February 13, 2011… RE-POSTED February 28, 2013
NOTE: The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills‘ Kim and Kyle Richards often speak of their mother, ‘Big Kathy,’ as their role model. ’Big Kathy’ died in 2002, and after Kyle spoke of ‘being the most like her mother’, wanted to know how much of ‘Big Kathy’ lives on in Kyle… and if Kim also carries her mother’s traits…
Kim and Kyle on RHOBH reunion, Part II
From the book ‘House of Hilton’, 2006:
“Like any mother, Kathleen Richards wanted the best for her daughter, Kathy. Where she differed from other mothers was in the way she intended to get it. She wanted her child to know all about sex, and to learn how to perform, literally, so she asked a young man to give her teenage daughter ‘sex lessons’ in his van. Kathy learned well, and hit the jackpot at the age of 20 when she married Rick Hilton, a scion of the hotel dynasty. Fifteen months after the wedding, in February 1981, Kathy gave birth to Paris Whitney.
Her maternal grandmother’s maiden name was Dugan, but she was known as ‘Big Kathy’ – and over the years she had four husbands. The first of her unions was essentially a shotgun wedding to a bad boy named Larry Avanzino, an Italian-American who had got the pretty Irish-American Dugan girl pregnant in the back seat of her 1957 black Chevrolet convertible. The unplanned bundle of joy conceived in that car would grow up to be ‘Little Kathy’, Paris’s mother.
Big Kathy’s third husband was Jack Catain, a sinister figure in organised crime whom she is said to have married and divorced twice, impressed by the big diamond he gave her and by his tough-guy persona. But husbands number two and four, Ken Richards and Bob Fenton, were submissives to Big Kathy’s dominatrix. Richards, whom she had stolen from his wife and three children, raised Little Kathy.
He was also the father of her half-sisters Kim and Kyle, who had huge success in TV sitcoms and movies in the Seventies and Eighties. Once Kim was making plenty of money from her screen work, Big Kathy gave Richards the heave-ho. As for Fenton, she boasted that she denied him sex throughout their marriage. Big Kathy was very ambitious and obsessed with accumulating money, diamonds, fancy cars, expensive homes – and husbands to pay for them all.
Marry money and have lots of babies, that was the philosophy she sought to instill in her daughters. Sex, she believed, was one way to a man’s heart.
Hence the lessons in a van for Little Kathy, who also took classes in singing and dancing. As a child, Little Kathy appeared in print advertisements and TV commercials, but her acting career failed to take off. She was asked to pose in Playboy for $30,000. She turned down the offer. She cut a demo record, hoping to become a singing star, but that, too, came to nothing.
She was more concerned about marrying well. And finally she nabbed the rich guy that her mother had taught her to snare. For Little Kathy and her mother it was the ultimate prize. Rick Hilton was a cute 23-year-old with a mop of blond, Shirley Temple curls and a laid-back West-Coast manner. He was the sixth of William Barron Hilton and Marilyn Hilton’s eight children, and grandson of Conrad Hilton, patriarch of the wealthy and powerful hotel dynasty. William Barron, had married Marilyn Hawley in 1947. Their son, Rick, had known Little Kathy since high school in California, and they both ran with a showbusiness crowd that included the sons of Lucille Ball and Dean Martin.
Rick went on to the University of Denver – ‘The Harvard of the West’ – but did little to distinguish himself there, other than playing volleyball, throwing parties and chasing girls. It was while he was about to graduate in 1978 that he and Little Kathy started dating seriously. When Little Kathy told her mother that Rick was a potential husband, big Kathy threw a party that was like a victory celebration. “Big Kathy was beside herself with joy,” remembers one relative. “She had trained her daughter well.”
Around that time veteran Hollywood reporter Barbara Sternig met Little Kathy for lunch. She says: “She talked all about the Hiltons and how daunting it was for her to be marrying into that dynasty, and I thought, she’s a cute little nothing: nothing special, coming from a plain family. ”She was a kind of flibberty-jibberty little blonde indistinguishable from many, many other blondes in Hollywood. That’s what struck me as incongruous, and made it interesting to me to see what was in her head, to see why he’d marry her over some other little blonde.
“My take on Rick was that he was enamoured of showbusiness and that’s why he liked her: that she was an arm-piece who would happily hang out with him and do all the rich guy things that he wanted to do. I thought they were not the brightest light bulbs in the chandelier, so it was a match made in Heaven. I never heard anything about Kathy again until Paris became famous.”
Little Kathy married into the Hilton family in November, 1979, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills – ‘Our Lady of the Cadillacs’ as it was known, because of its wealthy parishioners. ”My daughters are married to men who have a total net worth of $13billion,” Big Kathy bragged.
Besides Little Kathy’s matrimonial catch, Kyle and Kim both married twice, and their husbands included the son of a billionaire oilman and Hollywood mogul; a wealthy foreigner and a Beverly Hills estate agent. Little Kathy didn’t wait long before having children and continuing the Hilton dynasty. Paris was born after 15 months, followed by a sister and two brothers. Unfortunately, though, their mother had little time for mothering. She and Rick were cavalier about leaving the children with the hired help or relatives while they went out on the town.
According to Pat Hilton, a Texan beauty who also married into the hotel dynasty: “Kathy Hilton’s very selfish and very spoiled and very self-centred, and that absolutely carries through to Paris.” When Rick and Kathy travelled, and deigned to bring along Paris and sometimes their two dogs, they naturally stayed at Hilton hotels. They demanded special attention, including baby-sitting for their children, sometimes for entire weekends as they partied. One of their targets was the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey. One night, after Rick and Kathy had checked out, the manager was called back to deal with a crisis. “I go up to the suite the Hiltons were using and there’s dog s*** all over the place – I mean everywhere.
“They didn’t walk their dogs the whole weekend. That’s where their mindset is. They act like the imperial court.”
Margaret Yakovlev, a former Hilton personal assistant, says:
“Kathy was absolutely pushy, arrogant, condescending and presumptuous, and Paris picked that up from her. The spotlight always had to be on Kathy. It was always, ‘Do you know who we are? Do you know who I am?’”
Unsurprisingly then, Paris was no normal teenager but the kind who kept ferrets in her Prada handbag. They went everywhere with her, including to the Las Vegas Hilton.
“Rick and Kathy didn’t care,” says Yakovlev. “They couldn’t see any further than what their children wanted.” She’s bright about three things – men, money and how to get attention – and those are the only things she really cares about. ”I’ve spent an enormous amount of time with her, and after she leaves a meeting I always find myself wondering, where did this creature come from? What are the genetics happening here? Who’s responsible for turning out a persona like Paris? Where’d she get her values and ethics and morals?”
Little Kathy has played her part. By relentlessly pushing her daughter into the spotlight, just as her own mother did to her, she has ensured Paris made the most of her dubious talents. Father Rick has always been on hand to advise on business deals. A family insider says: “They’re proud of everything she has done.”
Like her famous great-grandfather, who turned a fleabag hotel in a dead-end Texas town into an international empire, Paris has proved she can make money. One day, like the fiercely ambitious women before her, perhaps she’ll marry it as well.”
In this video from August, 2006… Kim starts at the 4:20 mark… Big Kathy is seen around the 5:00 mark:
How they REALLY started out!
Sounds like “Big Kathy” was a big ole whore looking for a rich man and wanted her daughters to follow her lead.Not much of a role model.Money grubbing family.
I always find it very creepy the way that Kyle and Kim keep mentioning their mother, specially Kyle. It doesn’t feel like a normal mother-daughters relationship to me.
I was shocked when I read ‘House of Hilton’. It’s been mentioned on SH many times but those girls were brought up by a profoundly disfunctional mother. Marry rich, (who cares if you love the guy), have tons of babies, and get attention at any cost.
Anyway, in more important news, my little son (Spencer my yorkie) turns 9 tommorow.
Hey Richmond! My kids bought me a Yorkie for Christmas (early though as he arrived here in October). BEST dog I’ve ever had and I worship him! Anywho… Happy Birthday to your little son Spencer! May he have many more
Aren’t they the best Stlr!!?? I love that little rotten boy so much. I call him the light of my life
He is 3 1/2 pounds but he doesn’t know it. My mama has one who is 2 1/2 pounds and he is the most fiesty thing! Congrats on your new addition! I’m sure he brings you so much joy.
Yes! He’s the best and was my baby from the first second!!
It’s amazing how loyal and silly he is. He slept with us from his first night on and never made a mess in the bed, the house, anywhere. It’s like he just knows where he’s supposed to go. He’s about 4 lbs now and a finicky eater (but that’s my fault because I let him have what he wants 
)
My Babes is a yorkie too!! They’re really very smart and great problem-solvers. They’re super easy to train and so friendly, I bring mine to work every day and people stop in to ‘talk to me’ and in 2 minutes they’re rolling around on the floor with her
You have a boy so breeding yours would be easier than if you had a girl, b/c my sixpence had to be delivered at the vets b/c her mother needed a c-section (she was an only child in that ‘batch’ so she was a bigger baby, but that is a lot for the mom to go through).
Two key things about yorkies, actually three:
1.The longer they retain their ‘black’ coats, before going silver the better the bloodline.
2. Their weak spot is their teeth, so make sure you do get regular cleanings (mine went about 4 yrs w/out one and had to have 6 extractions, but she’s still very healthy.)
3. They should be in a harness vs. a collar b/c collars can easily damage their esophagus.
Cadet, I can’t get over how smart he is! He just knows…. I’ve never had a dog like this and will never have another one. He’s protective, ferocious (lol) and about as playful as they come. I bring him to work too and he sleeps behind me on the chair all day. Now… mine is the runt but still a relatively good size and still black (except on the top of his head – not sure when they turn totally silver). I’m afraid to breed him because I don’t want him to go to anyone else’s house though – he seems to have a bit of an attachment issue because I spend so much time with him. When I have to leave him at home, he has a meltdown.
Thanks for the tips! I had heard about the collar vs. harness thing and bought him one… I’ll have to break it out and use it more but he hates it. I’m going to have to have a few of his baby teeth pulled…. he’s got a double row of teeth on the bottom… bothered me til I did some research and found out it’s somewhat normal in this breed. I brush his teeth fairly frequently but… are you saying I should have someone do it professionally?
I know, its insane how smart they are, and so easy to train, I stopped walking her on the leash yrs ago b/c she wont go but 3′ from me then runs back and hops into her bag or runs to the curb and back up into the apartment. And it was like she came housebroken! My mother was shocked that after 6mos, we came up to her place for a holiday and the dog went around the back of the couch, climbed up onto her desk chair, and got her toy from the desk, which she couldnt even see, was pretty funny (she is totally OCD with her toys, she travels with her ‘posse’ in that she will make multiple trips from upstairs to down, get a toy and bring them all to the same place, its hysterical, and I’ve gotten those ‘big-dog, tear-proof’ toys, she guts them within 15 minutes…also very funny b/c of how spunky such a small dog is.
As for the teeth, I also do brush on a regular basis, but the plaque that adheres to their teeth has to be professionally dealt with. A cleaning at the vet about every other year is a good frequency to keep them healthy. Check w/your vet to see if they have a yearly special b/c mine does that for a month starting in the second week of Jan. through the second week of Feb. but 200 for bloodwork and the cleaning is really reasonable (I travel to CT from NY to the Vet, b/c I grew up with my mother using that vet. In NY its like triple the cost which is insane and sad b/c you can be put in a position where they make you put a pricetag on the life of your pet (my baby in my case as many others too).
Another trick is to get them used to you handling their paws from a young age, my dog and I are so keyed into each other her bloodpressure goes up when mine does, which is weird, but you can get the dog comfortable enough to file their nails gently with an emory board. If you just go easy and keep feeling the nail you can file until you feel it getting slightly softer to keep maintenance costs down. Another thing I love about these dogs is their lifespan, they can live up to 20 yrs if taken really good care of. I get the separation anxiety too, I cant handle it so she goes everywhere, she’s even gone to the movies and no one knew b/c when the lights went down I took her out and she just slept in my lap. She is amazing…I’m sure yours is too b/c this breed is just fantastic! You both, Take Care
I should’ve said I would never have another type of dog (instead of saying I’d never have another one)… I think this is my dog for life and IF I have another dog, it will be the Yorkie breed.
Thanks for your comments/suggestions! Very helpful!
p.s. If you have a small crate or a dog-bag (mine will go in her bag on her own during the day b/c they are den animals) but having a place that’s small and ‘their’s to go to and it helps if you put in something with your scent on it, will help when you have to leave him at home b/c they do get anxiety when they’re all alone without a ‘den’.
I’d be apprehensive about leaving the dog at someone elses place, and they have a tendency to roam when they’re not fixed so either try breeding w/someone you know or just get him fixed for his own well-being.
Something else, my neighbor had hers stolen by a guy who was dressed up as an ADT security person, he broke into apartments in the building and stole 3 toy dogs (hers was chipped so when the thief went to sell him to a pet store, they scanned him and got him back to her, but b/c they can stay so small an adult can pass as a pup and be sold by sleazbags who’d steal your baby…), getting them micro-chipped is a good move
Wow, Cadet and Stlr, I have missed a lot, you chatterboxes
1. I am super jealous that y’all get to take your dogs to work. That would NEVER fly in my office. ;(
2. Spencer is 9 today (leap year baby) and still has plenty of black hair. He has lost some teeth but he is still precious. Sometimes when he sleeps his tongue hangs out
3. He loves to play as well and becomes angry if you don’t play with him. Once I was studying for a really important exam and he wanted me to throw his monkey. I wouldn’t throw it and he ran over to my boot in the corner, growled at it, and pulled it over. He then gave me a look to say ‘what are you going to do about it?’
Lots of love to you and your hairy little babies!
Congrats on ur babes b-day, mine was born on halloween makes it easy to remember…and that story with the monkey was funny, six has two monkeys as a part of her ‘posse’ when she plays with my roomates dog (cocker spaniel) she puts up such a good fight and the cocker just sits there..too funny to watch, but she is pushy when she wants attention. She’ll kind of tap you with her paw then drop to her side and pulls them up, its a move that works on EVERYBODY and she knows it too! I forgot the day, but there is a ‘take your pet to work-day’ like the take your daughter to work days, may just be kids in general now, but you’d be surprised if the dog is quiet and doesnt bother others, you may get away with sneaking them in (assuming its safe, no chemicals or work-shop-scraps on the ground..)
What I find the funniest is when she’s in her bag sleeping b/c her front paws are usually sticking out straight like she’s flying upside down. Its funny b/c people will walk in, see the bag and the legs and are like ‘what the hell…’ too funny. Gotta love the attitude these little guys have though, so spunky!
today, ‘Big Kathy’ would no doubt be diagnosed with either Narcissistic Personality Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder because of the way the personality traits add up. It does explain a LOT about the family dynamics, about the entitlement issues/behaviors and the cycle kept rollin’ on with lil’ Kathy’s daughter Miss. Parisite…her mother discouraged her from wanting to be a vet and encouraged her to be a ‘princess’, nicknamed her Star and drilled into her head that her body was the only thing she had to make her famous. I dont know how the hell Nicky escaped this b/c she seems like she was raised in a completely different household. Kim and Kyle actually came out ‘ok’ all things considered…atleast one hasnt tried to run the other one over after getting tanked at a hollywood party ala ‘Baby-Jane’…
As dysfunctional as my mother is, people like Big Kathy make me feel beyond grateful for having a mother who always put emphasis on getting an education, having a good work ethic and treating others with respect if I expected to be respected. Although that book was an AMAZING AWESOMELY GOOD READ!!!! I remember when I read it, I was up until 5am b/c I could NOT put it down! Was like reading a soap-opera that actually happened!
I thought of this family the other week when TCM had on ‘Whatever Happened to Baby-Jane’… too damn fittin’
Ha! Cadet I just read it a month ago. My husband and I were out at a bar when I bought the book on his Nook. Like you, I couldn’t put it down. I wasn’t much fun for my husband that night
hahaha! some books are like drugs, and that one fits the bill! too funny though
Oh I read that book… You’re right, find a rich man, get pregnant, which I think two of them did… Kathy I think was able to break free from her mother after marrying the Hilton.. Father Hilton hated Kathy… Their mother was a drunk, abused most people that came into her life, if not all… She used abused and threw people away… I think Kyle is most like her… And Kim a close second…Kyle is always playing show and tell, just like mommie dearest..
So sad. All their money will not save them in the end. I am currently caring for elderly people, and make no mistake, when you are 80 yrs old and suffering, no amount of riches matters anymore. I feel badly for Kathy if the van story is true, and grateful to have my average life. There is quite a comfort in knowing that I never had to endure such humiliation.
kel: God bless you for taking care of the elderly. You’re absolutely right, that your riches don’t really matter, but it does make some things easier (like getting the healthcare that is needed). Elderly people who are alone are so vulnerable. It’s sad. My husband is only 66 but has been thru a lot medically recently and I often wonder if I wasn’t with him, what would he do?? His 2 adult children hardly keep in touch and he really has no one left. He actually wants to donate his time to help even older people when he can, which is amazing to me.
It is obvious that Kim was the cute, pretty sister and Kyle was the plain girl. That explains alot
why Kyle is hell bent on characterizing Kim as the black sheep; Kyle’s making her pay for being the pretty one. Then,of course,with big Kathy for a monster of a mother, that explains Kyle.
Thank you for that video. It explains a lot why these women are the way they are. Terrible mothering for sure when you bring up two girls and teach them that their only value in this world comes from lying on their backs. Not hard to see why they would have no genuine self esteem. I’ve softened my opinion of Kim a bit. It explains the rivalry that exists between these two sisters. Kyle definately is all about “being the good daughter”. Really very sad.
remember when mrs sh posted a clip of “what ever happened to baby jane”? jane comes out of the stage door to meet her adoring fans, while blanch is seething with jealousy. pretty much sums up this sisterly relationship too.
WOW… great information!!! I now know why the Richards/Hilton clan give me the creeps…
Wow! The video was totally creepy. A bunch of totally dysfunctional people. Kyle needs major therapy. She is a very sick woman.
Thanks. That is good that he has you. I have been working as a cna in a nursing home, caring for the unit of people who do not speak anymore and need total care, as part of my nursing school. I don’t think I can do it forever, I have had a couple residents pass in the last few weeks and it is really hard on me. But caring for anyone that is really ill changes you drastically and puts life in perspective. I wish every kid comin outta high school would have to care for someone ill for a bit, to gain perspective and priorities…