Around The World In New York (1950s)

[Music] nearly everybody dreams of traveling all of us can dream but only a few get the chance to travel the faraway places yet anyone can get a taste of traveling around the world in the one place where the world's nations sit side by side New York City [Music] Baghdad on the subway that's what O'Henry called New York the town where East meets West amidst the babble of a hundred tongues New York is where the Latin Roomba shares a jukebox with a beer barrel polka Manhattan's Lower East Side is a living example of America's melting pot in action and has become a new world version of the old world bazaar [Music] bargaining between merchants and customer still remains an art here individuals appraise the quality of the goods and test each other's width and willpower even the young learn quickly that its each man for himself in a world where panties and pickles live side by side [Music] but even this old world marketplace of all nations has bowed to Yankee flavor and rhythm hurry hurry hurry hurry the world is so full of a number of things and we don't want to miss any [Music] the Spanish equivalent for an ice-cream cone is Edie agua for a few pennies the street corner vendor shaves the ice and from a rainbow of flavors your own choice colors the frosty cone here's a cooling treat that satisfies the sweet tooth common to youngsters the world over the smile for shadows delights to come yet sugar and spice and everything nice is just a small part of New York life for young Frederick a nose summer and extra money selling shopping bags or with a shoeshine box on a busy corner when life becomes hard and problems are puzzling one is willing to accept some outside guidance to success and happiness Polly the fortune-teller relies on chance rather than reason song and music to help to carry the burden of the day and musicians performing in the public square have delighted people for thousands of years man cannot live by bread alone and the soul is nourished by art as well as spiritual inspiration [Music] England raises her heroes on the playing fields of Eton but the sandlot for New York Central Park does nicely for Americans of all races even the World Series cannot excel the spirit of this game between two Puerto Rican neighborhood teams it won't be long before this youngster will be right in there banning him out and who knows the great the DiMaggio's Robinson's campanella's and Williams got their start just like this from bullfights to Sandlot baseball exciting sports are favored around the world by people of Spanish descent in another part of town the game of boccie an outdoor a bowling game imported from Italy still finds favor with the old-timers two teams Bowl in competition points are scored by the number of balls closest to the small ball or foligno here there is no reliance on an umpires quick eye inches are carefully measured but even the ruler cannot prevent discussion watch a means to knock an opponent's ball out of scoring position and all how they try body English comes naturally to veteran players you must try to control the ball as long as it is in motion a close decision can lead to as much argument as a rhubarb in a baseball game this could very well be Rome or Naples but it's still New York though in this country what Jay will hardly outlive the old-timers younger generations find their common meeting ground in a red-hot game of stickball [Music] or foods with foreign flavors this is a wonderful town for marketing New York's many National Origins have enriched the city with a world of variety in foods and among the finest are the specialties of Italy mozzarella a cheese product is a must in the preparation of mouth-watering manicotti a Neapolitan dish not easily duplicated by unknowing hands [Music] [Applause] macaroni is first stuffed with ricotta something like cottage cheese and then with mozzarella then it is saturated with a well simmered tomato sauce whose recipe has been handed down from generation to generation finally topped with a sharp parmigiano cheese [Music] the dish is placed in the oven for an hour to let all the flavors mingle and then with Papa's approval buon appetito a little bit of Bavaria clings to New York's Upper East Side here is York Fields Brauhaus with its singers and it's commuter height the schuhplattler or slap dance is traditional and so is the beer drinkers toast also prosit - even the dancing is full of humor and just like this beer stein its lusty and full of the European flavor and now the spirit of the schnitzel Bank a musical audience participation game it doesn't make much sense but everyone has a lot of fun with all the different backgrounds that make up New York there's one day in the year when everybody is Irish st. Patrick's Day of course it's a proud day for New York when its minions turn out for the wedding of the green to the tune of the jig's and the sound of the bagpipes officials of church and state review the marchers from the steps of st. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue but the real dignitaries of the day are the killings and the Ryans the O'Connell's and the O'Brien it is their past and their future which all new yorkers celebrate today as friends and neighbors [Music] Chinatown calls up memories of subtle foods aromas of oriental delicacies linger in the streets newsstands which carried the communities 5 Chinese language dailies helped give these streets of foreign appearance but Johnny Lum like any other American kid has his own reading habits and this could be any Street in New York [Music] [Music] beautiful oriental handicrafts attract thousands of travelers who in many ways are the most amusing sights in Chinatown [Music] the really big event in this community's life comes with a celebration of the Chinese New Year when Eastern customs and Eastern symbols turn this section of New York into a corner of the Far East [Music] firecrackers are an old Chinese invention their explosions are joined with the sound of drums and clashing cymbal [Music] all the noise serves to encourage the dragon as he tries to drive out the evil spirits of the old year to clear the way for the new [Music] all this is New York City where you can make a trip around the world in the shadows of the skyscrapers [Applause] you