1 00:00:08,722 --> 00:00:10,322 Speaker 1: Fireheart Originals. 2 00:00:10,362 --> 00:00:12,482 Speaker 2: This is an iHeart original. 3 00:00:18,002 --> 00:00:21,642 Speaker 3: On a cold day in March nineteen seventy three, a 4 00:00:21,722 --> 00:00:25,722 Speaker 3: small group gathered on a farm in the village of Osanique, Michigan. 5 00:00:26,402 --> 00:00:30,242 Speaker 3: They were gathered there to mourn, but they weren't mourning 6 00:00:30,402 --> 00:00:36,682 Speaker 3: anyone human. No, this was a pizza based catastrophe. The 7 00:00:36,762 --> 00:00:40,842 Speaker 3: deceased was delivered by dump truck, all wrapped in cellophane 8 00:00:41,242 --> 00:00:45,082 Speaker 3: and emptied into an eighteen foot hole in the ground. 9 00:00:45,642 --> 00:00:49,362 Speaker 3: There were floral wreaths and a moving homily delivered by 10 00:00:49,362 --> 00:00:54,202 Speaker 3: the governor about quote courage in the face of tragedy. 11 00:00:54,362 --> 00:00:58,802 Speaker 3: Even David Colhane, one of Walter Cronkite's correspondents, was there. 12 00:00:59,442 --> 00:01:03,562 Speaker 3: It was surely one of the strangest funerals in history. 13 00:01:04,362 --> 00:01:07,682 Speaker 3: As for what exactly was being delivered to its final 14 00:01:07,722 --> 00:01:12,962 Speaker 3: resting place, tens of thousands of pizzas with various toppings. 15 00:01:13,682 --> 00:01:17,722 Speaker 3: As for how they meant such an untimely end, the 16 00:01:17,842 --> 00:01:22,762 Speaker 3: answer to that involves an American success story, a deadly toksin, 17 00:01:23,042 --> 00:01:29,362 Speaker 3: a few wars, and some very suspect mushrooms. Welcome to 18 00:01:29,642 --> 00:01:34,162 Speaker 3: very special episodes and iHeart Original podcast. I'm your host 19 00:01:34,362 --> 00:01:37,722 Speaker 3: Dana Sports and this is the Pizza Funeral. 20 00:01:43,802 --> 00:01:46,242 Speaker 4: Hello, welcome back to our little program. My name is 21 00:01:46,442 --> 00:01:51,522 Speaker 4: Jason English. I'm Dana Schwartz, and you are and I 22 00:01:51,562 --> 00:01:55,482 Speaker 4: am Barren Burnette, the third one though correct. Today we 23 00:01:55,562 --> 00:01:57,122 Speaker 4: have a love letter to pizza. 24 00:01:57,162 --> 00:02:00,122 Speaker 5: If either of you could order any pizza that you 25 00:02:00,842 --> 00:02:02,922 Speaker 5: have ever had where you're ordering from right now? 26 00:02:03,002 --> 00:02:05,842 Speaker 3: You know something crazy. There's a pizza place near me 27 00:02:06,082 --> 00:02:09,242 Speaker 3: Cult TRIPPLEBMP Pizza that has a potato pizza. 28 00:02:10,442 --> 00:02:10,962 Speaker 4: Interesting. 29 00:02:11,122 --> 00:02:14,482 Speaker 3: It's so good. It's like oily in the best way. 30 00:02:14,562 --> 00:02:16,362 Speaker 3: And it's just a pizza with potato on it. So 31 00:02:16,402 --> 00:02:18,642 Speaker 3: it's carbon carb and that that's the pizza I would want. 32 00:02:18,762 --> 00:02:19,842 Speaker 4: Is it slices of potato? 33 00:02:19,882 --> 00:02:20,082 Speaker 6: Yeah? 34 00:02:20,122 --> 00:02:22,882 Speaker 3: Look really thin, really thin slices. 35 00:02:23,162 --> 00:02:23,402 Speaker 6: Ah. 36 00:02:23,802 --> 00:02:24,322 Speaker 4: Interesting. 37 00:02:24,402 --> 00:02:26,602 Speaker 1: When I was over in Bologna, Italy, I was like 38 00:02:26,682 --> 00:02:29,202 Speaker 1: there to go to the Ducati factory and to meet 39 00:02:29,242 --> 00:02:31,362 Speaker 1: all the people there and ride about motorcycles, and I 40 00:02:31,362 --> 00:02:33,402 Speaker 1: spent all my time eating gelato and pizza when I 41 00:02:33,442 --> 00:02:35,722 Speaker 1: wasn't at Dukati. And I got to tell you, they 42 00:02:35,762 --> 00:02:38,762 Speaker 1: put French fries on their pizza there, like not. Didn't 43 00:02:38,842 --> 00:02:41,442 Speaker 1: like skinny fries. I'm talking like steak fries. I'd never 44 00:02:41,442 --> 00:02:43,362 Speaker 1: seen anything like that. I was like, this is too 45 00:02:43,442 --> 00:02:45,762 Speaker 1: much potato, But I like your thin slice. I could 46 00:02:45,802 --> 00:02:46,642 Speaker 1: totally get behind that. 47 00:02:47,002 --> 00:02:47,642 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's great. 48 00:02:47,882 --> 00:02:51,282 Speaker 5: I'm going to balance out your very exotic pizzas with 49 00:02:51,362 --> 00:02:54,722 Speaker 5: the pizza hut lunch buffet circa nineteen ninety six. I 50 00:02:54,722 --> 00:02:57,962 Speaker 5: don't know if your pizza huts had a lunch buffet, 51 00:02:58,082 --> 00:03:01,362 Speaker 5: but back in the day, for about five dollars, you 52 00:03:01,402 --> 00:03:03,362 Speaker 5: could go in and it's all you can eat, and 53 00:03:03,402 --> 00:03:06,322 Speaker 5: they would have all the different, yeah, regular kinds of pizza, 54 00:03:06,402 --> 00:03:09,442 Speaker 5: and then they would bring out dessert pizza. My teeth 55 00:03:09,442 --> 00:03:11,722 Speaker 5: are hurting just thinking about it. Would be like apple 56 00:03:11,762 --> 00:03:15,922 Speaker 5: pie or cherry pie pizza. And I don't know if 57 00:03:15,922 --> 00:03:19,162 Speaker 5: they do that anywhere anymore. Probably my body couldn't handle 58 00:03:19,202 --> 00:03:22,002 Speaker 5: it anyway, But sixteen year old me loved it. 59 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:22,922 Speaker 4: Dessert pizza. 60 00:03:22,962 --> 00:03:25,882 Speaker 3: I think I have crested the age where that sounds 61 00:03:25,922 --> 00:03:26,322 Speaker 3: good to me. 62 00:03:26,442 --> 00:03:28,402 Speaker 4: Actually, come back all the way around. 63 00:03:28,722 --> 00:03:30,562 Speaker 1: Yeah, we didn't have a pizza Hut in my town, 64 00:03:30,602 --> 00:03:32,442 Speaker 1: so we had to go to another town, so it 65 00:03:32,522 --> 00:03:33,602 Speaker 1: was doubly special. 66 00:03:33,642 --> 00:03:35,682 Speaker 4: Like we would just sit there and covet that stuff. 67 00:03:35,682 --> 00:03:36,562 Speaker 4: That's a day out. 68 00:03:36,722 --> 00:03:39,882 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, and those red plastic cups. Nothing taste is 69 00:03:39,922 --> 00:03:42,042 Speaker 1: good in any other cup. If it's like a soda 70 00:03:42,162 --> 00:03:44,722 Speaker 1: or cold water, then those red plastic cups make that 71 00:03:44,842 --> 00:03:45,402 Speaker 1: spright hit. 72 00:03:45,602 --> 00:03:48,802 Speaker 5: We will do at some point a book It episode 73 00:03:48,882 --> 00:03:53,362 Speaker 5: about the pizza for reta. Oh yeah, but today a 74 00:03:53,402 --> 00:03:54,242 Speaker 5: pizza funeral. 75 00:03:56,802 --> 00:04:01,322 Speaker 3: To understand the Great American pizza funeral, you have to 76 00:04:01,402 --> 00:04:06,802 Speaker 3: first understand Ilario Mario for Brieni, World War Two survivor, 77 00:04:07,042 --> 00:04:13,882 Speaker 3: Italian American immigrant, veteran patriot, and pizza entrepreneur. Fabrini was 78 00:04:13,922 --> 00:04:17,482 Speaker 3: born in what was then called Fume, northern Italy, in 79 00:04:17,602 --> 00:04:22,162 Speaker 3: nineteen thirty one. This picturesque port on the Adriatic Sea 80 00:04:22,282 --> 00:04:26,482 Speaker 3: has changed hands many times over the last few centuries. 81 00:04:27,042 --> 00:04:29,842 Speaker 3: Around one hundred years ago it was known as a 82 00:04:29,922 --> 00:04:35,362 Speaker 3: melting pot, a place where Hungarians, Italians and Germans all intermingled. 83 00:04:35,762 --> 00:04:38,242 Speaker 3: But don't look for Fume on any map now. 84 00:04:39,562 --> 00:04:42,882 Speaker 2: The city that he was born in was called Fiume, 85 00:04:43,522 --> 00:04:48,242 Speaker 2: and during World War Two the Italians lost it to 86 00:04:48,362 --> 00:04:52,202 Speaker 2: the Communist Party at the time, so they were hoping 87 00:04:52,322 --> 00:04:56,522 Speaker 2: that the Allies could get the city back, but it 88 00:04:56,682 --> 00:05:00,402 Speaker 2: just didn't happen. So now it's a part of actually Croatia. 89 00:05:01,002 --> 00:05:02,082 Speaker 2: That's called Rieca. 90 00:05:02,922 --> 00:05:10,042 Speaker 3: That's Hillary Fabrini, Ilario, Mario's eldest. As for that name, Mario. 91 00:05:10,242 --> 00:05:14,842 Speaker 2: My dad's real name is Alario. It sounds like Mario, 92 00:05:14,922 --> 00:05:18,762 Speaker 2: but Scott and I l ahar Oh. People had a 93 00:05:18,762 --> 00:05:22,922 Speaker 2: hard time saying Alario, so so me mustn't say. 94 00:05:23,042 --> 00:05:24,402 Speaker 7: I'm just gonna call you Mario. 95 00:05:25,042 --> 00:05:29,762 Speaker 2: That's an Italian name. All Italian serv their name Mario. Ilario. 96 00:05:29,882 --> 00:05:34,002 Speaker 3: Mario's family came to the United States originally when his 97 00:05:34,242 --> 00:05:38,522 Speaker 3: maternal grandfather emigrated around the turn of the twentieth century. 98 00:05:39,002 --> 00:05:42,242 Speaker 3: The family went back and forth between Italy and America 99 00:05:42,362 --> 00:05:46,482 Speaker 3: due to his grandmother's health. When World War II broke out, 100 00:05:46,762 --> 00:05:50,722 Speaker 3: Ilario's mother, Mary, was a young woman in Italy with 101 00:05:50,802 --> 00:05:53,562 Speaker 3: her husband, but most of the rest of her family 102 00:05:53,762 --> 00:05:56,722 Speaker 3: was in the US. By the end of the war, 103 00:05:56,962 --> 00:06:00,962 Speaker 3: things were not looking good in northern Italy, Ilario's dad 104 00:06:01,082 --> 00:06:05,002 Speaker 3: made a decision. He packed up his wife, his son, Alario, 105 00:06:05,322 --> 00:06:07,162 Speaker 3: and Ilario's younger brother. 106 00:06:07,762 --> 00:06:11,162 Speaker 2: And told them to go leave the city and go 107 00:06:11,282 --> 00:06:14,562 Speaker 2: to the south, go for the Allies there. And so 108 00:06:14,602 --> 00:06:18,802 Speaker 2: they did, and my dad, they'd never seen or heard 109 00:06:18,922 --> 00:06:20,082 Speaker 2: from my grandfather. 110 00:06:20,202 --> 00:06:25,722 Speaker 7: After that, well, we barely made it my mother, myself, 111 00:06:26,522 --> 00:06:31,522 Speaker 7: and my brother, and we never heard from him again. 112 00:06:33,442 --> 00:06:38,042 Speaker 3: That's Hilario himself speaking in a Library of Congress Veteran 113 00:06:38,322 --> 00:06:41,402 Speaker 3: History Project interview in two thousand and six. 114 00:06:42,362 --> 00:06:46,042 Speaker 8: So we actually heard rumor that he was skilled or 115 00:06:47,002 --> 00:06:48,922 Speaker 8: there was a lot of hatred in those and this 116 00:06:49,002 --> 00:06:49,962 Speaker 8: happened after the war. 117 00:06:50,042 --> 00:06:51,202 Speaker 7: It's a sad part about it. 118 00:06:52,042 --> 00:06:56,202 Speaker 3: Ilario survived only thanks to charity donations and help from 119 00:06:56,282 --> 00:07:00,202 Speaker 3: family in the US. Still in the chaos and ruin 120 00:07:00,322 --> 00:07:04,122 Speaker 3: after the war, his mother could not afford to support him. 121 00:07:04,562 --> 00:07:08,442 Speaker 3: He spent two years in an orphanage before his grandfather 122 00:07:08,602 --> 00:07:11,082 Speaker 3: was able to cut through a mountain of red tape 123 00:07:11,442 --> 00:07:13,642 Speaker 3: and bring the family to America. 124 00:07:14,242 --> 00:07:17,962 Speaker 8: I went to Naphrodise from the offage. My grandfather finally 125 00:07:18,002 --> 00:07:20,162 Speaker 8: brought me to this country. 126 00:07:20,722 --> 00:07:24,922 Speaker 3: On August fifteenth, nineteen forty eight, Ilario stepped off the 127 00:07:24,922 --> 00:07:29,002 Speaker 3: plane at Willow Run Airport in Michigan. He was sixteen 128 00:07:29,202 --> 00:07:33,882 Speaker 3: years old. Ilaria would never forget his experiences during the war. 129 00:07:34,362 --> 00:07:38,602 Speaker 3: They instilled a lifelong love of his newfound country, which 130 00:07:38,642 --> 00:07:42,762 Speaker 3: embraced him and gave him freedom. But after he landed, 131 00:07:42,802 --> 00:07:46,402 Speaker 3: he had two big priorities. Learning the language of his 132 00:07:46,522 --> 00:07:50,202 Speaker 3: new home and finding a job. Night school helped with 133 00:07:50,282 --> 00:07:54,242 Speaker 3: the first issue, and the Detroit Leland Hotel helped with 134 00:07:54,322 --> 00:07:58,322 Speaker 3: the second. Soon Ilario was working as a busboy there, 135 00:07:59,122 --> 00:08:03,322 Speaker 3: but before long he had to exchange one uniform for another. 136 00:08:04,362 --> 00:08:09,002 Speaker 3: June twenty fifth, nineteen fifty, started out like any other day, 137 00:08:09,482 --> 00:08:12,442 Speaker 3: but as Alario was getting ready for work at the hotel, 138 00:08:12,962 --> 00:08:17,082 Speaker 3: he heard a radio bulletin announcing that North Korea had 139 00:08:17,282 --> 00:08:20,882 Speaker 3: just invaded South Korea. He knew what he had to do. 140 00:08:21,882 --> 00:08:24,282 Speaker 2: I mean, I'll tell you this. My father was a 141 00:08:24,522 --> 00:08:29,162 Speaker 2: very patriotic person. I don't know if anybody got to 142 00:08:29,202 --> 00:08:32,162 Speaker 2: be more patriotic than my father. He really loved this country. 143 00:08:32,802 --> 00:08:35,802 Speaker 3: Unfortunately, signing up for the military proved to be a 144 00:08:35,842 --> 00:08:39,882 Speaker 3: bit of an ordeal for Ilario. He was rejected repeatedly 145 00:08:40,002 --> 00:08:43,162 Speaker 3: because he didn't know enough English to pass the entry test. 146 00:08:43,722 --> 00:08:46,482 Speaker 3: That is until one day when he ran into a 147 00:08:46,522 --> 00:08:49,002 Speaker 3: sergeant who was also Italian American. 148 00:08:50,602 --> 00:08:54,242 Speaker 8: One day in Dearborn, Michagan, I see army recruiting and 149 00:08:54,282 --> 00:08:56,882 Speaker 8: I look at the sign and decides to come to me, 150 00:08:56,962 --> 00:08:58,082 Speaker 8: and he say, you. 151 00:08:58,082 --> 00:08:58,842 Speaker 6: Really want to get it? 152 00:08:59,322 --> 00:09:00,882 Speaker 8: Yes, I told my sawy. 153 00:09:00,642 --> 00:09:04,402 Speaker 7: You know, maybe a little probably English and his beautiful side. 154 00:09:04,402 --> 00:09:06,602 Speaker 8: He said to me, hey, Bizan, you really don't want 155 00:09:06,602 --> 00:09:09,522 Speaker 8: to get in? Yes, And he's five extra minutes for 156 00:09:09,642 --> 00:09:12,362 Speaker 8: the test for take twenty twenty five as a transfer 157 00:09:12,442 --> 00:09:13,802 Speaker 8: from Italian to English. 158 00:09:14,042 --> 00:09:14,522 Speaker 7: Well, I don't know. 159 00:09:14,602 --> 00:09:16,042 Speaker 8: If you give me five minutes, if you give me 160 00:09:16,082 --> 00:09:18,162 Speaker 8: ten minutes, or if you use the M one rifle, 161 00:09:18,642 --> 00:09:20,042 Speaker 8: then I was in. 162 00:09:20,722 --> 00:09:24,322 Speaker 3: After completing basic training and serving nine months with the 163 00:09:24,442 --> 00:09:27,922 Speaker 3: second Infantry Division in Korea, Ilario got out of the 164 00:09:28,042 --> 00:09:31,842 Speaker 3: army and got into pizza. Like a lot of Italian 165 00:09:31,882 --> 00:09:35,762 Speaker 3: immigrants in post World War II America, he wanted to 166 00:09:35,842 --> 00:09:39,442 Speaker 3: start up his own business, and pizza seemed as good 167 00:09:39,482 --> 00:09:42,962 Speaker 3: an idea as any. It was a beloved food and 168 00:09:43,162 --> 00:09:46,482 Speaker 3: pretty cheap to get started with. But this wasn't quite 169 00:09:46,642 --> 00:09:49,882 Speaker 3: the pizza of his home country, or at least not 170 00:09:50,042 --> 00:09:52,722 Speaker 3: any kind of pizza Alario had tried back in Italy. 171 00:09:53,322 --> 00:09:57,522 Speaker 3: As Ilario told one reporter, quote, the pizza for my country, 172 00:09:57,682 --> 00:10:00,802 Speaker 3: no one here would eat. It's made with parmesan cheese, 173 00:10:00,882 --> 00:10:05,242 Speaker 3: grated cheese, olives and anchovies. You must adapt for the 174 00:10:05,282 --> 00:10:11,482 Speaker 3: American market, and adapt he did. Alario created a delicious, 175 00:10:11,682 --> 00:10:16,602 Speaker 3: thin crust pizza using a low moisture mozzarella. Around nineteen 176 00:10:16,722 --> 00:10:20,082 Speaker 3: fifty three, he started up one of the first carry 177 00:10:20,082 --> 00:10:24,042 Speaker 3: out and delivery pizza shops in Detroit, just when pizza 178 00:10:24,162 --> 00:10:28,082 Speaker 3: was first really getting popular in the US. Before long, 179 00:10:28,242 --> 00:10:32,642 Speaker 3: business was booming, and soon Ilario also started making the 180 00:10:33,002 --> 00:10:37,602 Speaker 3: thicker crust rectangular pizza Detroit is known for today. But 181 00:10:37,682 --> 00:10:41,922 Speaker 3: even though he'd adapted, Alario hadn't forgotten his roots. 182 00:10:43,522 --> 00:10:46,482 Speaker 6: So pizza has always been a highly mobile food. 183 00:10:47,202 --> 00:10:48,802 Speaker 3: That's Carol Helstowski. 184 00:10:49,442 --> 00:10:51,922 Speaker 6: I'm a professor of history at the University of Denver. 185 00:10:52,082 --> 00:10:55,602 Speaker 6: I'm also the author of Pizza, a Global History. 186 00:10:56,162 --> 00:11:00,122 Speaker 3: According to Carol, the origins of pizza depend on how 187 00:11:00,202 --> 00:11:04,162 Speaker 3: you define it. If it's just a yeasted flatbread with toppings, 188 00:11:04,562 --> 00:11:08,282 Speaker 3: that probably goes back to ancient Rome or farther. But 189 00:11:08,482 --> 00:11:11,242 Speaker 3: pizza as we know it today gets its start in 190 00:11:11,282 --> 00:11:14,322 Speaker 3: the port city of Naples, where it was a working 191 00:11:14,362 --> 00:11:16,962 Speaker 3: class street food of the eighteenth century. 192 00:11:17,362 --> 00:11:20,802 Speaker 6: It's believed that it comes from the word pizzicare in Italian, 193 00:11:20,842 --> 00:11:23,322 Speaker 6: which means to pinch, sort of, to pinch out the crust, 194 00:11:23,642 --> 00:11:28,682 Speaker 6: and people were noticing sailors and soldiers and other members 195 00:11:28,682 --> 00:11:32,162 Speaker 6: of the working class. We're eating this dish back in 196 00:11:32,202 --> 00:11:36,522 Speaker 6: the seventeen hundreds, so people would put pizzas in a 197 00:11:36,602 --> 00:11:39,402 Speaker 6: lightweight box and carry it on their heads, right in 198 00:11:39,402 --> 00:11:42,162 Speaker 6: an insulated box, and go sell it to the sailors 199 00:11:42,202 --> 00:11:43,162 Speaker 6: down on the docks. 200 00:11:43,722 --> 00:11:48,242 Speaker 3: Pizza was also sold out of pizzerias, bakeries and other locations, 201 00:11:48,762 --> 00:11:52,842 Speaker 3: but not everyone thought it was so delicious. Samuel Morse, 202 00:11:53,042 --> 00:11:57,162 Speaker 3: inventor of the Telegraph, visited Naples in eighteen thirty one 203 00:11:57,322 --> 00:12:02,202 Speaker 3: and described pizza as quote a species of most nauseating 204 00:12:02,322 --> 00:12:06,562 Speaker 3: looking cake, covered over with slices of pomadoro or tomatoes, 205 00:12:06,722 --> 00:12:09,842 Speaker 3: and sprinkled with little fish and black pepper, and I 206 00:12:09,922 --> 00:12:13,082 Speaker 3: know not what other ingredients. It all together looks like 207 00:12:13,162 --> 00:12:16,122 Speaker 3: a piece of bread that had been taken reeking out 208 00:12:16,122 --> 00:12:20,922 Speaker 3: of the sewer. Even other Italians didn't necessarily love this 209 00:12:21,122 --> 00:12:24,082 Speaker 3: early pizza, although there might have been a bit of 210 00:12:24,122 --> 00:12:28,962 Speaker 3: classism at play. Carlo Lorenzini, author of the beloved book 211 00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:33,562 Speaker 3: The Adventures of Pinocchio, wrote in eighteen eighty six. 212 00:12:33,482 --> 00:12:38,282 Speaker 9: That the blackened aspect of the toasted crust, the whitish 213 00:12:38,402 --> 00:12:42,202 Speaker 9: sheen of garlic and anchov, the greenish yellow tint of 214 00:12:42,242 --> 00:12:45,042 Speaker 9: the oil and fried herbs and the bits of red 215 00:12:45,682 --> 00:12:49,642 Speaker 9: give pizza the appearance of complicated filth that matches the 216 00:12:49,802 --> 00:12:51,002 Speaker 9: dirt of the vendor. 217 00:12:52,682 --> 00:12:57,642 Speaker 3: But after World War Two, pizza's popularity exploded in America. 218 00:12:58,162 --> 00:13:00,602 Speaker 3: Partly it was because they started to get rid of 219 00:13:00,602 --> 00:13:05,922 Speaker 3: the anchovies, and partly it was technological improvements, but it 220 00:13:06,002 --> 00:13:09,402 Speaker 3: was also the number of Italian immigrants and others who 221 00:13:09,442 --> 00:13:12,962 Speaker 3: are looking for a way to start their own food business. 222 00:13:13,522 --> 00:13:20,362 Speaker 6: I think pizzerias are really inviting as immigrant businesses because 223 00:13:20,562 --> 00:13:22,162 Speaker 6: it's very low overhead. 224 00:13:22,602 --> 00:13:22,802 Speaker 5: Right. 225 00:13:23,242 --> 00:13:26,322 Speaker 6: All you basically need is a storefront, You need a 226 00:13:26,362 --> 00:13:29,042 Speaker 6: couple of ovens. You don't need to open up a 227 00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:32,162 Speaker 6: whole fancy restaurant where people need to sit down or 228 00:13:32,202 --> 00:13:35,562 Speaker 6: bring their families. You just need to sell it cheaply, 229 00:13:36,082 --> 00:13:39,602 Speaker 6: right and quickly. And that's very appealing to a lot 230 00:13:39,602 --> 00:13:43,362 Speaker 6: of people who are trying to get their feet in business. 231 00:13:43,802 --> 00:13:47,042 Speaker 3: Ilario was one of those people, and his business in 232 00:13:47,082 --> 00:13:51,762 Speaker 3: Detroit was thriving. Customers loved the convenience of carry out 233 00:13:51,842 --> 00:13:55,762 Speaker 3: and delivery pizza, which was a relatively new concept at 234 00:13:55,802 --> 00:14:00,442 Speaker 3: the time. But then Ilario's patriotic duty called once again, 235 00:14:01,642 --> 00:14:05,642 Speaker 3: or at least he thought it did. In nineteen sixty one, 236 00:14:05,842 --> 00:14:08,802 Speaker 3: the crisis that led to the creation of the Berlin 237 00:14:08,922 --> 00:14:13,322 Speaker 3: Wall broke out. Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev had demanded that 238 00:14:13,442 --> 00:14:17,042 Speaker 3: Western Powers leave the parts of Berlin they had been 239 00:14:17,042 --> 00:14:21,122 Speaker 3: guarding since World War II, but President John F. Kennedy 240 00:14:21,202 --> 00:14:25,402 Speaker 3: refused to abandon West Berlin without a fight. An alert 241 00:14:25,602 --> 00:14:29,682 Speaker 3: went out to Ilario's army reserves unit. He expected to 242 00:14:29,682 --> 00:14:33,002 Speaker 3: be called to active duty at any moment, and so 243 00:14:33,282 --> 00:14:37,402 Speaker 3: this entrepreneur sold his bustling pizza shops, three of them 244 00:14:37,522 --> 00:14:41,242 Speaker 3: by then, but the call to active duty never came. 245 00:14:41,762 --> 00:14:45,362 Speaker 3: Alario was left unemployed, and by then he had a 246 00:14:45,402 --> 00:14:49,802 Speaker 3: young family to provide for. He decided to restart his 247 00:14:49,882 --> 00:14:53,362 Speaker 3: life in northern Michigan, where he managed a couple of 248 00:14:53,442 --> 00:14:57,162 Speaker 3: inns for a while, but by the nineteen sixties he 249 00:14:57,322 --> 00:15:00,642 Speaker 3: was back in pizza with a shop in Alpina, Michigan. 250 00:15:01,162 --> 00:15:05,362 Speaker 3: Ever the innovator, he began experimenting with frozen pizzas in 251 00:15:05,402 --> 00:15:09,762 Speaker 3: the back of the shop when were slow. People loved it, 252 00:15:10,282 --> 00:15:13,922 Speaker 3: especially when he started delivering the frozen pizzas to local 253 00:15:14,002 --> 00:15:18,002 Speaker 3: bars alongside a small portable cooker so the bar could 254 00:15:18,042 --> 00:15:22,082 Speaker 3: sell it by the slice to patrons pizza, the perfect 255 00:15:22,202 --> 00:15:26,962 Speaker 3: mobile food and the perfect drunk food. Before long, Ilario 256 00:15:27,042 --> 00:15:31,042 Speaker 3: had opened a frozen pizza factory in nearby Asenique to 257 00:15:31,162 --> 00:15:34,882 Speaker 3: keep up with the demand. As the nineteen sixties hummed along, 258 00:15:35,202 --> 00:15:40,442 Speaker 3: things were looking bright for Alario's business, Papa Fabrini Pizza. Unfortunately, 259 00:15:40,642 --> 00:15:43,722 Speaker 3: his fortunes were about to change, and it was all 260 00:15:43,802 --> 00:15:52,322 Speaker 3: thanks to a bad day at the canning factory. It's 261 00:15:52,442 --> 00:15:57,322 Speaker 3: January nineteen seventy three and things at the United Canning 262 00:15:57,362 --> 00:16:01,482 Speaker 3: Company of East Palestine, Ohio are moving along. That is 263 00:16:01,642 --> 00:16:06,042 Speaker 3: until one of the workers notices something amiss. Some of 264 00:16:06,082 --> 00:16:10,842 Speaker 3: the number ten cans of mushrooms look a little swollen, and, 265 00:16:10,962 --> 00:16:14,802 Speaker 3: as everyone knows, swollen cans are never a good sign. 266 00:16:15,922 --> 00:16:19,802 Speaker 3: The United Canning Company had recently changed their techniques for 267 00:16:19,922 --> 00:16:23,602 Speaker 3: packing cans. Where they once used humans, they were now 268 00:16:23,762 --> 00:16:27,562 Speaker 3: using a machine that stuffed items into the cans more tightly. 269 00:16:28,242 --> 00:16:33,162 Speaker 3: That technique required a longer sterilization process to destroy any 270 00:16:33,282 --> 00:16:40,322 Speaker 3: nasty bacteria. Unfortunately, that longer sterilization process wasn't used, which 271 00:16:40,362 --> 00:16:44,562 Speaker 3: is why these cans were bulging in all the wrong places. 272 00:16:45,402 --> 00:16:48,962 Speaker 3: Soon tests by the FDA determined that the bacteria that 273 00:16:49,082 --> 00:16:52,882 Speaker 3: causes bachelism. Poisoning was present in some of the cans, 274 00:16:53,442 --> 00:16:58,602 Speaker 3: and that's how Fabrini's nightmare began. At nine am on 275 00:16:58,722 --> 00:17:04,002 Speaker 3: February nineteenth, Tilana Pizza Products in Chicago gave Ilario Fabrini 276 00:17:04,082 --> 00:17:09,242 Speaker 3: a ring. Talona purchased their mushrooms from United Canning, and 277 00:17:09,322 --> 00:17:14,482 Speaker 3: Fabrini in turn purchased his mushrooms from Tolona. Needless to say, 278 00:17:14,562 --> 00:17:18,842 Speaker 3: it was a call Ilario would remember forever. When he 279 00:17:18,882 --> 00:17:22,642 Speaker 3: got the news, everything went dark. All he could think was, 280 00:17:22,802 --> 00:17:26,122 Speaker 3: oh my God, not me. What if somebody gets sick 281 00:17:26,282 --> 00:17:30,722 Speaker 3: or dies from this? After all, botchulism isn't something to 282 00:17:30,762 --> 00:17:33,802 Speaker 3: mess around with. It's rare to be exposed to the 283 00:17:33,842 --> 00:17:37,042 Speaker 3: toxin in amounts high enough to cause trouble, but when 284 00:17:37,042 --> 00:17:41,362 Speaker 3: that happens, it's one of the most lethal toxins around. 285 00:17:41,842 --> 00:17:46,002 Speaker 3: It attacks the body's nerves and can cause difficulty breathing, 286 00:17:46,202 --> 00:17:51,122 Speaker 3: muscle paralysis, even death. As a precaution, some of the 287 00:17:51,202 --> 00:17:55,882 Speaker 3: Fabrini mushroom pizza was fed to two mice. Sadly, that 288 00:17:56,282 --> 00:17:59,602 Speaker 3: was the last meal they ever ate, and that was 289 00:17:59,762 --> 00:18:04,442 Speaker 3: enough for Ilario. He immediately stopped all his shipments and 290 00:18:04,642 --> 00:18:08,522 Speaker 3: rounded up his pizzas from grocery stores and bars. One 291 00:18:08,562 --> 00:18:12,962 Speaker 3: newspaper reported it was the largest pizza recall in history. 292 00:18:13,642 --> 00:18:17,482 Speaker 3: By the third day of this trying period, Ilario later wrote, 293 00:18:17,642 --> 00:18:20,962 Speaker 3: I really began to think my first name was Bochelism. 294 00:18:21,522 --> 00:18:24,722 Speaker 3: It wasn't until March fifth that all the pizzas had 295 00:18:24,802 --> 00:18:28,882 Speaker 3: been gathered from around the state destined for the dump trucks. 296 00:18:29,522 --> 00:18:34,562 Speaker 3: At about one pm, the funeral began, tens of thousands 297 00:18:34,562 --> 00:18:38,642 Speaker 3: of pizzas sliding from the trucks into the mass graen. 298 00:18:40,562 --> 00:18:44,802 Speaker 2: It was really heartbreaking, especially for my mom to see 299 00:18:44,842 --> 00:18:47,802 Speaker 2: all that food you all go in the hole. I 300 00:18:47,802 --> 00:18:51,002 Speaker 2: mean she remembers, you know, she was a little girl too, 301 00:18:51,122 --> 00:18:53,922 Speaker 2: and when World War Two was a neighbor running. When 302 00:18:53,962 --> 00:18:57,042 Speaker 2: they were in Germany, a lot of times they didn't 303 00:18:57,042 --> 00:18:58,962 Speaker 2: know where their next meal was come from. 304 00:18:59,562 --> 00:19:02,962 Speaker 3: The other mourners at the funeral included twenty two employees 305 00:19:03,002 --> 00:19:06,842 Speaker 3: of the pizza plant, local bank presidents, Chamber of Commerce, 306 00:19:07,642 --> 00:19:11,402 Speaker 3: and even the governor, who traveled over one hundred miles 307 00:19:11,442 --> 00:19:14,642 Speaker 3: for the funeral. After all the pizzas were in the whole, 308 00:19:15,002 --> 00:19:19,482 Speaker 3: Ilario threw in the flower garlands too. Red Gladioli for 309 00:19:19,562 --> 00:19:24,602 Speaker 3: the sauce, white carnations for the cheese. Then freshly cooked 310 00:19:24,722 --> 00:19:29,242 Speaker 3: pizza slices were offered to everyone assembled. When one reporter 311 00:19:29,402 --> 00:19:32,082 Speaker 3: said no to a slice, he was told the governor 312 00:19:32,082 --> 00:19:33,722 Speaker 3: eight apiece and he's still alive. 313 00:19:34,402 --> 00:19:37,642 Speaker 2: The governor of Michigan at the time was William Milliken, 314 00:19:38,362 --> 00:19:41,282 Speaker 2: and he was a businessman himself. I believe he had 315 00:19:41,322 --> 00:19:44,962 Speaker 2: a department stores up in northern Michigan too, so he 316 00:19:45,162 --> 00:19:48,602 Speaker 2: was concerned. He was a fellow businessman, and he contacted 317 00:19:48,602 --> 00:19:51,682 Speaker 2: my father, you know, and said, you know, I support 318 00:19:51,722 --> 00:19:54,162 Speaker 2: you in any way I can, and you know what 319 00:19:54,202 --> 00:19:54,802 Speaker 2: can I do. 320 00:19:55,882 --> 00:19:58,882 Speaker 3: Millican said he was proud of how Fabrini was quote 321 00:19:58,922 --> 00:20:02,482 Speaker 3: fighting back in the best American tradition. He sets an 322 00:20:02,522 --> 00:20:05,562 Speaker 3: example for all of us. Millican said. In fact, many 323 00:20:05,602 --> 00:20:10,282 Speaker 3: members of the community allied around the Fabrinis. While seventeen 324 00:20:10,442 --> 00:20:14,082 Speaker 3: people claimed, apparently falsely, that they had gotten sick from 325 00:20:14,162 --> 00:20:18,842 Speaker 3: the mushrooms, far more offered their support. A few sent 326 00:20:19,042 --> 00:20:23,362 Speaker 3: small amounts of money one dollar five dollars. One local 327 00:20:23,442 --> 00:20:26,242 Speaker 3: man told Fabrini that while he didn't have any money, 328 00:20:26,482 --> 00:20:28,562 Speaker 3: he had some stock and would put it up for 329 00:20:28,682 --> 00:20:33,482 Speaker 3: collateral if necessary. Some said their congregations or priests were 330 00:20:33,522 --> 00:20:37,842 Speaker 3: praying for the company. Fabrini told one newspaper, it sort 331 00:20:37,842 --> 00:20:42,202 Speaker 3: of makes you goose pimples about America. Despite all the 332 00:20:42,282 --> 00:20:46,842 Speaker 3: moral support, the Papa Fabrini business took a hit. By 333 00:20:46,882 --> 00:20:51,282 Speaker 3: some accounts, the buried pizzas had an estimated retail value 334 00:20:51,322 --> 00:20:55,242 Speaker 3: of sixty thousand dollars. That's a little under half a 335 00:20:55,282 --> 00:20:57,402 Speaker 3: million dollars today. 336 00:20:57,522 --> 00:20:59,882 Speaker 2: It was tough for a while, I do know afterwards 337 00:21:00,802 --> 00:21:01,722 Speaker 2: things were tough. 338 00:21:02,322 --> 00:21:06,002 Speaker 3: But Ilario decided, with all these people behind him, the 339 00:21:06,082 --> 00:21:09,882 Speaker 3: only way to move forward was to refinance everything and 340 00:21:10,002 --> 00:21:13,642 Speaker 3: start again. That said, he did engage in the other 341 00:21:13,842 --> 00:21:19,082 Speaker 3: great American pursuit, a lawsuit. Ilario filed a one million 342 00:21:19,122 --> 00:21:23,522 Speaker 3: dollar suit against United Canning Company and Tolana Pizza Products, 343 00:21:23,842 --> 00:21:27,202 Speaker 3: hoping to recoup his losses and put the business on 344 00:21:27,282 --> 00:21:32,002 Speaker 3: a steady path forward. After all, Fabrini himself hadn't done 345 00:21:32,042 --> 00:21:37,082 Speaker 3: anything wrong, and as it turned out, his mushrooms just 346 00:21:37,282 --> 00:21:45,202 Speaker 3: might have been innocent too. Remember those lab mice who 347 00:21:45,242 --> 00:21:47,522 Speaker 3: died in the line of duty after being fed a 348 00:21:47,602 --> 00:21:52,282 Speaker 3: test slice of Fabrini's pizza. Well, it turned out bachelism 349 00:21:52,522 --> 00:21:56,762 Speaker 3: wasn't actually to blame. Subsequent testing showed the mice died 350 00:21:56,842 --> 00:22:01,322 Speaker 3: from an unrelated abdominal issue. It's not clear exactly what 351 00:22:01,522 --> 00:22:05,402 Speaker 3: caused it, although Fabrini had his own idea about what happened. 352 00:22:05,882 --> 00:22:09,802 Speaker 3: He told one report, I think it was indigestion. Maybe 353 00:22:09,842 --> 00:22:13,762 Speaker 3: they didn't like my pizza. The mice test result had 354 00:22:13,762 --> 00:22:18,162 Speaker 3: come back before the burial, but after all the pizzas 355 00:22:18,202 --> 00:22:22,842 Speaker 3: had been rounded up, and because bachelism had been present 356 00:22:22,922 --> 00:22:26,402 Speaker 3: in some of the cans of mushrooms, Ilario really had 357 00:22:26,522 --> 00:22:29,642 Speaker 3: no choice. He had to act out of an abundance 358 00:22:29,642 --> 00:22:33,122 Speaker 3: of caution to throw all of the pizzas away. As 359 00:22:33,162 --> 00:22:35,682 Speaker 3: a result, his business suffered. 360 00:22:35,682 --> 00:22:39,002 Speaker 8: The chance of invading the mark, not invading, but to 361 00:22:39,042 --> 00:22:42,562 Speaker 8: occupy the market with my product, the frozen pizza Al Mario, 362 00:22:42,602 --> 00:22:43,522 Speaker 8: Papa Fabrini. 363 00:22:43,962 --> 00:22:45,442 Speaker 7: It was gone. 364 00:22:46,562 --> 00:22:49,362 Speaker 8: When you have to recall forty four thousand pizza and 365 00:22:49,442 --> 00:22:52,922 Speaker 8: replace that, it can really it really hurt you. 366 00:22:53,642 --> 00:22:55,802 Speaker 7: I got to be thanks to the people. They tried 367 00:22:55,842 --> 00:23:00,202 Speaker 7: to help me. But bachelism is kind of scary. 368 00:22:59,842 --> 00:23:02,802 Speaker 8: Things, and I can't put a little mark on your name. 369 00:23:03,602 --> 00:23:07,282 Speaker 3: As for that million dollar court case, well, Fabrini one, 370 00:23:08,042 --> 00:23:11,962 Speaker 3: but he didn't win a million dollars. He was ultimately 371 00:23:12,002 --> 00:23:16,482 Speaker 3: awarded two hundred and eleven thousand dollars after his legal 372 00:23:16,562 --> 00:23:20,722 Speaker 3: bills that didn't amount to much. His profits also dropped 373 00:23:20,722 --> 00:23:23,962 Speaker 3: in the years after the recall, in part because mushroom 374 00:23:24,002 --> 00:23:27,882 Speaker 3: Pizzas continued to prove a hard sell. A couple of 375 00:23:27,922 --> 00:23:31,642 Speaker 3: retailers testified during the court case that they could no 376 00:23:31,722 --> 00:23:34,442 Speaker 3: longer sell Fabrini mushroom pizzas at all. 377 00:23:35,162 --> 00:23:38,562 Speaker 7: He needed to say, my company had no chance, no more. 378 00:23:40,322 --> 00:23:43,602 Speaker 3: Fabrini battled for several more years to try to save 379 00:23:43,642 --> 00:23:47,562 Speaker 3: the company, but by the early nineteen eighties he decided 380 00:23:47,602 --> 00:23:51,842 Speaker 3: to sell it. Nine years after the Mushroom Ordeal, as 381 00:23:51,882 --> 00:23:55,722 Speaker 3: he once called it, he was done. He eventually began 382 00:23:55,842 --> 00:23:58,922 Speaker 3: a new life in sunny San Diego, a town he 383 00:23:58,962 --> 00:24:02,122 Speaker 3: had fallen in love with during his military service back 384 00:24:02,122 --> 00:24:05,842 Speaker 3: in the nineteen fifties. He'd always vowed to return, and 385 00:24:06,002 --> 00:24:09,402 Speaker 3: return he did, working in catering for the film and 386 00:24:09,482 --> 00:24:13,362 Speaker 3: TV business. In his spare time, he loved to cook 387 00:24:13,482 --> 00:24:19,362 Speaker 3: for his family, including pizzas. His favorite toppings were anchovies, pepperoni, 388 00:24:19,482 --> 00:24:26,682 Speaker 3: green peppers, and surprisingly, mushrooms. Ilario Mario Fabrini passed away 389 00:24:26,802 --> 00:24:29,842 Speaker 3: in twenty twenty three, but the story of the Great 390 00:24:29,882 --> 00:24:34,362 Speaker 3: American Pizza Funeral lives on. It still pops up in headlines, 391 00:24:34,482 --> 00:24:38,482 Speaker 3: reddit threads, and YouTube videos from time to time. Why 392 00:24:38,482 --> 00:24:41,482 Speaker 3: do we still love talking about this quirky story some 393 00:24:41,642 --> 00:24:43,202 Speaker 3: fifty years after it happened. 394 00:24:43,842 --> 00:24:45,922 Speaker 4: Well, because it's pizza. 395 00:24:47,082 --> 00:24:51,682 Speaker 2: Yeah, we Americans love pizza, Okay, So I think that's 396 00:24:51,722 --> 00:24:53,202 Speaker 2: the biggest thing right there. 397 00:24:53,962 --> 00:24:56,922 Speaker 3: Of course, the Great Pizza Funeral was a bit of 398 00:24:56,962 --> 00:25:00,482 Speaker 3: a publicity stunt away for Ilario to show he was 399 00:25:00,522 --> 00:25:02,962 Speaker 3: doing the right thing and get some good press in 400 00:25:03,002 --> 00:25:06,722 Speaker 3: the process, but it also showed off a creative streak. 401 00:25:07,522 --> 00:25:11,402 Speaker 2: My dad is like very artistic, I guess you could say. 402 00:25:11,442 --> 00:25:14,362 Speaker 2: So he does have that mine where he'll do that, 403 00:25:14,442 --> 00:25:17,162 Speaker 2: I mean, and then a VFW. You know, they have 404 00:25:17,202 --> 00:25:21,322 Speaker 2: a poppy contest, poppy display contest, and one year I 405 00:25:21,322 --> 00:25:25,522 Speaker 2: think he finished second in the nation, so stuff like that. 406 00:25:26,242 --> 00:25:30,322 Speaker 3: To win the poppy display contest, Ilario created a model 407 00:25:30,402 --> 00:25:35,362 Speaker 3: of a graveyard covered in poppies. Hillary Fabrini also remembers 408 00:25:35,402 --> 00:25:38,762 Speaker 3: that every Christmas, back when the family was running those 409 00:25:38,802 --> 00:25:43,042 Speaker 3: pizza parlors in Detroit, Ilario would create a special treat 410 00:25:43,242 --> 00:25:44,282 Speaker 3: for his customers. 411 00:25:44,762 --> 00:25:47,202 Speaker 2: There was always like a big window by the street, 412 00:25:47,482 --> 00:25:52,082 Speaker 2: off the sidewalk, and every Christmas he would build this 413 00:25:52,522 --> 00:25:58,122 Speaker 2: massive Nativity scene with people moving, ducks in ponds, swimming, 414 00:25:58,362 --> 00:26:00,602 Speaker 2: you know, and it was just magnets underneath, and he 415 00:26:00,722 --> 00:26:02,922 Speaker 2: glued magnets to the butt. I mean, he's very clever, 416 00:26:03,002 --> 00:26:03,722 Speaker 2: a lot of stuff. 417 00:26:04,082 --> 00:26:06,882 Speaker 3: It's easy to imagine how on a cold, snowy night 418 00:26:07,042 --> 00:26:10,802 Speaker 3: in Detroit around Christmas time, the lights and colors of 419 00:26:10,842 --> 00:26:14,682 Speaker 3: the Nativity display would have drawn customers in almost as 420 00:26:14,802 --> 00:26:17,962 Speaker 3: much as the pungent smells of the pizza baking in 421 00:26:18,002 --> 00:26:23,682 Speaker 3: the ovens. According to pizza historian Carol Helstovsky, that kind 422 00:26:23,722 --> 00:26:27,122 Speaker 3: of creativity is a big part of what's made pizza 423 00:26:27,322 --> 00:26:28,042 Speaker 3: so beloved. 424 00:26:30,082 --> 00:26:35,442 Speaker 6: Many people love pizza because really, throughout its history, people 425 00:26:35,482 --> 00:26:41,282 Speaker 6: bring incredible amounts of creativity to creating and consuming pizzas. 426 00:26:41,842 --> 00:26:46,282 Speaker 6: It's not unusual, right to have pizzas with pineapple on them. 427 00:26:46,322 --> 00:26:49,322 Speaker 6: I know that's a controversial point, or pizzas with a 428 00:26:49,322 --> 00:26:52,042 Speaker 6: lot of meat on them. And many of the pizzas 429 00:26:52,042 --> 00:26:55,562 Speaker 6: that people consume in the United States don't resemble at all, right, 430 00:26:55,642 --> 00:26:59,202 Speaker 6: what original pizzas used to look like in Italy. So 431 00:26:59,282 --> 00:27:02,202 Speaker 6: you can put all kinds of ingredients, right, the only 432 00:27:02,242 --> 00:27:07,882 Speaker 6: thing that sort of constricts pizza is your imagination counts 433 00:27:07,962 --> 00:27:12,042 Speaker 6: for I think a great amount of pizza's popularity today. 434 00:27:12,162 --> 00:27:15,642 Speaker 3: You can get banana curry pizza in Sweden, EMU or 435 00:27:15,762 --> 00:27:20,282 Speaker 3: kangaroo pizza in Australia, pizza with hagis in Scotland, and 436 00:27:20,402 --> 00:27:22,602 Speaker 3: pizza with reindeer meat in Finland. 437 00:27:23,322 --> 00:27:26,042 Speaker 6: If there's anything I've learned is that people really do 438 00:27:26,122 --> 00:27:30,322 Speaker 6: bring a lot of creative energy and excitement to making pizza. 439 00:27:30,362 --> 00:27:33,242 Speaker 6: It's almost someone once likened it to kind of like 440 00:27:33,762 --> 00:27:36,722 Speaker 6: a blank canvas or something like that, where you can 441 00:27:36,762 --> 00:27:39,282 Speaker 6: kind of do your own thing, and I think that's 442 00:27:39,322 --> 00:27:41,402 Speaker 6: one of the great things about pizza. 443 00:27:42,362 --> 00:27:45,682 Speaker 3: Carol also told us that while she was researching her book, 444 00:27:45,842 --> 00:27:48,802 Speaker 3: she learned that in Japan, at one point you could 445 00:27:48,842 --> 00:27:52,962 Speaker 3: get a stuffed animal delivered alongside your pizza. That's an 446 00:27:53,002 --> 00:27:57,322 Speaker 3: innovation that Alario, with his penchant for expanding the business model, 447 00:27:57,802 --> 00:28:01,962 Speaker 3: might have appreciated. Alaria spent his golden years in San 448 00:28:02,002 --> 00:28:06,082 Speaker 3: Diego with his wife, Olga, enjoying life and volunteering with 449 00:28:06,162 --> 00:28:09,762 Speaker 3: the vf DO. When he died, there was plenty of 450 00:28:09,802 --> 00:28:13,962 Speaker 3: food at his own funeral, including well, you guessed it. 451 00:28:14,842 --> 00:28:17,442 Speaker 2: We decided to have pizza, and there was a guy 452 00:28:17,442 --> 00:28:23,002 Speaker 2: that came and he had a portable gas fired pizza, 453 00:28:23,202 --> 00:28:26,202 Speaker 2: and so there was pizza and amongst other things too, 454 00:28:26,282 --> 00:28:29,602 Speaker 2: So we did have pizza at his funeral. 455 00:28:32,922 --> 00:28:36,042 Speaker 5: So I really enjoyed that they actually ate pizza at 456 00:28:36,282 --> 00:28:38,082 Speaker 5: Alario Mario's funeral. 457 00:28:38,242 --> 00:28:41,202 Speaker 4: That felt right to me. Oh good, Jaren. 458 00:28:41,402 --> 00:28:43,762 Speaker 5: If we're doing a movie version of the pizza funeral, 459 00:28:43,762 --> 00:28:44,562 Speaker 5: who are you casting? 460 00:28:44,882 --> 00:28:45,242 Speaker 4: Okay? 461 00:28:45,282 --> 00:28:47,362 Speaker 1: Well, I thought about this, and I thought about Alario 462 00:28:47,482 --> 00:28:51,682 Speaker 1: Mario aka Mario Fabrini throughout the edges of his life, right, 463 00:28:51,682 --> 00:28:53,562 Speaker 1: because we have like an arc of this man's life. 464 00:28:53,562 --> 00:28:55,962 Speaker 1: So I started with young Alario and I thought Jacob 465 00:28:56,002 --> 00:28:58,962 Speaker 1: Alordi from Euphoria and Salburn plays him as a young man. 466 00:28:59,082 --> 00:29:01,282 Speaker 4: Right, is he Italian? 467 00:29:01,402 --> 00:29:02,842 Speaker 3: Is it LORDI? An Italian name? 468 00:29:03,042 --> 00:29:05,002 Speaker 1: I want to say yes, because an ins and eye, 469 00:29:05,002 --> 00:29:06,842 Speaker 1: But maybe I could be wrong. I didn't look it up, 470 00:29:07,042 --> 00:29:08,802 Speaker 1: so I could totally be wrong about that, but I 471 00:29:08,802 --> 00:29:09,882 Speaker 1: want to believe you convinced. 472 00:29:10,202 --> 00:29:10,442 Speaker 7: Yeah. 473 00:29:10,522 --> 00:29:13,002 Speaker 1: And then the young middle aged I think in Ralph Macchio, 474 00:29:13,162 --> 00:29:15,402 Speaker 1: because that man does not age, so you have him 475 00:29:15,442 --> 00:29:17,602 Speaker 1: played with the young middle age and for older middle 476 00:29:17,642 --> 00:29:20,402 Speaker 1: age you go with Stanley Tucci or Roberto Benini, depending 477 00:29:20,402 --> 00:29:22,682 Speaker 1: on how Italian you want to get. And then lastly, 478 00:29:22,722 --> 00:29:27,042 Speaker 1: for older Alario Mario, right before the funeral, you trot 479 00:29:27,042 --> 00:29:30,562 Speaker 1: out Tony Danza in an Oscar worthy role nobody saw coming. 480 00:29:30,722 --> 00:29:33,602 Speaker 5: Yeah, very special characters. I'm going to just give it 481 00:29:33,642 --> 00:29:36,482 Speaker 5: to those poor mice. They come on, They're dealing with 482 00:29:36,522 --> 00:29:42,642 Speaker 5: an undiagnosed abdominal issue already, they're getting fed probably poisonous pizza, 483 00:29:43,202 --> 00:29:45,762 Speaker 5: and they dropped dead. That is a very very tough 484 00:29:45,802 --> 00:29:46,362 Speaker 5: way to go. 485 00:29:46,322 --> 00:29:50,882 Speaker 3: I know, at home science experiments for my heartbreaking. Wouldn't 486 00:29:50,882 --> 00:29:53,202 Speaker 3: it be crazy if I was craving mushroom pizza after 487 00:29:53,282 --> 00:29:55,362 Speaker 3: listening to this episode. 488 00:29:54,922 --> 00:29:57,242 Speaker 4: Yeah, this did not put me off mushroom pizza at all. 489 00:29:57,562 --> 00:29:59,562 Speaker 3: I was going to say, ironically that the place that 490 00:29:59,562 --> 00:30:02,482 Speaker 3: has the potato pizza also has a really good mushroom pizza. 491 00:30:02,482 --> 00:30:04,362 Speaker 1: I would just say this, it's so sad that pizza 492 00:30:04,362 --> 00:30:06,402 Speaker 1: could kill you because pizza is my favorite food. So 493 00:30:06,442 --> 00:30:08,202 Speaker 1: the idea that there could be pizza that can kill 494 00:30:08,202 --> 00:30:10,642 Speaker 1: you with botulism nearly broke my heart. But I was 495 00:30:10,682 --> 00:30:12,682 Speaker 1: glad to hear that that all got sorted out so Yes, 496 00:30:12,762 --> 00:30:14,442 Speaker 1: back to pizza. I can think of it as a 497 00:30:14,482 --> 00:30:15,442 Speaker 1: health food forever now. 498 00:30:18,282 --> 00:30:21,082 Speaker 5: Very Special Episodes is made by some very special people. 499 00:30:21,562 --> 00:30:25,442 Speaker 5: Today's episode was written by Bess Lovejoy. Best is amazing. 500 00:30:25,522 --> 00:30:28,842 Speaker 5: Like I mentioned last time, We've worked together at various 501 00:30:28,882 --> 00:30:31,722 Speaker 5: places for over a decade. She wrote our epic three 502 00:30:31,802 --> 00:30:35,322 Speaker 5: kea Cheese episode last year wrote a book called rest 503 00:30:35,442 --> 00:30:38,922 Speaker 5: in Pieces about famous corpses. That's always good to work 504 00:30:38,922 --> 00:30:42,842 Speaker 5: with her. This show is hosted by Danis Schwartz, Zaren Burnett, 505 00:30:43,082 --> 00:30:44,322 Speaker 5: and Jason English. 506 00:30:44,522 --> 00:30:46,242 Speaker 4: Our producer is Josh Fisher. 507 00:30:46,802 --> 00:30:50,442 Speaker 5: Editing and sound design by Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher. 508 00:30:50,802 --> 00:30:55,362 Speaker 5: Additional editing by Mary Doo, mixing and mastering by Peheed Frasier. 509 00:30:55,962 --> 00:31:00,082 Speaker 5: Original music by Elise McCoy. Research in fact checking by 510 00:31:00,122 --> 00:31:04,682 Speaker 5: Best Lovejoy and Austin Thompson. Show logo by Lucy Kintania. 511 00:31:05,562 --> 00:31:08,882 Speaker 5: Our executive producer is Jason English. If you'd like to 512 00:31:08,882 --> 00:31:11,242 Speaker 5: email the show, you can reach us at Very Special 513 00:31:11,322 --> 00:31:15,522 Speaker 5: Episodes at gmail dot com. Very Special Episodes is a 514 00:31:15,522 --> 00:31:17,682 Speaker 5: production of iHeart Podcasts.