Dick DeBartolo
| Dick DeBartolo | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | October 19, 1945 (age 71) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | writer |
| Known for | Mad writer |
| Spouse(s) | Dennis Wunderlin (m. 2012) |
| Website | gizwiz |
Dick DeBartolo (born October 19, 1945) is an American writer and model railway enthusiast, most famous for writing for Mad. He is occasionally referred to as "Mad's Maddest Writer," this being a twist on Don Martin's former status as "Mad's Maddest Artist." DeBartolo served as the magazine's "Creative Consultant" from 1984 to 2009.
Mad has long spaced out DeBartolo's articles to ensure that at least one appears in every issue. As of his byline in issue #541 in 2016, new DeBartolo material has appeared in 439 consecutive issues, dating back to 1966. This is the longest such streak, surpassing runner-up Sergio Aragonés by nine issues. (Aragonés would be 25 issues ahead of DeBartolo's run if not for a single missed issue, #111. Al Jaffee would also be 16 issues ahead of DeBartolo, had he appeared in issues #360 and #521. Other than DeBartolo and Aragonés, only Dave Berg (whose streak was halted by his death) appeared in as many as 300 consecutive issues; only ten contributors have appeared in as many as 100 consecutive issues.) DeBartolo has written well over 250 television or film parodies for the magazine, easily the most by any Mad writer.
DeBartolo recounted his first-ever experience submitting material to Mad in 1961:
DeBartolo was also a writer for TV game shows, beginning with Barry-Enright before moving on to Goodson-Todman. Writing for Match Game, DeBartolo is credited with coming up with the bawdy and suggestive style of questions that the show is remembered for. During the early 1960s, while writing for Match Game, DeBartolo cast several of the show's panelists and guests in his own 8mm film comedies, which he shot on the studio's rooftop. A rare public showing of those films was held in a Manhattan hotel ballroom in 1964.
DeBartolo told GSN in 2006 that when The Match Game moved its production west in the 1970s, he stayed in New York and mailed in his questions to the Match Game staff in Los Angeles. The West Coast version ran for nine more years on CBS and in syndication. Besides his experience on the Match Game, DeBartolo served as creative consultant on other Goodson-Todman game shows, such as Tattletales and Super Password. In 1971, he was able to induce Mad publisher William M. Gaines to appear on To Tell the Truth as himself. However, all four panelists failed to pick out the real Gaines. After stumping the panel, Gaines jokingly denied knowing DeBartolo. After the episode, panelist Kitty Carlisle told DeBartolo, "I never figured it was him. I mean, look at the way he's dressed. I was looking for someone who ran a very successful magazine, so I thought it couldn't be him!"
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