Italian Entertainers Appeared At Freedomland U.S.A.

New York City has been a melting pot since it first was settled by Europeans. Initially, Dutch, English and Scots mingled their daily lives with the Native Americans. Then, in waves of legal immigration, Italians and many others arrived in the city.

A theme park in The Bronx during the early 1960s mirrored New York's historic melting pot. Freedomland U.S.A. featured employees of all backgrounds, and the popular entertainers of the day also were of diverse nationalities, cultures and religions.

The American history theme park was located where Co-op City and its shopping center stand today. It was created and built by C.V. Wood, the same man who built Disneyland for Walt Disney. The park lasted just five seasons, 1960-1964, because the landowner, politicians, city planners and others used it as a placeholder to obtain land variances that permitted the construction of the housing complex on marshland.

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To arrange a group presentation about Freedomland with film, photos and memorabilia, contact Freedomlandusa@yahoo.com .

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Italian Entertainers

Fond memories of the park and its history are shared on the Freedomland Facebook page. The park's comprehensive story from creation to bankruptcy also is recalled in a new book, Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History published by Theme Park Press.

Musicians, singers, comedians and other entertainers of Italian descent were among the more than 150 celebrities who appeared at the park. They included:

• Trumpeter, bandleader and recording artist Ray Anthony (nee Raymond Antonini) and Paul La Valle (nee Joseph Usifer), who enjoyed a long history from the network radio studios of the 1940s through the New York World's Fair and Radio City music Hall. He was Freedomland's music director.

• Singers Bobby Darin (Walden Robert Cassotto), Jerry Vale, Little Peggy March (Margaret Annemarie Battavio ), Connie Francis (Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero), Tony Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto), Dion DiMucci and Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons.

• Television’s Johnny Roventini, the Brooklyn-raised son of immigrants who appeared as the bellhop in Philip Morris advertisements. Who remembers his "Call for Philip Morris" cigarettes in a perfect B-flat tone?

Stories about Freedomland that have been lost for more than 50 years continue to be revealed each day. Soon, these new stories may be compiled in a second book about America's theme park.

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Mike Virgintino is the author of Freedomland U.S.A.: The Definitive History, the story about America's theme park located in The Bronx. Published by Theme Park Press, it can be found on Amazon, eBay and Goodreads.