Thirty-One Days of Italians
Celebrating Italian heritage by acknowledging the accomplishments
of Italians and Italian Americans in America
The purpose of this website is
to educate others about the
significant contributions that
those of Italian heritage have
made to America.
Biographies range from one to
several paragraphs providing
an overview, and links to a
collection of selected
resources are provided for
more in-depth research.
The information is intended to
be shared and distributed;
however, the work in this
website is a result of massive
hours of researching,
organizing, creating, and
writing. If you use any of the
information on this website,
please give proper credit by
citing Thirty-One Days of
Italians and adding a link
to this website. Thank you.
Author, educator, and researcher Janice Therese Mancuso established Thirty-One Days of Italians to promote the
significant contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. She was awarded a grant from the National
Italian American Foundation (NIAF) and a grant from the Italian Historical Society of America to assist in continuing her
work to promote Italian American culture and heritage. She is the director of the Italian American Press, and publisher of
Tutto Italiano, an e-newsletter established in 2004.
jtmancuso@earthlink.net
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission except when published with this credit:
Excerpt from Thirty-One Days of Italians, ©2023 Janice Therese Mancuso.
At publication, all links were active.
Copyright 2007-2024
Janice Therese Mancuso
FILM
Joseph Barbera (1911-2006)
Starting his career in the banking industry, Barbera switched trades to work as a scriptwriter
and animator when his illustrations were accepted for publication. At MGM, he met William
Hanna and their first collaboration was an animated short film that became the initial feature in
the Tom and Jerry series. They worked together on the series for 17 years, earning seven
Academy Awards for Best (Cartoon) Short Subject.
When MGM closed its animation division, the two teamed up to form Hanna-Barbera
Productions, producing for television Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, The Flintstones,
The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, and Scooby Doo, among others. The Flintstones was the first
animated sitcom featuring celebrity voices.
Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters became cultural icons and have influenced future
generations of animators. In 1994,Barbera published his biography, My Life in Toons, and he
was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame, along with his
business partner, William Hanna.
Joseph Barbera
Recollections of Joseph Barbera
Remembering Joseph Barbera
Joseph Barbera: An Animated Life
Television Academy Hall of Fame
Joseph Barbera Credits
Hanna-Barbera
Joseph Barbera on creating "Tom and Jerry" with William Hanna (YouTube Video)
Frank Capra (1897-1991)
Born in Bisacquino, a small village about 30 miles
south of Palermo (region of Sicily), Francesco Rosario
Capra journeyed to America with his family when he
was six years old. He delivered newspapers
throughout his school years and worked a series of
jobs while attending college, where he studied
engineering. Through his involvement in the
Reserved Officers’ Training Course (ROTC), Capra
taught in artillery school, but shortly after, he
received a medical discharge after he was diagnosed
with the Spanish Flu.
After his recovery, he worked at numerous jobs, and began his career in film by writing and directing silent movies. In 1934, his
movie It Happened One Night won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. Subsequent films – Mr. Deeds Goes To
Town, You Can’t Take It With You, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and It’s A Wonderful Life – garnered numerous Oscar
nominations and two more Best Director awards.
Capra was known for the positive outlook of his films. In discussing It’s A Wonderful Life – declaring it was “the greatest film
anybody had ever made” – he said the movie “sums up my philosophy of filmmaking: First, to exalt the worth of the individual.
Second, to champion man – plead his causes, protest any degradation of his dignity, spirit or divinity; and third, to dramatize
the viability of the individual – as in the theme of the film itself …” Some critics use the term “Capraesque” to describe his
directing style.
In 1961, Capra’s last film, Pocketful of Miracles, was released. A remake of his 1933 film Lady for a Day, it was nominated for
three Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing. Capra
is one of just a few directors who have been recipients of more than three Best Director Oscars.
Frank Capra Biography (IMDb)
NEW Frank Capra Timeline 1897 to 1930
It’s a Wonderful (Italian-American) Life: The American Tale of the Italian Banker
It’s a Wonderful Life … in a “Christmas Card”
‘The Capraesque’: Exploring the unique vision of Frank Capra
Frank Capra (American Film Institute)
Frank Capra Movie Posters