1957 Mickey Mantle's In Town

May 1957 & Mickey's in town to take a few swings!
Within the first 30 seconds, the audio slows way down for about 10 seconds as Mickey makes his way around home plate in his car: His car? WATCH:
http://pleasantvillebaseball.vnsports.com/video/?id=239CBFDED95F6CEB7F7F0FE301E18D9A

A Dollar's Worth

The caption within the photo tells the story! Click on the photo:
This 1959 "hand made time card," was found in a cabinet in Clara & Dan's garage in 2012. Some 53 years later!

Vintage Audio Downloads

Download them at this link: 
You may need to sign in with a FREE account to download them. Well worth it!
Audio featured are of my parents/family, my kids & some of my wife's family.
Some files are repeated because they were featured on another site which no longer
exists. I then uploaded everything that was on that former site some of which were
already featured here:
https://www.box.com/files/0/f/17629136/Loreto

World War ll Claims a Cedrone, a Tocci & a Parent

I will break this down 
so it's easy to follow:
WWll claims a Cedrone & a Tocci & then a parent.

The Cedrone Death: Pompeii Leone was Loreto Cedrone's nephew. It was his sister's son. Killed in action:


The Tocci Death:

John Lawrence Gentile was Grace (Gentile) Tocci's nephew. Grace was married to my grandfather Carmine Tocci. Her brother was Loreto Gentile. John Lawrence dies in a secret mission & most likely did not know he was part of it:


http://www.accessgenealogy.com/navy/massachusetts/g.htm
John Lawrence was on board the SS. Harvey in 1943 when he too was killed in action.
The SS Harvey was in Bari, Italy with a cargo only a select few knew about. Disguised were 500 tons of mustard gas bombs.
The bombs were meant only as a precaution to be used if the Germans resorted to chemical warfare.
The Commander wanted to unload the bombs quickly but since only he & a few others knew they existed he didn't want to draw attention to the cargo, so they sat in the harbor for 5 days.
The German air force found & attacked all the ships in the harbor unaware of the SS Harvey's cargo. Once hit, the ship exploded disappearing instantly in a huge mushroom-shaped fireball:
Bari Italy was under the jurisdiction of British law. Churchill destroyed all evidence of mustard gas deaths & instead listed them as,
" burns due to enemy action." Churchill's secrecy caused more deaths as victims especially Italian civilians died from lack of proper treatment.
Watch the video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NonWxm4aYHc
Loreto Gentile:
In February 1944 following the death of his son, Loreto Gentile , distraught while installing a gutter on a home, slipped, falling & hitting a fence killing him instantly. 
Below is a photo of John Lawrence Gentile, a newspaper clipping which details the story of his brother Pompeo (Chubby) Gentile who held off the Nazis for over an hour earning him a Bronze Star & the death of Pompeii Leone who died the same day his childhood friend Jerry Leone (no relation) stationed elsewhere was injured. Pompeii was killed in action trying to save soldiers in his platoon wounded under heavy fire:


Links are here:
Pompeo Gentile:
John Lawrence Gentile:
Pompeii Leone







Youtube Channel


I've made every video available in playlists on youtube. It will link you to the channel as it does here:http://www.youtube.com/user/8mmhomemoviechannel

Find a Grave & Our Death Records

The importance of headstone, gravestone, & cemetery photos. Yes, I know taking photos in a cemetery may seem odd but they are greatly needed when researching family. They are often a source of great information or they can lead you to more. Look at this photo:
The original inscription of the stone after my grandfather's death in 1952 & the corrected design. Who knew? Anyone who did has long passed away.

The headstone at All Souls Cemetery in Pleasantville NY, was photographed by my parents then sent to my mother's sister Clara in Quincy, Ma. While Clara visited the graves many
times over the decades she had long forgotten about the photo sent & had no idea the design had changed.

On the back of one photo was a note from my mother. She mentioned their father's name was not on the correct side. No one knows when the headstone was chan
ged, possibly after my grandmother died.


The headstone not only provides some basic information but the history of the stone itself.
Loreto Cedrone died 1952. Fifty nine years later, in 2011 I found a photo which showed the headstone had been changed.

Find A Grave provides researchers with photos & sometimes bio's of headstones.
If you're family reading this you will or should recognize these 5 links:

When I searched Dan Marini-Aunt Clara's name popped up as well since they share the same headstone. I do not know who took the photo or if they're related to Dan. Many x's headstones are photographed & uploaded by complete strangers, a friend of the deceased, or a very distant relative.
There are MILLIONS of headstones in this country. It's pure luck when someone you know has a headstone photographed.
Aunt Clara & Uncle Dan except he was never called Don:
Glady Cedrone: Glady was the brother of Christine Cedrone, who are the children of Alex Cedrone (Loreto's brother).
I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating.
My mother & Christine Cedrone are 1st cousins. Christine married Paulo (Chubby) Gentile. Chubby & my father were 1st cousins. Chubby's father, & my father's mother were siblings (Got it). So, they were 1st cousins to both of my parents through blood & through marriage! This is Chris' brother's grave:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=cedrone&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=21&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=53339263&df=all&

 Here is a PDF of deceased Cedrone's & Tocci's:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9dVuq0Ul-ruOWZkMDI2MGQtNDU1MS00MDU1LTg3ODEtMjc0NmU2OTU5ZjU5

Tocci's Full Frame 8mm HD Transfer

Watch the 8mm home movies of the Tocci's in full frame HD. Each video offers a description & the time it begins so you can jump right to that moment:
Tocci Full Frame HD 8mm Transfer Part 5

Last Names

I began thinking of the number of last names within the family & how each eventually traces back to Loreto & Maria Cedrone. But more importantly I wanted to see how many last names or family's are now within our family.
I'll use my family as an example. My mother a Cedrone marries & becomes a Tocci. My sister Diane marries, & becomes a Cuatt. Her daughter Christine marries & is a Taylor.
A new last name comes into the family each time a daughter marries.
Tracing backwards... Christine Taylor is the daughter of Diane & George Cuatt, Diane is the daughter of Frank & Christine Tocci, Christine is the daughter of Loreto & Maria Cedrone.
Because Loreto is first married to Donata Rufo you must also include that name, since she was Harry & Vi's mother & you must also include Maria's maiden name Cellucci, because she is the biological mother to all the other siblings.
Here are the last names I could recall. If you know of more, please email me at yourbestdj@aol.com.
Ask if you don't know who belongs to a last name, i.e. JONES, is Nancy Camilli's daughter Lauren's married name.
Just a few of the last names within our family:
Cedrone Tocci Salvucci Rufo Camilli Consorte Fricchione Tuttle Perone Jones Roach Patane
Ferguson Fusco Cantor Tougas Cuatt Taylor Kelly
Stemkowski Gentile Grube Marini Arienti
Mahoney Meyer Leone Pelligrini Sambucci
Vecchione Arpie Maciejczyk Palumbo Curnow
Chernak Naughton Montes Sorrentino Grassia Akin Kaminski Hamilton Lindsay...



Tocci's On The History Channel

The History Channel find my 8mm films online during their in search for home movies to show what life was like back home during the 
Viet Nam War.
We are featured in the opening credits & again within the first 5 minutes. We are now art of "History!"
Thumbnail TocciHistory 
In the Vietnam video below at:
1:10 Anthony doing the twist. My back's to the camera. This clip is also used in promos
1:27 Diane & George. This moment of them trying to get into the car as their getting hit with rice is repeated throughout the Vietnam special. it is considered the lead in as the captions begin at this point. THAT is huge. This is also used in their promos.
4:00 Me & my father.
5:25 Diane & prom date. Doug, Norrine & Vilma.They use that moment to bounce from the states to Nam.
Diane's prom date scene is also used in promos:
Vietnam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cH1kBmmf3w&feature=channel_video_title  
Speaking of history...
Read the caption of this pamphlet:

The Road To Pleasantville

My father's brother Dan (Donato) Tocci
created on canvas

" The Road to Pleasantville." This is not a true scene from Pleasantville NY but as with any artist it was his vision of a father & son living in a small town on their way home on a cold snowy night.
The above photo is only a small snap shot of this painting which I had restored.
Over 73 years later (as of this writing) the painting dated October 12th 1942 looks amazing.

The Italians (Movie)

The Italians. The Movie..about our family:

Food. Wine. Song.

Salude'

ThumbnailThe Italians
More food & wine are served here:
Mangia
represents what was typical of my house.
There was never enough room, but you always had more than enough food & wine. There were often forty relatives & friends stuffed in a kitchen that comfortabley fit ten. Everyone would be talking at the same time, nine different conversations all going on at once, pots n' pans clanging, a TV blasting in the living room while kids ran between the two rooms.
Food, wine, laughter...

Mangia!
Taste the full size video & one more too:YouTube - CedroneTocciMangia including a version without captions YouTube - mangiapart2The digital salude':Salude' At The Tocci's
The best quality video of that Mangia moment. Notice the cigarettes at the table. Ah! Food. Wine. SMOKE! Here's an updated 8mm transfer. I guess 8mm in this case means
Mangia! Mangia:
Food, Wine, & Smoke!

This is a wonderful Christmas version:Christmas At Our House
As long as I can remember the "boys," played cards at my house. There was always plenty of food. Most everyone smoked, which drove my father nuts, because the kitchen wreaked of cigarettes. As a kid I had no idea what the Hell they were talking about. Ace high. Deuce wild. Hi-lo. In our Italian household the men often played cards after a big family gathering. The women? They were busy, cleaning up!

If you've got a winning hand, play cards with the boys: YouTube - CedroneTocciCards

In this newly created HD card game video you'll see both card games at the same time:
Boys Play Cards 8mm Home MovieA clear winner! The best quality videos of the boys dealing
their big bucks:
Doug & The Boys & Ante' Up
In fact here they are once again "cartooning," around:Cartoon Cards
Mangia More! If there was one constant thread in the years of Marini 8mm movies it was food. Look at the amount desserts on that table. NO SMALL SLICES HERE. But you before we have coffee & cake you have to eat. How about we make some nice "sang wedges!"

YouTube - MariniMangia
Another version with even more food & coffee & cake:
Abudanza Marini Style

What's food without the wine!

Sunday dinner with Clara & Dan & Sid & Helen:
Clara & Dan & Sid & Helen

A favorite scene from Moonstruck. You can smell & taste the Italian toast, eggs & ham:

Easter early 1960's, Pleasantville: Easter, Pleasantville, Circa' '61
This one video says it all about our families:
Italians!

And what's an Italian family without sauce:

Thumbnail Makin Da' Sauce

Below are classic clips from above, raw/unedited or enhanced, as they appear on the reel (Make sure you view them in 1080 on a full screen by clicking the right hand tab in the youtube player). You may have to let the video play though once, then switch it to 1080. They & the rest are also available in this playlist:http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=F312AF111BB010EE
Food, Wine, Song. Italian!

Doug's Surprise!

Take a bite out these videos. Clara talks about how Aunt Millie's became a popular spaghetti sauce & then dig in to Sunday dinner.
Clara & Aunt Millie HDThumbnail
Thumbnail Italian Sunday Dinner HD
Italian Sunday Dinner MANGIA! HD Thumbnail


The Movie!


Why. Because.

To start from the beginning go to the OLDER posts (linked) at the bottom of every page.
Just click that link until you get to the very 1st post. 
Or look to the bottom right. You will see a list of dates in YEARS followed by a number. Click the arrow on the last date. That will open to a list of months. Click the very last arrow which will open to the posts of that month. The last one is the very first one for this blog & that's where this blog began.
Why? Why? Why? Why so many videos. I'll tell you WHY! But first...The blog was created when you read, but who reads anymore? 
Think you do?
When you "read," online you're now conditioned to scan for images/VIDEO. Your eyes immediately begin to look for a visual stimuli just as you are
here.
Did you know my parent's danced? WATCH:

I know most of what's here isn't READ even though it was written in short bursts with links to keep your interest:
Larry&Frank
But why, why, why so many videos?
There are billions of youtube videos. Instead of deleting an older family version I linked the newer one to it like here: Salude' At The Tocci's
The older video's are tagged so when searching they do often come up, & when you watch them they link you to the better quality version which you may not have found:

Tocci Tricks



You'll find several fake photos in this album. The images are real, just not how you see them. Obviously the flag photos are created but others in the album look like they were taken as you see them, like this one: It's two photos taken on the same day, the same way, except Doug's pictured by himself in one, my father the other. Combined it appears to be real.
The Italian flag images are some of my favorites:

http://s596.photobucket.com/albums/tt43/loretophoto/Tocci%20Tricks/ 
Watch this slide show too:
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Italiano!
And speaking of tricks...
ThumbnailTocci Tricks
Watch this smilebox too:
Click to play this Smilebox photo album


HD Transfer

April 2011 LouReda Productions, the largest documentary film maker for the History Channel is producing a documentary on the Viet Nam War. They spotted my 8mm online & were interested in using clips of what life was like back home during that time.Thumbnail TocciHistory
In exchange for copying & using the home movies, they provided an HD Full Frame Transfer. A Full Frame means exactly that. You see the entire "frame," of the 8mm film. From sprocket holes to the edges. This provides the largest view of the images.
Watch the full one hour family history video here:

Watch the 8mm home movies of the Tocci's in full frame HD. Each video offers a description & the time it begins so you can jump right to that moment:
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Thumbnail Now THAT's an Exit!
Thumbnail Now in HD:Dan Marini's 8mm of Donald & Barbara's wedding
1964 Barbara & Donald Tocci Wedding HD
Here are classic clips. Raw/unedited or enhanced as they appear on the reel (Make sure you view them in 1080 on a full screen by clicking the right hand tab in the youtube player).