"Avoiding the sometimes sterile and by now often futile debateconcerning stereotypes, Hollywood's Italians is instead an act of lovingarcheology: digging in the past and assembling a colorful kaleidoscopicmosaic of tesserae. It is a pointillist portrait of a collective community.Each chapter is devoted to a theme, be it Italians who made their wayto Hollywood, the transition from stage to screen, the symbiotic interactionbetween television and film, music on the screen, food and family,and peopled with dozens of mini-biographies that reveal often surprisingbits of information. The appendix, listing all Italian American AcademyAward winners and nominations, is invaluable as a historical document.Readers will bask in the wonderful nostalgia while being simultaneouslyentertained and enlightened." - - Stanislao G. Pugliese, Queensboro Unico Distinguished Professor of Italian and Italian American Studies, Hofstra University