Alla Fine (the end)

I've finally finished watching SNL skits, movies, and TV shows and stopped reading articles, periodicals, and novels relating to the Italian-American experience. Now that the choruses of "badabing" and "mama mia" are over, I've managed to gain a new understanding of members of my ethnic heritage. Knowing that my ancestors and relatives faced some of the terrible conditions during the immigration process, the social stigmas based upon the prevalence of the mafia in American cinema, and the current stereotypes presented by reality television has given me a whole new appreciation for them. 

I entered the process of writing this essay with the assertion that not all Italians coincide with how they are represented in the media, and I found that to be largely true. Through writing this essay, I have learned that not every Italian is a charismatic lover like Valentino or an unrelenting criminal like Don Vito Corleone. I have learned that not every Italian is orange with the fresh application of Mystique Tan, knows the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa's burial, or considers cannoli to be its own food group. 

What I did find though, is that Italian-Americans are anything they choose. They are former mayors of New York City (like Rudi Guiliani, who was heavily praised for his leadership during the 9/11 attacks nearly ten years ago), Hall of Fame baseball players (like Joe DiMaggio), University Professors (like Dr. Annunziata Pugliese, an Italian studies teacher here at CU), or family men like my Uncle Louie. Maybe it's disappointing to some people who have a romantic or cynical idea of exactly what an Italian-American is. What's more important, though, is WHO that person is, and through my research, I found that that "Who" is up to the individual, rather than predetermined by Hollywood, Elizabethan theatre, or any other form of media in between. 

"When the Moon Hits Your Eye Like a Big Pizza Pie, That's Amoré"

Another stereotype of Italian-Americans is that of the romantic. This myth might stem from Elizabethan drama and poetry, including the works of Dante and Petrach. Also, Romeo and Juliet, the most famous love story of all time, takes place in Verona, Italy. In addition, Valentine's Day, the most romantic day of the year, was created by St. Valentine in Rome and his willingness to marry soldiers despite a decree banning it by the Emperor Claudius II.

The Modern cinematic portrayal of the Latin lover was pioneered by Italian-American immigrant singer and dancer, Rudolf Valentino. His name even connotated romance and old Italy, and dresses created by the designer of the same name reminded women of love and sensuality. Valentino continuously brought grace, elegance, and romance to the screen. Later examples of the Latin Lover include Frank Sinatra (aka "Swoonatra) and Dean Martin, who made young women fall in love with their silky voices. They were the original heartthrobs: The Elvis Presleys, Paul McCartneys, and (I hate to say it) Justin Biebers of their time.

Other examples of romantic Italians include Cher and Nicholas Cage's characters in the film Moonstruck and John Travolta's character Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever.

These films both portray Italians as passionate and overtaken by emotion, but this behavior is even further exemplified in the 2007 romantic comedy, Everybody Wants to be Italian. The movie follows a fishmonger named Jake trying to win back an ex-girlfriend. After two friends set him up on a blind date with a beautiful Italian woman, Jake becomes convinced that such a woman would never consider dating a non-Italian. What results is Jake’s crash course in learning to embody an Italian Romeo to impress the girl of his dreams. The film’s characterization of Jake as a clueless man searching for love in his imitation of Italian culture exemplifies how heavily people have come to associate Italians with romance; so much so that they feel they have to change their ethnic backgrounds to attain a worthwhile date.

                       

           

SNL skit- Italian Stereotypes

Note the gold chain, references to Mario and Luigi, Rocky, and the Olive Garden. And of course, Robert De Niro. This skit pretty much speaks for itself. http://www.hulu.com/watch/1583/saturday-night-live-italian-stereotypes

Kids' view of the Mob

Through my research of film portrayals of the mob, I found a lot of valuable information about The Godfather, the Sopranos, and other representations of Italians geared toward the adult demographic. However, I've recently found some interesting representations of the Italian mob stereotype, although more subtle, that are directed toward children. Enter Nicky Deuce. The book Nicky Deuce: Welcome to the Family, tells the story of a quiet suburban schoolboy whose summer plans suddenly take a turn. Nicholas normally attends a pricey summer camp involving water skiing, canoeing, and sailing. However, the camp's sewer main breaks and Nicholas is forced to make new summer plans. Instead of attending a camp for the children of successful socialites, he gets dropped onto the mean streets of Brooklyn to spend the summer with his Grandma Tutti and Uncle Frankie...and "badabing!,-- he gets a fast lesson in goomba culture and turns overngiht from Nicholas Borelli II into Nicky Deuce". While critics say the book is a great tale of a summer-in-the-city adventure, it's slightly alarming that a novel for the 5th-6th grade age group exposes Nicky's family as mobsters. As if it's inevitable that any Italian relatives would be the mobbed-up type. 

Another example that the Italian American community scrutinized is that of the villians in the Dreamworks animated movie Shark Tale. One, a shark with the name Don Lino, is voiced by Robert De Niro. “The Sopranos” actors Michael Imperioli and Vincent Pastore also portray criminal characters, and filmmaker Martin Scorsese lends his voice to a sneaky blowfish. The movie seems pretty harmless, but the fact that just the voices and last names of Italians can convey villanous activity is pretty telling. Interestingly, the Research Analysis Corporation of New Jersey found that 74% of all Americans link Italian surnames to crime. Yet, according to the FBI, even at the height of the Mafia's power, no more than 5,000 out of the 15 million Italian-Americans have ever been associated with the Mafia or any other crime group. People may think that many youngsters don't make the immediate connection that all Italians are mobsters when they read Nicky Deuce or watch Shark Tale, but kids are also a lot smarter than we realize. 

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

Perhaps the oldest, most prevalent, and most detrimental stereotype of Italian-Americans is that of the mob stereotype. This brings me to The Godfather trilogy, one of the most infamous series in film. The Corleone family represents three prominent Italian stereotypes: family, food, and violence. As a family, they serve as a tight knit group, with the men working for the family business and the women fulfilling their duties as mothers and housewives. Food, particularly Spaghetti, Lasagna, and other typically Italian cuisine frames important scenes. And lastly, the tough and formidable men in the film are continually involved in organized crime. My research is still in the works of course, but I've found a lot of information about the roots of this inherently criminal stereotype, that Americans actually associated Italians with even before they made their journey to Ellis Island during the turn of the 20th century.
For my interview, I plan to ask my second Uncle, Louie (short for the Luigi of course- and no, I'm not kidding) Di Matteo what his experience was like as an Italian descendant living in New Jersey. For a brief period of time, after discontinuing a Duke pre-med program and thus moving back to Jersey, he owned a restaurant called The Red Door. Whenever he visits Colorado or my family visits Bound Brook, NJ, he always has stories about the "mafia" members that made frequent visits to his restaurant. Before they were just anecdotes, but I'm sure he has some real insight as to what it means to be labeled a mafia member, when such a group hasn't really had any significant activity in years. Uncle Louie loves to talk, and I'm really looking forward to hearing from him.

Italians in Television

Italian-Americans have recently taken over television. It's almost as if TV executives have developed a formula, in which they begin with an entertaining concept, but enhance it with Italians. Here are a few examples proposed by writer Stephen Marche: "The Real World" + guidos = "Jersey Shore;" "Ace of Cakes" + Italians = "Cake Boss;" "The Real Housewives of Orange County" + Carmela Soprano = "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." For whatever reason, Italian-Americans seem to add comedy and livelihood to the staged situations studios set up for them to be filmed in. What is it about their outbursts of "T-shirt time!" and furious hand-waving that we find so comical? Italians in the media have become caricatures of themselves through this process of  television companies creating new shows specifically focused on their loud and boisterous behavior. And who knows what the next television phenomenon involving Italian-Americans will be? As Marche jokes in his Esquire article, "What's Wrong With a Little Bigotry?", a medical drama called "Guido's Anatomy" may be the new biggest hit anytime now.