"The Pizza Man" film

[Rosewood]

There used to be a film SS showed, a LONG time ago, that showed a Pizza man, making pizza the old-fashioned way. While old, Italian accordian music playes in the background, it shows a baker pounding out a ball of pizza dough by hand, then (as the music plays a slow tune) it shows him pick up the dough and begin to toss it, spinning, into the air, higher and higher with each toss, untill its just right. Then the music goes into a faster tune as he tops the pizza, puts it in the old brick oven to bake, pulls it out with the wooden paddle, cuts it and gives it to a group of kids who then yell "Pizza!" and start to eat.

When I was a kid, I used to watch my mom as she made home-made bread. I always used to ask her for a bit of dough so I could "pretend" I was a pizza baker, and remember trying (usually unsuccesfully) to do that tossing part to make my own pizza!

 

[Ziffel]

Yeah this was another one that had fun music to listen to (like the ball rolling on the chrome tracks that I brought up yesterday. ).
Sesame Mike made an interesting observation in a thread he did about films with dual soundtracks:

Ever notice that a device used in some of the older films was to have two different soundtracks, one played after the other? There was usually a second or two of silence between them.

He cited this pizza clip as an example:

-- Pizza. A slow Italian musical score played while we watched the pizza guy shape and toss the crust in slo-mo. A wild and crazy fast musical piece played while the rest of the pizza was made, in fast-motion.

Mmmboy it's nearly lunch time and I haven't eaten anything yet today. Maybe it's time to get some PIZZA!!!!!

 

[mikebennidict]

i used to think that was so wierd throwing the dough up into the air.

 

[fuzzygobo]

But throwing the dough in the air helps spread the crust out, so it will bake evenly. Plus in a number of New York's pizza parlors, where you can walk down the street and watch them making pizza in the front window, it's almost expected of the bakers to toss it in the air and make a little show out of it. Separates the good pizza men from the great ones.

Now I'm hungry!!

 

[Ziffel]

HaHa yes, I too got hungry talkin' about this segment earlier today.

Your comment, fuzzygobo, about watching the men make the pizzas in New York City through the outside window reminded me of that hilarious "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy took a job making pizza. Remember how she had all that trouble with throwing the dough in the air? And then when a group of people outside gathered to watch the spectacle, Ricky comes over to look. When she sees him, she puts the dough over her face and makes eye holes in it. Funny stuff. Okay, time to go order a pizza to be delivered! (Hopefully this thread will die soon or I could become the owner of some new love handles!)

 

[mikebennidict]

But throwing the dough in the air helps spread the crust out, so it will bake evenly. Plus in a number of New York's pizza parlors, where you can walk down the street and watch them making pizza in the front window, it's almost expected of the bakers to toss it in the air and make a little show out of it. Separates the good pizza men from the great ones.

Now I'm hungry!!

oh I understand that and have known for a long time there was a good reason for it but when you're younger it's just stuff like that seems strange.

 

[SesameMike]

throwing the dough in the air helps spread the crust out, so it will bake evenly.

In the opening sequence to Laverne and Shirley, there's a scene at the "Pizza Bowl" in which the guy tosses a pizza crust up in the air, then plants a lingering kiss on the lady there (his wife?). The pizza dough lands on their noses! You may need the DVD to see this, though, since some if not all of the syndicated runs show an abbreviated opening which omits this scene.

Incidentally, in the Sesame Street film, there's a point where the guy tosses the pizza really high, almost up into the rafters. It seemed to me that the pizza parlor was equipped with unusually bright lighting on the ceiling.

Did he put American cheese slices on that pizza? Though admittedly, I recently saw mozzarella cheese sold in similarly sized slices.