Fantastico (TV program)

Fantastico
GenreVariety show
Directed by
Presented by
Country of originItaly
Original languageItalian
No. of seasons13
No. of episodes180 (+3 specials)
Original release
NetworkRai 1
ReleaseOctober 6, 1979 (1979-10-06) –
January 6, 1998 (1998-01-06)

Fantastico was an Italian Saturday night variety show broadcast by Rai 1 from 1979 to 1991, with an interruption in 1980, when it was replaced by the game show Scacco Matto. The TV program was linked with the Italian national lottery, and every edition consisted of 13 episodes with the final episode broadcast on 6 January, with the extraction of the winning tickets.[1]

The show was generally different in its structure from one edition to another; the first edition was seen by an average of 23.6 million viewers.[1] During the years the ratings dropped, and after a disappointing edition hosted by Raffaella Carrà and Johnny Dorelli (7.8 million viewers) the show was replaced by the variety-quiz Scommettiamo che?.[1]

An attempt to revive the show was made in 1997, but Fantastico Enrico (so titled as a reference to the presenter Enrico Montesano) obtained low ratings and Montesano eventually abandoned the show.[1]

Several opening songs of the show charted, and two of them (Heather Parisi's "Disco Bambina" and "Cicale") peaked first at the Italian hit parade.[2]

Editions

[edit]
# Year Presenters
1 1979 Loretta Goggi with Beppe Grillo and Heather Parisi
2 1981 Walter Chiari, Oriella Dorella, Heather Parisi, Romina Power, Memo Remigi, Gigi Sabani and Claudio Cecchetto
3 1982 Corrado and Raffaella Carrà with Gigi Sabani and Renato Zero
4 1983 Gigi Proietti with Heather Parisi and Teresa De Sio
5 1984 Pippo Baudo with Heather Parisi, Eleonora Brigliadori and José Luis Moreno [it]
6 1985 Pippo Baudo with Lorella Cuccarini, Galyn Görg and Beppe Grillo
7 1986 Pippo Baudo with Lorella Cuccarini, Alessandra Martines, the Trio Lopez-Marchesini-Solenghi and Nino Frassica
8 1987 Adriano Celentano with Marisa Laurito, Heather Parisi, Massimo Boldi and Maurizio Micheli
9 1988 Enrico Montesano and Anna Oxa
10 1989 Massimo Ranieri with Anna Oxa, Alessandra Martines, Giancarlo Magalli and Andy Luotto
11 1990 Pippo Baudo with Marisa Laurito, Giorgio Faletti and Jovanotti
12 1991 Raffaella Carrà and Johnny Dorelli, with Gianfranco D'Angelo

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Aldo Grasso – Massimo Scaglioni, Enciclopedia della Televisione, Garzanti, Milano, 1996 – 2003.
  2. ^ Dario Salvatori. Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989.