  Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 84 Registered: 02-2005 |
Last night's Documentary was pretty good. Lots of interesting stories. I would love to hear from you guys on this excellent forum about the old neighborhoods. I have driven thru the gratiot Mcdougall area before. I grew up off of Erie st (little italy) in Windsor eh and i am interested in the italians who lived on the other side of the river from me, and what it was like for your parents or grandparents or even great grand parents living in those fab old neighborhoods. They did not discuss this too much at all last night on the documentary. I was hoping they would show old photos or footage from the gratiot area. | ||
Livernoisyard Member Username: Livernoisyard Post Number: 1874 Registered: 10-2004 |
Sonny Bono | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1789 Registered: 10-2003 |
Cklwbig8: What documentary are you talking about? Was it aired on TV? Details please! | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 85 Registered: 02-2005 |
Was on TV last night ch 7 WXYZ. 1 hour long no commercials. Will be aired again soon i was told. it was great ! | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1790 Registered: 10-2003 |
According to the Italian American Cultural Society's website, the documentary "Our Italian Story" will air again on Saturday, December 16 on Channel 7 WXYZ-TV at 1pm. I was able to confirm that day and time on the WXYZ-TV website as well. | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 86 Registered: 02-2005 |
thanks Kathleen | ||
Pagesix1536 Member Username: Pagesix1536 Post Number: 30 Registered: 12-2006 |
Definitely was a good documentary. I have the book they mentioned in it as well...both are good sources of information. A lot of it reminds me of my family, and the traidions...very emotional to watch if it hits home for you, puts a lot into perspective. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 971 Registered: 01-2005 |
My daughter-in-law is Italian (Randazzo) and lives in Livonia. She says if you make any more jokes about Livonia she'sa gonna break'a u face. | ||
Ro_resident Member Username: Ro_resident Post Number: 179 Registered: 11-2003 |
We watched the show Saturday night. We stumbled across it, so we probably watched 45 minutes. It was interesting watching all of the stories. I was surprised to see the documentary was directed and produced by Keith Famie. There was also a dedication to Michael Guido during the credits, so the production had to be new. Doing a little digging, I see Famie is planning on doing the same treatment to several ethnic groups in the Detroit area: http://www.ourstoryof.com/ | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1793 Registered: 10-2003 |
Thanks for the additional information, Ro_resident!! I'll be sure to check the website to see when a new program is scheduled for airing. I'm interested because my in-laws have both Italian and Polish heritage and my mother has German heritage. Should be quite interesting!! | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5262 Registered: 02-2004 |
Detroit's Little Italy started from the lower eastside along Gratiot and Riopelle Area near Black Bottom and Paradise Valley.  Then the Italians migrated their community further northeast along Gratiot through Polonia.  By the 1950s to the 1980s The Italians kept on moving their community further northeast on Gratiot from Harper Rd. to 8 Mile Rd. By 1970s to the Present. Detroit's Little Italy has disapeared. Most Italian Detroit families are now in most Macomb County cities, of Eastpointe, St Clair Shores, Parts of Warren, Roseville, Clinton TWP., Fraser, Harrison TWP. Mt. Clemens, Sterling Heights, Macomb TWP. and many more.  | ||
Terryh Member Username: Terryh Post Number: 23 Registered: 11-2006 |
Interesting. Note the German names of street. Lower East side was initially German. The originally Little Italy would have bordered Jewish and Polish neighborhoods. When I first started driving in 85' there were still many Italian owned businesses along Gratiot between 6 and 8 mile Rd. There is a book in the Detroit History series that focuses on Italians in Detroit. | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 87 Registered: 02-2005 |
Excellent Danny .. thanks | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 4605 Registered: 11-2003 |
Most Italians came to Detroit, 1880-1920. There are about 300,000 Italian-Americans in Metro Detroit today. Having said this, remember that Alphonso de Tonti was Antoine dela mothe Cadillac's second in command in the original settlement in de-troit. Italian immigrants were here by the US Civil War in small numbers. Although well documented that Italians lived at Eastern Market and up Gratiot, they also settled in considerable numbers along Oakwood Blvd. in SW Detroit and in Dearborn early in their residency here. They worked in stone and cement, paving, produce, tilework, small groceries, merchants, and ofcourse like any others, a laborforce in the auto shops around Detroit. By the 1920 in Detroit, there were six Italian-owned banks and later, took their places amongst the educated professions and politics in Detroit. Italians in the 1950s lived in all neighborhoods across Detroit and their cultural and religious institutions dotted the landscape. With the great white flight later, they set up in NE suburbs and the Westsiders went to Northern and Western suburbs. They certainly lived near jjaba on the inner Westside to be sure. Their affiliations were Catholic and other Christian religions. jjaba, Westside Torah Bukkor. | ||
Digitaldom Member Username: Digitaldom Post Number: 546 Registered: 08-2004 |
My great grandfather Dan Darin.. Lived near Tiger Stadium as was a Detroit police officer all his life till retirement.. He lived on the other side of tiger stadium.. I would have the ask my grandmother exactly where it was.. But he and his wife (my grandmother) were straight from Italy and lived in a NON italian neighborhood.. My family.. The darin side owes English Gardens on hall road.. but they are more in contact with my grandmother.. And I need to change that... (Message edited by digitaldom on December 14, 2006) | ||
Cklwbig8 Member Username: Cklwbig8 Post Number: 88 Registered: 02-2005 |
Awesome info.. thanks jjaba and Digitaldom. digital, Darin sounds northern italy correct ? | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 4609 Registered: 11-2003 |
How do you clear the Hall at an Itian Wedding in Detroit? You yell, "Gumbas, the cement didn't dry." (With that, even in dress clothes, the guys roll in the big Ford pick-ups to the job site.) jjaba | ||
Valkyrias Member Username: Valkyrias Post Number: 392 Registered: 02-2005 |
my mom is italian, and grew up on a street called sheridan, which is just east of east grand blvd. she actually lived there her entire life, aside from the few years she and my grandmother lived in sterling heights before my parent's got married. since my mother was the youngest of 5 kids, and didn't marry until she was about 36, it was kind of her uspoken duty to stay with my grandma, esp since she was widowed, until she did marry. they ended up moving from the old neighborhood (which was about the mid 70s) because according to my mom, it was starting to 'go downhill'. she's only been back once, sometime in the 80s, and said it was very run down and not safe and it made her very sad and vowed to never go back. i've heard many interesting stories growing up, about my mom and aunts and uncles when they were growing up. my grandfather used to make his own wine, and during prohibition, got in trouble and was sent to jail for a few years, which was a work farm in nebraska. however, whenever the family spoke about, they said he was off working in a *trade school*. and like most all italian american families from that time, my mother's house had 2 kitchens. one on the first floor and one in the basement. the one in the basement was for every day use and the main floor one was for special occasions only. my mom said that many people thought italians were dirty people, and was another reason why there were 2 kitchens...to give appearance that their house was always spotless. it was also a reason why the kitchen in the basement was painted white and apparently my grandmother cleaned everything with bleach. my mom also told me that while growing up, great pains were taken by her family, and other italian families, to assimilate into american culture. she was always told that she should be proud of her heritage but that she should still try to be like everyone else. italian was never spoken in the house. apparently, when my great grandparents were alive, they would speak it and as a result, my mom's 2 oldest siblings understand the language but can't really speak it. once they passed, only english was spoken. another story i remember, too, is about my aunt ann...she has 3 names. her name is antonina, ann for short. but she was re-named by a nun sometime in gradeschool who said there was no saint named antonina, and would now be called helen. as a result, the adults in the family call her helen. the nieces and nephews call her aunt ann. i don't think anyone calls her antonina. my grandmother's only sister lived next door to my mom and her family, so she was/still is best friends with her first cousin. that's how it was back then. everyone's family knew everyone's family, dated someone in someone else's family. as a matter of fact, my mom's best friend married her brother's best friend. since my mom was so much younger than most of her siblings, she also practically grew up with her one sister's in-laws. and to this day, i call all those people my aunts and uncles and cousins, even though there is no blood relation whatsoever. i also recall a story that was told to me by some family member years ago about something called caga loop. i had to call my mom to confirm the details...my grandparents lived there for a few years when they were first married. apparently the street cars on gratiot used to stop at harper (which at the time was pretty far out). and since they couldn't go backwards, they would loop around. the area was considered an italian ghetto, and when area residents were asked where they lived, they would say, "where the car go loop" thus came the slang term, caga loop or caga lupe. however, because italians were looked down upon around that time and dominated the area, people would make fun and call it kaka loop. and there is my dear diary post for the year...i'm spent!! | ||
Carptrash Member Username: Carptrash Post Number: 1444 Registered: 10-2003 |
Corrado Parducci - to Detroit in 1924. City was not the same there after. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1803 Registered: 10-2003 |
Bump! The documentary "Our Italian Story" airs this afternoon, Saturday, December 16 on Channel 7 WXYZ-TV at 1pm. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1269 Registered: 11-2003 |
My very French grandmother did the same thing. She said it was so the kitchen didn't make the upstairs so warm from running the stove and the burners, but I wonder if there were other reasons there too. Thanks for the story Valkyrias. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3432 Registered: 10-2003 |
Nice post Valkyrias. In my former life as a Sears delivery driver, I witnessed many dual kitchen scenes on the eastside. Generally we would deliver a new refrigerator to the upstairs kitchen, move the old one to the basement and the one in the basement out to the curb. The basements would often be a joyful hub of activities, kids running around, moms making olives, wine, cooking and canning tomatoes and the like. They were always very friendly, generous and appreciative of the hard labor it took to deliver their items. Upstairs was quite a contrast, a glistening kitchen and dining room with seemingly unused furniture and appliances, as if it were a museum. Cleanliness was the order throughout the entire house. In one of those exchanges, I kept a stove that went to the curb. It was a massive spotlessly clean '50's gas stove with a dual oven, the smaller of which had an electric powered rotisserie spit. Stick a chicken on it and 90 minutes later you had the best falling-off–the-fork chicken you ever ate. My Highland Park house of twenty-seven years was purchased from an Italian family and came with vestiges a basement kitchen and bar. But the best remnant, which was also a prominent feature of eastside Italian homes, was the garden. It was miniature garden of Eden with three varieties of grapes on an arbor spreading over the long driveway, eight varieties of rose, two apple trees, a pear and peach tree with countless perennial flower plants. That family had moved there from another well known Italian neighborhood that stretched from Grand Blvd. north along Oakland to Highland Park, a formerly predominantly Jewish neighborhood where the Schvitz and former synagogues can still be found. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 979 Registered: 03-2006 |
my family is italian I come from the Nannini's and the Iaquinta's both from the eastside off gratiot. one thing i learned about being italian is "italians love other italians!" Chitaku-many-a big meals at Roma Cafe | ||
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto Post Number: 403 Registered: 07-2004 |
Where do all the Italians go now in Metro Detroit for Italian stuff, besides Windsor? I am just wondering. Because my family is Italian, and many of our family members in Detroit always do massive shopping sprees for Italian stuff when they come to Toronto. Or we have to send Italian food down to them. Like last week we had to send these special onion type things to them. Anyway it always makes us wonder, because Detroit has like 5 million people. You gotta have some large Italian spot?????????? | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3436 Registered: 10-2003 |
Cantoro Italian Market on Middlebelt in Livonia is outstanding. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 1805 Registered: 10-2003 |
MikeToronto: Can't imagine that one would need to go to Toronto for Italian specialty food items! Several of the big produce stores around Metro Detroit are Italian-owned, including Randazzo's, Nino Salvaggio's, and Vince and Joe's. I would think that they would carry items that cater to Italian family cooking needs. And based on "Our Italian Story," there are a number of food-related companies run by Italian families that supply such items to the grocers. And there's a big network of Italians through the various cultural centers: Italian American Cultural Center in Clinton Township, Venetian Club in Madison Heights, Italian American Club in Livonia, and others. | ||
Hornwrecker Member Username: Hornwrecker Post Number: 1713 Registered: 04-2005 |
There are a few Italian meat products that aren't allowed into the US by FDA law. Perhaps they are smuggling in some types of air cured ham? | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5296 Registered: 02-2004 |
Ever heard of Buscemis? They are Italian family who owns a series of restaurants and party stores all over Macomb County. | ||
Miketoronto Member Username: Miketoronto Post Number: 404 Registered: 07-2004 |
We are always pay a visit to Nino Salvaggio's when we visit Detroit. I don't know, I guess it is just these couple items you guys don't get. | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 984 Registered: 03-2006 |
Danny i thought the name was franchised out? My mom told me of her experience meeting mr buscemi. ha | ||
Patrick Member Username: Patrick Post Number: 3766 Registered: 10-2003 |
The majority of Italians live on the east side of town. Most reside in Warren, Clinton Township and St. Clair Shores as well as the north side of GP and even Sterling Heights. Take a look at a Chippewa Valley HS year book. I bet half the names are Italian. During the depression, my great-grandfather (who came from Genoa) was a bootlegger. He always had “odd” jobs. After hearing stories from my aunt, I am now convinced he was up to no good. They had a beautiful brick home on Newport and my grandfather was given a brand spanking new car. This was the depression!!! Hell, my grandpa ran a gambling ring at the Chrysler plant he worked at. Years later my father told me about how his aunt lived in the basement with a separate kitchen, while her upstairs was all dolled up and the furniture had tacky plastic covering all over it. Even today in Fraser and SCS, you can see many ranch-style homes with those tacky second floor additions on them.lol.. Back in the day, which high schools had the most Italian kids? Denby?? | ||
Swingline Member Username: Swingline Post Number: 643 Registered: 11-2003 |
As for the schools, the Italians favored the Catholic schools. It's truly amazing how from 1920-1970 seemingly every little neighborhood Catholic parish supported a high school. | ||
Schoolcraft Member Username: Schoolcraft Post Number: 19 Registered: 07-2005 |
The first Italian Church in Detroit really. Although we didnt support a Parish, Holy Family which I attended, certainly was/is an historical icon in Detroit for many of us.(See link below) I remember eating the best italian bread handed out for free after mass( every 3rd Sunday or something like that) in the basement hall of the church. Then I (we) were walked over to the U of D law school(they let us use their classrooms) for catechism.Those were long days! http://www.michmarkers.com/pag es/L1627.htm | ||
Danny Member Username: Danny Post Number: 5301 Registered: 02-2004 |
The Gasperatto Family, The Gasperattos were a famous Italian Detroit family who had connections of the maffia over 75 years ago. The once ruled the streets of Gratiot Ave. and defend their communities against the La Costa Nostra, an Italian maffia who also ran Gratiot Ave. until the last group were arrested and tried under a federal court in Downtown Detroit in the mid 1990s La Costa Nostra were Detroit's last maffia, and last remaining mob are now in a federal prison, most of them died. Meanwhile The Gasperattos are scott free living somewhere in ........ OOPS! I can't give more further information. | ||
Schoolcraft Member Username: Schoolcraft Post Number: 20 Registered: 07-2005 |
Thanks I stand corrected...meant to say Holy Family didnt support Parish "school" Forgot to put in the word school. Holy family was/is, of course, a "Parish" | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 4622 Registered: 11-2003 |
Important distinction. Faux pas erased. jjaba. |
