This is the story of the television commercial known as "Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day." It already seemed nostalgic for a time gone by when it first aired in 1969. Millions of viewers, mostly in the North East, saw it many times until the late 70's when Prince stopped the run. The commercial begins with Anthony Martignetti's mom calling him home for dinner from the window. The narrator explains that sometimes Anthony would take his time coming home. But not on Wednesday. On Wednesdays Anthony would run home because it was Prince Spaghetti Day!
There are lots of things to talk about. Lasting more than a full minute, this video seems like an eternity for the younger viewer. But the characters, plot and leisurely pace of the commercial remind us of a time when commercials were full stories in miniature. This commercial ran long enough in the 1960's and 70's for several generations of Americans to remember. Talk about television and commercials.
What about changes in American culture. Did you notice the way pasta is being positioned as a health food? What did we think was nutritious then and what do we think now? Did you notice how young Anthony was to be playing by himself in a big city? How is that different than growing up today?
Look at the picture of Anthony and his mom today. What do you suppose it was like growing up as the star of this very recognizable commercial?
There is no reason to be limited by the Italian theme, however. Food in general, an any kind of ethic food, is a great conversation starter. You can talk about food you loved and food that never appealed to you, food that you or your parents or grandparents made for you, or food you wished you had.
Business, advertising and cultural change is another frame for this story. Commercialization and commoditization played a big part in normalizing ethnic food and making it widely available to everyone. The Chef Boyardee commercial is another example. If you like this, you can try the Meema Story about Italian Food, which is more explicitly about immigration, assimilation, identity and belonging.
Read Stephen Quatrano's blog post about using this story with his own family.
