Don’t you love those PBS nostalgia specials featuring the old vocal groups? A recent one reminded me of a mega-project our Institute undertook to produce a concert of Italian American performers from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s.
The year was 2002, we christened the project: American Legacy Awards, an ambitious culmination of our experience in hosting annual galas at the Waldorf=Astoria, where we often hired Doo-Wop bands, and our success in producing educational films. In fact, one of our members, Al Contrera, was part of The Mystics (Hushabye, 1959) – they performed at our 1991 Gala. The plan was to put on a live concert at Manhattan Town Hall (seating 1,500), film the event for later video sales, and broadcast it on PBS. The overriding mission was to create a positive media image of Italian Americans, showcasing not just musical talent but highlighting Italian American achievements in all the media fields – people like Jay Leno and sitcom producers Gary and Penny Marshall (Masciarelli). It was to be the antidote to The Godfather, The Sopranos, and the mafia-mania that engulfs America.
We plopped down $3,000 to reserve Town Hall for June 21, 2003 and set to work. Our in-house talent guided the project. Institute member, Gregg Raffa Entertainment Group, had access to the old groups, our filmmaker Frank Vitale had the know-how to videotape the concert, and we had a good friend at Long Island’s PBS station WLIW – Laura Savini. What we needed was a big name to join the project. As luck would have it, a fellow Long Islander, actor/comedian Tony Danza, was in town performing a one-man show at the Regency Hotel. Danza had hosted patriotic July 4th spectacles in Washington DC, and portrayed Italic characters in the hit sitcoms Taxi and Who’s the Boss. He was an American sweetheart. So, I and then Institute President Vincent Pizzulli, Sr., went to see the Danza dinner show at the Regency – a $400 investment. More on that later.
The American Legacy Awards was also inspired by a quest to reveal the Italian background of popular singers, that was unknown to the general public. It was no secret that popular artists like Dean Martin and Connie Francis were Italic, but who knew that Johnny Rivers (Secret Agent Man, born John Henry Ramistella), Lou Christie (The Gypsy Cried, born Luigi Sacco), or Don McLean (American Pie, mother Elizabeth Bucci), Bobby Darin (Mack the Knife, born Walden Robert Cassotto), or Freddy “Boom-Boom” Cannon (Palisades Park, born Freddy Picariello) shared our heritage? These talented individuals, and scores of other paesani, would be given due credit for so much of American culture. Once the show was “in the can”, it would have an afterlife of decades on PBS, until the last Boomer dies!
To be honest, the Legacy project was way over our heads despite its noble purpose. We lacked the deep pockets necessary to pay the groups, attract sponsors, sell 1,500 tickets, complete the video, and lure celebrity award-winners to the show. Still, Tony Danza might be the key to success.
At the Regency, Vince and I dined and watched Danza’s song & dance routine, flavored with comments on his heritage. In between skits, he yucked it up with the Italian band members. Once the show was over, I walked backstage and found Danza by himself. We didn’t hit it off. He was clearly tired and had no idea who I was – my first mistake: no surprise visits. It got worse when I introduced myself as from the Italic Institute. As I was explaining the Legacy project, he was still trying to process what “Italic” meant. Mind you, Danza was an English teacher before Hollywood beckoned. “You mean Italian, why don’t you say that?” he said. From then on, our encounter devolved into semantics. Once he understood why we use “Italic” and heard my pitch for Legacy, he informed me, “I don’t do Italian stuff anymore.” Clearly, he had forgotten his recent floor show!
In that moment, his total disinterest in Legacy left me crushed. Maybe he was in the midst of an image change – no more type-casting: the dumb ethnic cab driver or loveable ethnic housekeeper. Maybe he thought being the Master of Ceremonies for Legacy was to be pro bono. Nothing followed that meeting, not even a “call my agent.” The next day, I shut down the Legacy project. Town Hall refunded our deposit.
You can only try, right? -JLM
It was a very good try. My father was very proud to be President at that time, and he was very disappointed as well. Guardare al futuro!
Vincent
Your dad was such a key figure in the Institute, from its inception. I knew him to be a very principled and honorable man, even in my business dealings with him. I wish I could recall what we ate at the Regency dinner show, but sharing that meal with him was the high point of the evening!