The Italian Americans

John Maggio's solid PBS documentary series presents the Italian-American experience as one of facing initial wariness and prejudice that gradually gave way to acceptance, even as the newcomers retained distinctive cultural features—most notably an emphasis on family. The first of four episodes covers the period of 1890–1910, when emigrants from South Italy, oppressed by their newly unified nation's central government, came mainly to New Orleans, where they were considered criminal types. The second episode spans 1910–1930, as assimilation began in earnest, while the third segment, covering 1930–1945, is primarily concerned with World War II, when Italian-Americans' enthusiasm for Mussolini resulted in suspicions concerning their loyalty and even the placement of some in internment camps. The final chapter, dealing with the postwar era up to the present, records their complete absorption into American society. The series doesn't ignore the public's fascination with Mafia-related material, from the Black Hand in New Orleans through Joe Valachi's revelations about the Cosa Nostra in the 1960s, and the Godfather phenomenon (although it gives surprisingly short shrift to The Sopranos). But it does situate Italian-Americans within a broader context that includes such figures as Sacco and Vanzetti, labor organizer Arturo Giovannitti, Rudolph Valentino, Bank of Italy founder Amadeo Giannini, San Francisco Mayor Angelo Rossi, and New York Governor Mario Cuomo, not to mention entertainment icons Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Blending archival footage with narration by Stanley Tucci and interviews with historians and notables such as Antonin Scalia, Nancy Pelosi, and Guy Talese, The Italian Americans is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)