camp, someplace where you don't have access to 'real' instruments.”
Fresno, California, was Contino's birthplace in 1930. He began studying the accordion during childhood and entered talent contests throughout the mid-1940s, culminating in a first-prize victory in 1947 on bandleader Horace Heidt's competition. Heidt promptly signed the teenager and showcased him on the weekly broadcast The Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Hour, where “Lady of Spain” and “Bumble Boogie” quickly became Contino's signature pieces. After suing to terminate the agreement, Contino formed his own ensemble and, in 1949 and 1950, sold out prestigious rooms across the country, among them the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, still earning 4,000 dollars nightly.
Instrument maker Settimio Soprani introduced the “Dick Contino” model accordion in 1950; the same year brought the RCA Victor contract. The sole album issued under that deal, titled Dick Contino, was captured live at the Waldorf's Starlight Room and appeared in 1951.
Military obligations abruptly halted the trajectory. Contino received his draft notice, presented himself at Fort Ord, California, on 11 April 1951, then absented himself for more than a week. Upon surrendering, he cited emotional distress and disorientation. Convicted of draft evasion, he received a sentence of six months' imprisonment plus a 10,000 dollar fine, followed by two years of active duty. Much of that service occurred in Korea; he was ultimately discharged honorably at the rank of sergeant. Returning to civilian life in early 1954, Contino discovered that public memory of the episode had faded, yet so had his prior momentum. An attempt to recast himself as a Vic Damone-style vocalist met with only partial success. Headlines followed both his marriage to actress Leigh Snowden and his voluntary bankruptcy filing in 1957.
Four film appearances marked the close of the decade, most prominently a lead role in Daddy-O, an unsuccessful effort to market Contino as an Elvis Presley-type rock & roll singer. Live performances on accordion continued through the remainder of the twentieth century. A 1991 broadcast of Daddy-O on Mystery Science Theater 3000 briefly restored his name to popular awareness. Contino died in Fresno during April 2017 at the age of 87.
