The opening programme offers a brief history of the Italian Risorgimento to provide the context for the great flight from the Mezzogiorno region, as well as the origins of the first generation's psychology.
Documentary series. At the turn of the 20th century, over four million Italians immigrate to America to start afresh. Although mistrustful of government institutions, parents send their children to public school to succeed in America. While Italian Americans are forced to worship in the basement of churches controlled by the Irish Archdiocese, they take to the streets to reinforce their culture, while prohibition breeds a new kind of criminal who takes a shortcut to success.
Documentary series. A second generation of Italian Americans begins to enter the labour movement, politics, sports and entertainment. Fiorello LaGuardia beats Tammany Hall to become mayor of New York and Joe DiMaggio breaks the record for consecutive hits and becomes an All-American hero. But with the outbreak of World War II, Italians' loyalty to America is questioned and they are forced to choose between two nations at war.
In post-war America, Italian Americans seem finally to have arrived. They move to the suburbs, attend college and enter the middle-class, but even the more successful among them, Frank Sinatra included, are haunted by accusations of mafia ties. Governor Mario Cuomo, the son of Italian immigrants, achieves great success as, in later years, do Antonin Scalia and Nancy Pelosi, but could there be an Italian American president? Have Italian Americans finally shed the old stereotypes?
Stanley Tucci
Narrator
John Maggio
Director
Writer
