Guido Deiro earned a lot of money in the 1910s and 1920s as a star vaudeville celebrity performer. He did not stash his money away in bank accounts, but he invested in the booming stock market, and he also spent it lavishly on himself and his friends. Guido loved to entertain, and not just on the vaudeville stage, but also at parties for his friends, lovers and business associates.
Guido always had his clothing custom tailored and wore the highest fashion with all accessories. He would never go out without wearing a homburg hat, cashmere top coat, kidskin gloves and “spats.” He rarely went into the street without a cane and was known to carry a Colt .32 pistol for protection. The famous haberdashers Hart, Schaffer and Marks designed a tie they advertised and named “ Deiro’s Accordion.”
Guido had a $50,000 insurance policy with the Hartford Insurance Company "to protect his fingers." He wore a two-carat diamond “pinky” ring on his treble hand. It can be seen in some photos. He liked the flash it created as he played.
Guido and Accordionists, San Rafael, c. 1920s
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Guido was more often than not the center of attention wherever he went, as evidenced from the above photograph of him surrounded by admiring accordionists in San Rafael c. 1920s.
Paul Whiteman and Guido Deiro
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Guido had many important friends in show business, such as the self-proclaimed King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman (1890-1967), acknowledged as the greatest band leader of the 1920s, who premiered George Gershwin's Rhapsody In Blue with the composer at the piano at Aeolian Hall in New York City in 1924. In the above undated photograph the two friends embrace.
Interior of a Private Rail Car
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When traveling between cities on the vaudeville circuit, Guido did not ride in the coach or first class rail cars; he rented his own private rail car with his own private porter. In this way he could rest when he wanted to rest, and also he could entertain guests on the train in style whenever he wanted.
Guido's yacht docked at the San Francisco Marina, c. early 1930s
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During the early 1930s, Guido purchased a 46-foot twin diesel motor yacht named "Lucerne," and had it berthed in San Francisco Bay, where he enjoyed entertaining his friends during cruises and parties. The yacht was named after the lovely lakeside city in Switzerland.
Guido and his 16-cylinder Cadillac. Click on image to enlarge.
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Guido purchased only the best and latest models of automobiles. In the late 1930s Guido celebrated his marriage to his forth wife Yvonne Teresa Le Baron de Forrest and the birth of his first and only son Guido Jr., by purchasing a sixteen-cylinder Cadillac Roadster. Few can imagine the acceleration which this car was capable of achieving. This automobile, second only to a Dusenberg in power and price, could easily travel at 120 mph, road conditions permitting, of course.
Guido liked fast cars, and once raced a locomotive to a crossing and lost. He was not injured, but the car was badly damaged.
This photograph of Guido and his Cadillac was taken on the lawn of the log home he had purchased for his family outside Reno, Nevada. An inexperienced driver, Yvonne put the car into a tree on the road to Yerrington, Nevada, and totaled it, but luckily escaped injury to both herself and her baby.
