bearister said:
So you are at least part paisano. Well done. Didn't that restaurant used to advertise on AM radio?
You need to get this one. I researched it and many say it is his best. He was in his prime. I'm actually listening to it now.
I Wanna Be Around... - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_Around...
You nailed it. All of it. First, that is my favorite Tony Bennett song.
Grandfather was from Opi in the Abruzzi. He came to the USA, when he was 12, traveling alone by ship with 15 bucks in his pocket. He joined some family in Buffalo, attended some high school, and made his way to San Francisco. He worked as a telegraph operator for Southern Pacific, had 5 kids, and decided to be a lawyer. Law school was not a requirement to take the Bar, so he studied law books at night, and worked during the day. He passed the Bar. The courts could not pronounce his Italian name, so he changed it to an English name. Most of his early clients were Italians, including many poor farmers in the Valley. They had to borrow money to buy or lease land to farm. Farms produced a good crop maybe 1 out of 4 years, and the banks would foreclose on them during the bad years. Bank of America, owned by AP Giannini, was the worst. My grandfather loved beating the Bank in court and saving the land for these farmers. Most of the time they had no money to pay him, so they invited him down to their farm and had a big banquet, sending him home with a car loaded with vegetables and fruit. He was selected as a Delegate to the Democrat Convention in New York which nominated Al Smith. My dad was 12, and he went with his father on the train to New York City.
The Fior d'Italia is the oldest Italian Restaurant west of the Mississippi. Founded in 1886. One of the former owners, George Marianetti, worked there as a boy, when it was up on Broadway. George used to have regular spots on AM radio, where he would give out the recipe for an Italian dish or a sauce. One of the old San Francisco North Beach characters, who knew everyone who was anyone. When he retired, I used to take him the Capp's Corner or Dante Benedetti's for drinks and a meal with more characters. One time, his son, Paul Mantee, an actor and Hollywood character himself, flew up to SF for George's Birthday party at Capp's. Paul came up behind him and said, "Dad, I brought a friend I'd like you to meet. George turned around, and it was Rod Steiger. They both told story after story until 2AM. I used to drop by the Fior after closing and have pot luck dinner with the waiters and kitchen help. Delicious. And any time I had woman trouble (more often than I'd like to admit), I knew I could always stop by the Fior for a sympathetic consolation. George had seen it all in his own life, and knew just what to say.
SFCityBear
