Childhood Lessons and Family Storytelling: A Papa Fiore Memory

This is the third installment of my dad's stories, which are quickly becoming fan favorites from my audience. I have pulled my dad out of retirement to find a new career as blogger!

To catch you up, the first story, Family Storytelling Tradition With Papa Fiore, is worth reading to give some context to this 3rd story. The second story, Discovering Staten Island Roots Through Family Storytelling, gives a bit more color about growing up in Staten Island.

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Family Storytelling

As I mentioned in my first article a few weeks ago my grandkids got bored with me reading children's books to them and they asked me to make up stories hence the creation of Little Johnny stories.

These stories weren't entirely made up. Little Johnny was a classmate of mine in Mrs. McCarthy's 5th grade class at Public School 44 (known as PS 44) located in Mariners Harbor, Staten Island.

The cast of my stories centered on 4 characters:

• Little Johnny

• Mrs. McCarthy

• Bully George

• Little Papa

Little Johnny:

He was only in my 5th grade class for one year. He transferred to PS 44 from an elementary school in Manhattan and lived a few houses from me. His father was a cameraman who filmed commercials for a large New York agency called BBD+O. One of their larger clients was Campbell Soup and they became famous for their "Mmm Mmm Good" slogan that became an integral part of every TV, print and radio commercial for many years.

My dad's rendering of Little Johnny

So, one day Little Johnny's dad thought it would be fun to take Little Johnny to an actual commercial shoot for Campbell's Soup. The premise of the commercial was to show an average family at home waiting for dinner. There was Mom, Dad, big sister and little brother looking somber until Mom announces that they are going to have Campbell's chicken noodle soup for dinner then the frowns all turn to smiles that get bigger when the soup is actually served.

A voiceover then says, "That's why Campbell Soup is Mmm Mmm Good."

The young boy who has been cast to be in the commercial has taken ill and cannot make the shoot. The director in desperation asks Little Johnny's dad if he can take his place. His dad says Little Johnny has never acted before and the director says there is no dialogue, all he has to do is wear a frown until Mom announces dinner and then he smiles, tastes the soup and smiles wider joining a very happy family setting. Little Johnny's dad tells him what he has to do and he says "Dad, I don't like chicken noodle soup". Little Johnny's dad says you will be getting $50 an hour, most shoots take 5 hours that means you will be making $250. I guess you didn't realize how much you suddenly got to like chicken noodle soup. Little Johnny says, "Right on Dad".

So Little Johnny became a quasi-celebrity at PS 44 as the Campbell's commercial he was in played countless times on television.

He became a favorite of Mrs. McCarthy who never had a TV star in her class before.

He also became a favorite of Bully George who kept asking Johnny to get him into commercials.

As for me Little Papa I liked walking to school with him because he was fun and upbeat and he didn't let his instant fame go to his head.

Mrs. McCarthy:

My dad's rendering of Mrs. McCarthy

Mrs. M was a typical old schoolteacher. She had a big sign on the wall that said:

M Y O B

Mrs. M also use to call her students out if they misbehaved. Her favorite line was: We have our General Eisenhower's and our General McArter's but you George are a general nuisance. Bully George had to repeat 5th grade because his grades were terrible. Mrs. McCarthy dreaded another year of him in her class, but her retirement was near and she figured she could tolerate him for a few more months.

The rest of the class not so much.

Bully George:

My dad's rendering of Bully George

His favorite saying was "If you don't do what I ask I'm going to deck you". He was about a year older than everyone else in the class, about a foot taller and about 40 pounds heavier. His frustration about getting left back made him take it out on the rest of the class especially the boys.

He methodically singled out one boy a day to meet him after school and then before a decent crowd of onlookers would wrestle the boy down and make him say I give up. He never involved any girls.

The only boys who were immune from this ordeal were Little Johnny because of his celebrity and George wanting to be on TV and Little Papa because I gave him my homework to copy, a small price to pay from having George sit on you.

Little Papa:

My dad's rendering of himself as a kid in his own stories

In order not to confuse the grandkids, I kept the name Papa in all my stories. They only knew me by that name and to introduce Anthony or Tony (my real and nickname) would have created more confusion. So, in all the stories, I was Little Johnny's sidekick and I was "Little Papa".

As I mentioned in my other stories, I lived in Mariners Harbor and went to PS 44 for 8 years.

Ironically, many years after when I was in the business world, Campbell Soup became one of my company's biggest clients. More about that in future writings.

Now that readers would be familiar with the cast after presenting their biographies, here is one of the grandkid's favorite Little Johnny stories.

Bully George was getting bored with wrestling the boys in the class to the ground. Nobody even showed up to watch the show anymore.

One day Bully George was walking to school with Little Johnny and I and he said I have an idea that could be profitable for me. "What's the idea" asked Little Johnny.

Bully George proudly says I'm starting a company called Bully George Protection Company. As you know every day in the afternoon Mrs. McCarthy makes us take a 15-minute break to have a cookie and a container of milk. The cookie is free, but the milk money is 5 cents for a carton. We have 13 boys in the class. I will not include you Johnny or you Papa and of course myself, so that leaves 10 boys who will pay me 50¢ a day or $2.50 a week for protection. "That means they can't have milk with their cookies Bully George," said Little Johnny. I know Little Johnny, but it means they won't have to worry about being on the ground seeing my smiling face.

So let me get this straight Bully George you are asking for money from the boys to protect them from you. If Mrs. McCarthy found out, she will march you to the principal's office and you might be spending another year in 5th grade.

I know there is some risk but no risk no reward said George.

So, George pursues this enterprising venture and is pleased to have all 10 boys participate. He doesn't feel sorry when their mouths are watering for milk to go along with their cookies. Mrs. McCarthy is clueless as to what is happening and thinks the boys might think the milk is sour.

After a month, Bully George celebrates his 10 dollars by buying a fancy yo-yo and a Spalding ball.

Little Johnny is not so amused by Bully George's business acumen, so he approaches the bully and details a plan for George to consider.

He says George "Congrats on your business but if you want it to grow you are going to have to invest in it."

"What do you mean Little Johnny" says George.

Little Johnny says well you are going to need a salesman to get you new clients. I can do that job, but you will have to pay me 20¢ a day. Then you will need an accountant (Little Papa) to take care of your books and pay your taxes. And, you will need a marketing manager to develop an advertising campaign Bully George Protection Company. That will cost you another 20¢ each for Papa and the marketing manager (Little Sally).

George says, "Great idea Little Johnny but I will be losing 10¢ a day". That's what happens to start-up companies George, but the investment will pay out over time.

So, George follows Little Johnny's plan and in 5 months he is forced to declare bankruptcy. Little Johnny has outsmarted Bully George once again.

Little Johnny and Little Papa returned all the money plus interest to the 10 classmate boys who had to contribute to George. Everyone in the class enjoyed their milk and cookie again- except Bully George who spent milk and cookie time in the principal's office.