Love for the Game

Rochester author’s latest book offers a detailed picture of Italian— American pro ballplayers’ contributions to the game

By Mike Costanza

 

Otto Bruno Jr. waited until he was 50 before he began working on his first book.

“I was interested in writing from a very young age, but I didn’t know it,” the freelance writer said.

The 61-year-old Rochester resident now has two nonfiction works under his belt.

His first, “Barney Miller and the Files of the ‘Ol One-Two,” arose from his love of the popular sitcom “Barney Miller” and of TV shows and movies in general.

Bruno’s latest work, “Italian— American Ballplayers: Major League Profiles, 1920-1980,” presents the lives of a long list of ballplayers that ranges from the legendary Joe DiMaggio, who helped the New York Yankees win nine World Series, to the lesser-known Ernie Lombardi, who won two National League batting titles before retiring in 1947. Both books are the carefully researched works of an author who spends years studying his subjects with the eye of an amateur historian.

Bruno developed an interest in television shows and movies as a child growing up in Irondequoit and particularly liked watching them with his late father, Otto Sr. “Barney Miller,” the popular sitcom about a colorful group of detectives who fought crime at the fictional 12th Precinct of the New York City Police Department, was one of their favorites.

“I remember sitting down the night that ‘Barney Miller’ premiered,” Bruno said. “We sat down and watched that first show together.”

The two continued watching the workplace comedy together until Otto Sr. passed away on the last day of the show’s second season in 1976.

“There was always that connection with my father for that show,” Bruno said.

“Barney Miller” received many awards during its run, including a 1982 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.

“It was just brilliantly funny,” Bruno said. “I loved it from the beginning.”

After his father died, Bruno’s interest in classic television shows and movies grew and he began gathering books and other materials on them. Upon graduating from high school, he headed to Ithaca College to acquire a bachelor’s degree in cinema studies and photography. With that in hand, he worked for close to seven years as a production assistant and in other capacities for a local filmmaker who created industrial and commercial films.

After that gig ended, Bruno held several part-time and full-time jobs, including an 11-year stint as a customer service manager for the University of Rochester Press. He also wrote profiles of Italian—American legends in the fields of entertainment and sports for a Chicago-area monthly, took care of his two young sons as a stay-at-home dad and helped care for his late mother after she suffered a broken leg.

After his mother died in 2014, Bruno set to work on his book about “Barney Miller” seeking details about the show, its cast and how it was made. He dug through old issues of the “TV Guide,” newspapers and other publications, talked to members of “Barney Miller” fan groups and interviewed the cast members he could reach. Max Gail, who played Det. Stan “Wojo” Wojciehowitz, had had small parts on television shows like “Streets of San Francisco” and “Ironside” before getting his first big role on “Barney Miller.”

“He told me ‘All of these guys had all kinds of experience and I was a novice. What I remember most about it was how much patience they had with me, because I didn’t really know what I was doing,’” Bruno said.

Hal Linden, who played Capt. Barney Miller, was performing in the musical “The Rothschilds” and had never worked in a straight comedy when producer Danny Arnold picked him for the show.

“Hal said ‘When I started with the show, I didn’t really know why he wanted me, because it was a comedy,’” Bruno said.

Though some of Linden’s lines were funny, he largely played the straight man on the show, according to Bruno. For their work on “Barney Miller, “Linden and Gail received multiple nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards.

Bruno’s second book, “Italian American Ballplayers: Major League Profiles, 1920-1980,” arose from his wish to do something that represented his Italian—American heritage, longtime love of baseball and desire to bring the stories of little-known pro ballplayers to light.

“I wanted to do it on some of the people who weren’t covered as much,” he said.

The avid Pittsburg Pirates fan had already studied the history of pro baseball and gathered a large number of books on the sport but needed to know more about the Italian— American ballplayers who’d played on pro teams in the past. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s A. Bartlett Giamatti Research Center became an especially important source of that information. Bruno drove 3 1/2 hours to Cooperstown to consult its extensive files three or four times a year.

“They have files on every single player that ever played in the major leagues,” Bruno said.

Bruno sometimes had to don white gloves in order to examine 80-year-old newspaper clippings without damaging them.

As a result, “Italian—American Ballplayers” teems with little-known facts about its subjects. Lovers of baseball can turn to the book to learn that DiMaggio played despite having painful bone spurs on his right heel and that Lombardi, one of the game’s great catchers, was nicknamed “The Schnozz” because of the size of his nose.

In addition to penning books and features, Bruno wrote the script for a documentary about ARTISANworks, the iconic arts and cultural institution located on Rochester’s Blossom Road. “Artisan Works: A Work in Progress” which ran for more than 30 minutes, premiered at the Nazareth College Arts Center in about 2014.

Both of Bruno’s books are on sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other outlets and he’s kicking around ideas for a third.

“I’d like to do something next on film,” he said.

When not writing for publication, Bruno teaches courses on movies and U.S. television shows for Rochester Oasis, which offers low-cost educational classes to those 50 years old. He also hosts “The Sunday Music Festa,” a weekly program on local radio station Jazz 90.1 WGMC-FM that presents selections from the “Great American Songbook.”

 

Praise for Rochester Author

St. John Fisher University philosophy professor Tim Madigan first met Otto Bruno, Jr. when they worked at the University of Rochester Press, and found he had a lot in common with him.

“We both grew up in the 1960s, and love the popular culture of that time,” Madigan said.The two became close friends, and Madigan has read both of Bruno’s books.

“They are meticulously researched and written in an accessible and entertaining style,” Madigan said.Though he said he’s not a baseball enthusiast, Madigan enjoyed Italian American Ballplayers: Major League Profiles, 1920-1980. “The fact that I enjoyed it means the baseball enthusiasts should enjoy it all the more,” he said.

Madigan also sets aside time to listen to Bruno’s radio show “The Sunday Music Festa.”

“It’s a highlight of my Sunday afternoons,” he said. “It brings me back to the days of my youth.”

Since 2001, Bruno has written long-form profiles of Italian —American legends in the fields of sports and entertainment for Fra Noi Magazine, a Chicago-area publication. The late comedian, singer, actor and pianist Jimmy Durante was one of his subjects, as was the late singer, actor and television personality Perry Como.

“He has a rare talent for gathering information from a variety of sources, as well as interviews when available, and weaving that into a well-researched, well-crafted and engaging story,” said Paul Basile, Fra Noi’s editor. “He cares deeply about his subjects, and that shines through in his profiles.”

Fra Noi, which means “among us,” serves Italian —American communities across the US.