{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/0000001j7t/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Frank Monaldi interview and photographs, circa 1990"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["https://marmia.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/25734"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["circa 1990 (Creation)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content. (Content warning)","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program. (Funding note)","Frank Monaldi is interviewed about his family's knife sharpening business. He discusses his grandpa immigrating from Italy, the Vidi family business, and being the knife man. (Scope and Content Note)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["1 Betacam"]}},{"label":{"en":["Identifier"]},"value":{"en":["WJZ-FLDTP-006-001 (Identifier)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Series Title"]},"value":{"en":["Field Tapes"]}}],"summary":{"en":["Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content.","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program.","Frank Monaldi is interviewed about his family's knife sharpening business. He discusses his grandpa immigrating from Italy, the Vidi family business, and being the knife man."]},"provider":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/899/small/thumbnail_253899_1728350748.jpg?1728350751","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - open-uri20250109-552-s9vgcn.mp4"]},"duration":1269.203,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/253/899/small/thumbnail_253899_1728350748.jpg?1728350751","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-marmia.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/253/899/original/open-uri20250109-552-s9vgcn.mp4?1736437641","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":1269.203,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["AUTO_TRINT_WJZ-FLDTP-006-001.mp4 [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Yeah. All right. We're finally getting together right now. You're family. Do you recall the call of the Housewives? Heard from their back? Back doors or back windows to. Do you remember what what that was? I do. And I don't because there so many other guys out there were milkmen. There was the gas man that you have still today. But as far as the knife grinder itself ringing a bell now, don't really remember because my grandfather passed away before I was even born. He passed away in 1948. No one born out of 51. What about your uncle? Well, my uncle by that time had a truck. I remember them going out on the truck, you know, and going from delivery to delivery and sharpening them right there on the truck. But there was a bell. But. And you don't recall what they said? No, I can't say I do remember. No, I don't. I don't remember. That's true. That's unfortunate. Do you remember what any of them say? I mean, was it knives sharpened or was it you know, it used to be like, you know, soft crabs and it was hard crabs and it was a watermelon. That was what the rappers called. Right. And I guess the the I'm sure that the knife sharpeners had had a call of their own, didn't they? They were, say, the knife, man. The knife, man. Get your tools together. The knife sharpener, a neighborhood ring a bell. That's the story that I heard how they would do it, but the actual caller wouldn't know what it what they actually said. What I use when I walk into my restaurant to say the knife man, and they automatically gather up all their tools and get them ready for me to be taken out so I can drop off the fresh batch.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=0.85,117.79"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So back then, when when the housewife heard say it again and the way you just said it, the way you recall here hearing folks talk about what did they say they would the knife man would come down the street ringing a bell, yelling knife service, sharpening knife service. And the people would hear this and bring their tools to the back door, their scissors, their kitchen knives, whatever they needed sharpening at the time and would run it out to my grandfather and probably his brother, which would be my great uncle. So that's the way they did it. When the housewives heard that they took them outside. And how much would that it cost to get a knife sharp? My uncle talked about a nickel. $0.05. $0.03. Depends what they could get at the time. Scissors. Scissors, maybe. I don't know. I believe $0.15, maybe quarter. I don't know. The prices back then I hear bread was a penny a loaf, and I still can't believe that long. No. Whose corner? Okay, then why am I interviewing you? All right, now, look, one more time. Back then, when my grandmother. My mother heard. The ice man came, came the laundry man came, the mailman came. The Arribas came with the soft crabs and the watermelons and the catalogs. But there was another guy that went up and down the alleys to the knife, man. How did what? How did they let their presence be known? They would ring a bell and that would get the attention of the people inside the houses. And they would see there was the knife grinder by him pushing this cart and he would be yelling, Knife, man, knife, man. And people would gather their things. And before my grandfather would walk to the end of the alley, these people already be in line getting things sharpened and he be in different neighborhoods, different days of the week.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=119.26,225.81"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And for a knife, what would it cost back then? The early 1900s? I would say maybe a nickel. 1940 and maybe $0.25. 1940. B, $0.25 probably. And they could be that much. Well, I mean, that's before the war now. Say three, four, a quarter. How's that? Three knives for a quarter back then. Okay. Well, before you said $0.03 a nickel. And that's that's the 1900s. I mean, a bottle of soda was a nickel. A ride on a streetcar was a nickel back then. 1940. 1945. So to get a knife sharpened back then would run. What do you think? Back in the early 1900s? It would have to be a nickel. Probably the same price, $0.03. $0.05. Depends on the size of the knife. How much work had to be done to the knife? Some knives were chipped back then they didn't have stainless steel. There's knives would rust up and be an extra process to try to get some of that rust off. So I imagine they charged accordingly to the knife, I guess, or depending on what neighborhood they were in to. If they were robbing roll in, Parker might be a little teeny bit more than if they were down in South Baltimore, my area. Well, back then, I don't know if they have the problems they have today with the with the way the neighborhood is now compared to 1900. My uncles used to say they used to leave their cars and trucks open and go into a stop and not have to worry about lock the lock in their vehicle. Now you have to lock your vehicle and have alarms set up and everything else so you not get robbed. The. Just checking. So your grandfather was came over here from.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=226.44,326.47"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"From the old country? Yeah. Back in the northern part of Italy, away town off, say 1904, November of 1904. Came to Baltimore, came to Baltimore and started his knife grinding business. Well, him and his brother, my late uncle, Leo Moreno, L.A.. Leno and Leno just passed away. No, that was my Uncle Pete who passed away just just a couple of weeks ago. All right, let's try that again. All right. The your grandfather, your grandfather came over to this country in the early 1900s and started his knife sharpening business. Right. It was a roughly November of 1904 when he came over, and it was him and his brother. And they started the knife sharpening. They brought their cart with them on the boat from from Italy. That was their cart that they had because they didn't know where to buy a wheel, where to get these things made at here in the United States. Give me one favorite. Do we have? All right. Let's try it again. Back in the early 1900s. Your grandfather came over here from the old country. Right. He came over in 1904 with us with this cart that he brought from Italy. He came over with his with his son. My uncle was like 1934 by the time he was going back and forth. All right. I remember I got this back. Nobody nobody in this area has the experience that you have because of your family. And it goes all the way back to the, you know, 90 years old. Okay. One more time for your grandfather. What was your grandfather's name? His name was Pietro. English would be Pete or Peter. Peter Viti. What is your. What was your grandfather's name? Pietro. Pietro. Pietro. V v. V. D. V d i.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=326.77,434.79"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And your name? Frank, is manly. My mother, who was the V in the family? Okay. So you go back to I mean, you come from a long line of life sharpeners. Yes. My grandfather came here in 1904 and worked up till the First World War, roughly 1915, 19, 18 era. He went back to Italy and got his family and brought them back to America because he had already established his business. And from there, the my uncles would have been my my mother's brothers. They got into the knife sharpening business. Complicated for me. We are really you are probably going to see. Okay. That's why you came from northern Italy. What is Cart here? Your grandfather came from the old country, and he was. And he had an established business. Over there is a knife sharpener. Right. And he brought everything over with him that he had and started a business here in Baltimore when 1904, he came over to America in 1904 and he pushed a cart from Little Italy through Dundalk, through Canton, walking it like pushing a wheelbarrow, ringing a bell up and down the streets yelling knife, man, knife, man. And these women would bring out their scissors to be sharpened or kitchen knives, whatever. They had to be sharpened at the time. And at $0.03 a nickel a piece. He made a pretty good living back then. Yes, I would say it was good living, but it was backbreaking work because that cart wasn't like it was a pretty heavy cart. You have a you have a statue that was brought that was brought over in Little Italy or it was bought in Italy. It's sort of the same kind of cart that your grandfather brought over here. Yeah, it's a Portuguese porcelain statue that my mother brought for me as a gift because she knows that I'm in the business and she thought it would be nice for me to have that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=435.81,543.99"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"But the point is, it's similar to the one your grandfather had. Exactly. Almost a replica, identical replica of what it looked like. And what they used to do is turn upside down and the wheel would be used as like a wheelbarrow. Exactly. Exactly. It flipped the cart over and rolled it on the big long wheel for four of the push it shipped. That. All right. And again, this this this little this little porcelain that your mother brought over from Italy is a replica of the one that your grandfather. Exactly the same replica. That that's exactly what it looks like. And he used to flip it upside down and push it as if it was a wheelbarrow. But it was backbreaking work because that thing was pretty heavy. Things are different today. You don't you don't hit the alleys and carts anymore. As a matter of fact, a little bit later on, your grandfather bought a truck. Exactly. It was a five speed and he took one of the transmission gears to make the wheel run. He put it in fifth gear and started a truck moving. The wheel would spin on the inside the truck. And you're your uncle. Your great uncle, okay? Would be my grandfather's brother. Your grandfather's brother. The one that just passed away. That was. That would have been his son. My Uncle Pete. Your grandfather's son? No, My dad would have been his son. Your grandfather's son, Right, Right, right. So your grandfather's son helped take over the business or started continued on with that business operating in the truck right now. You said during the war you even your mother played a part on that. Who was she work for, Your grandfather or your uncle? He'd be working for my grandfather.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=544.41,643.96"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So during the war, because all the men were out fighting the war, the women had to get involved. Exactly. Tell me. Well, my grandfather wasn't really good health and my mother would run into the stores and pick up the knives and bring them out to the truck to be sharpened. After my grandfather would sharpen them, my mother would take them back into the store. She was the legwork of the operation. And that was because during the war all the men were overseas fighting. Exactly. And your mom had to pitch in to keep the business going? Exactly. They she actually pitched this. She worked long hours and she did her she did her duty, you know, for the knife service. So now you have a nice truck and you go around and you have your what? You're your route, I guess. Are you around? Yeah, my route. My knife out through South Baltimore. I'm in the cross street market. I'm in the fish market and just ups. I travel from stop to stop. But instead of sharpening them on the truck, it's a duplicate knife service. Now, just like a diaper service lady would need five diapers. I would bring them in five knives. They would give me back the five knives that I brought the week previous. And it goes in their special little box. Every customer has his own box. Then I go to my next stop, which is along the route and just continue on, then come back to the Grind Grind shop here and put my nose to the grindstone. Your father didn't want any part of the knife sharpening business. He was a musician, right? He taught us the music. He says it's easier to play music than it is to go out there and sharpen knives and in a cold.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=645.16,737.11"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"If you're playing music, you're inside a building, you're warm, you're comforted. I said, Well, someone has to keep the tradition going. Opportunity struck when I got out of the Navy and they needed help. And here I am. So your brothers got the musician talents from your dad and you got the knife sharpening genes from your mom? Exactly. They say I'm the only one in a family who looks like a knife grinder because I got the V the look. That was my grandfather's name. Pietro. Really? So you sharpen during that? During the day and at night? Well, on the weekends I would play by music. And that's how it goes. How long you've been playing drums? I started when I was about 12, 13 years old. Then a little bit early at St Leo's and a drum and Fife corps. How about the brothers? How long have the brothers been playing? We all started together was my older brother Pete, and then me and my twin brother Joe on the trumpet was We were the first ones. In 1959, my brother Lindo, who plays the bass guitar, came along and we just take him with us to babysit him and at the same time he would learn and then Mario own The saxophone was born and we did the same thing with him, brought him out on a bongos and till he learned the music. And then we sent him to school, learn how to play the saxophone. And here we are, him and I'll do brothers. So I. So now you're making music for everyone to enjoy. Exactly. Now, what if what happens if if the housewife or the guy or the fella who enjoys cooking and and from time to time and he has a he has a cutting board and one of those little things for all of us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=737.98,833.08"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"What if he wants a knife sharpened? What what does he do? Well, they got the electric can openers, which I don't recommend at all because there's no water on the stone and the knife. You're running it through a can opener machine is just heating the knife and you're losing all the tempering the steel. It'll put an edge on a knife, but it's not a proper edge. They have to come in to my shop here and get it professionally sharpened. And can people do that? Yeah. They can come to my house. I'm usually here after 12 noon every day because in the morning I'm out on my deliveries and I'm back here about, well, so if people see you on the street, they can make an appointment with you to take their. Nice. Yeah. Just come on in. Usually it's done while they wait. There's no no waiting period now. A normal life. What does it cost now to get a shaman? Wow. Like I said, it depends on the size of the knife. What's wrong with the knife? It can have a big chip in it. A handle could be broken. Sometimes I repair to handle It varies. The price varies from, say, a dollar to $2. It's not a nickel anymore. No. No, I don't think so. I can't go out and buy a loaf of bread for a penny. So I guess the knife can't be a nickel. I know your son. Is he into the knife business? Yes, he's learning. I'm teaching them how to buff cleavers and sharpen how to hone knives a little bit. But at the. I'm a little leery because he's still young yet. And. But he wants to learn. He's anxious. He's, you know, he's eager for it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=833.32,910.13"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"But so the tradition continues. Yes, I think so. It'll be he'll be the fifth generation of knife grinders. Another very well oldie, but a very at heart. Exactly. He'll be at heart, right? That good? He said that there should be little clock to cross the light. Blockchain. Through. Fine. Fine. Sharpening. And your grandfather's name again was right? Pietro. Pietro. Pietro de Pietro V de. Yeah. What do you think of that thing about the mice? And grow fruit. And when you say you enlisted or drafted? I got drafted. I was one of the last people to get drafted was drafted into the Navy. That's fun, you know? I got the September 26th, 1971 after after boot camp. He married. What? You let you write your name? Linda. He married Linda. And when he was discharged, you started your business, right? Yes. The knife sharpening business, right? My uncle got sick, and that's how I. Does your roof last five days a week or you just know about two days? And we've built this right up now to 125 that he works, that he collects the knives two days a week and you sharpen one the other. And as soon as he turned 12, he joined the St Leo's drumming Bugle corps and began playing drums. Right. That's right. And they babysitters and order babysitters and take us out of the room with them. So I was actually 12 years old wiping knives off and. The picture was taken in 1913, then in Canton. There has been so. His grandfather came from Pensacola and solo Pensacola. That's exactly benzoate as a citizen of Italy. 90% of all knife sharpeners come from Pennzoil. 1904.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899#t=910.34,1264.44"}]},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["English [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/136887/file/253899/transcript/71634/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"subtitling","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/071/634/original/trint_WJZ-FLDTP-006-001_transcript.vtt?1728352924","format":"text/vtt","language":"en"},"target":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/071/634/original/trint_WJZ-FLDTP-006-001_transcript.vtt?1728352924"}]}]}]}