1979 in Italian television
This is a list of Italian television related events from 1979.
Events
RAI
January 13: Mino Vergnaghi, with Amare, wins the Sanremo music festival, hosted by Mike Bongiorno and Anna Maria Rizzoli. Rai broadcasts integrally only the finally evening, that gets a rating of 22.3 million viewers.22 February. Announcement of the sentence in the Catanzaro trial, for the Piazza Fontana bombing. The hearings have been, for the first time, integrally shoot by the RAI cameras. From 25 September, a selection in five episodes of the proceedings is aired, showing to the public the embarrassed and reticent depositions of politicians, such as Giulio Andreotti and Mariano Rumor.26 April. The documentary Trial for rape, realized by a feminist collective, shocks public opinion, showing the victim of a ravishment humiliated and criminalized by the defense attorneys.15 December. The adolescent actress Fabiana Udenio announces the beginning of RETE 3 broadcasting. This is the schedule of the first day.| 18:30 | Il pollice |
| 19:00 | TG3 and TGR |
| 19:30 | Tutti in scena |
| 20:00 | Teatrino |
| 20:05 | The taking of power by Louis XIV |
| 21:35 | TG3 |
| 22:05 | Teatrino |
Rete 3 is, in the intents, focused on the local realities, with programs and news realized by the RAI regional offices; however, for years it will be a “ghost channel”, lacking of means and ignored by the public.
- The most watched show of the year is Portobello, with an average rate of 25.1 million viewers.
Private channels
In 1979, Italian private television stations have a breakthrough: the most active massively buy films and American telefilms, hire RAI stars such as Mike Bongiorno and Pippo Baudo and begin to broadcast nationally. Particularly dynamic is Silvio Berlusconi’s Telemilano 58.New television stations (with the date of the first airing)
January: Elefante TV, syndacation managed by the Marcucci brothers, focused on sport and information:4 March: TV Port, syndication of 90 local channels, specialized in American film and telefilm.19 June: Antenna Sicilia, owned by the newspaper editor Mario Cancio Sanfilippo, art director Pippo BaudoJuly: Rete televisiva Italiana, owned by Il Messaggero's editor Carlo Perrone.2 July : Compagnia televisioni Associate; syndication of 20 local channels.Autunni : TV Parma8 September. GPE-Telemond, by Arnoldo Mondadori editore, later fused with Rete televisiva Italiana in Rete 4.Berlusconi's ascent
30 January: Silvio Berlusconi founds Rete Italia, society for the marketing of TV shows. The newborn society gets right away a big deal, buoying 325 movies from Titanus for 2 billion lira.13 September : Birth of Publitalia, Berlusconi's advertising media agency.December. Telemilano 58, until then visible only in Milan, extends its signal to the whole Lombardy.5 December. Mike Bongiorno debuts on Silvio Berlusconi's Telemilano 58 with the game show The dreams in the weaver; he's the first TV star who leaves RAI to work full-time for a private network. The collaboration between Bongiorno and the public company, lasted 27 years, has got into crisis few months before with an unsuccessful remake of ''Lascia o raddoppia?''Debuts
RAI
3,2,1... contatto – show for children, inspired by the homonymous PBS program; 2 season. It sees the debut of Paolo Bonolis.- Fantastico – show of the Saturday evening, aired in autumn and bound to the Lotteria Italia. In the 1980s, as Canzonissima in the Sixties, it is the most viewed RAI show and causes also political controversies. The first edition, directed by Enzo Trapani and hosted by Beppe Grillo, Loretta Goggi and Heather Parisi, gets an audience of 23.6 million viewers.Storia di un italiano – history of the modern Italy through an anthology of the Alberto Sordi’s movies – 4 seasons.TG3 settimanale - magazine
Private channels
Ciao ciao – cartoon show; started on the Mondadori's Telenord, it later becomes one of the most popular shows for children on the Fininvest network - 32 seasons.I sogni nel cassetto – game show, hosted by Mike Bongiorno – 2 seasons.TG Telenuovo by Germano Mosconi.Telemattina – with Ettore Andenna, first European show aired in the morning – 2 seasons.Telemenù – cooking show, with Wilma De Angelis – 18 seasons.The Buggzum - game show hosted by Franchy TV and is about deciding the words.- ''VG21 news''
International
M*A*S*H Derrick Columbo Starsky and Hutch George & Mildred How the West Was Won ''Charlie's Angels General Hospital''Television shows
Drama
La torre – by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, remake of Pedro Calderon de la Barca’s Life is dream, directed by Luca Ronconi and Miklos Jancso, with Franco Branciaroli.La promessa – by Alberto Negrin, with Rossano Brazzi; from Friedrich Durrenmatt’s The pledge.Rocco Scotellaro – by Maurizio Scaparro, with Bruno Cirino; the true story of Rocco Scotellaro, poet, socialist militant and major of his village.L’altro Simenon - cycle of four TV movies, by various directors, from the George Simenon’s novels without the Inspector Maigret.The tree of Wooden Clogs by Ermanno Olmi and Orchestra rehearsal by Federico Fellini.Musical comedy
Anche i bancari hanno un’anima by Terzoli and Vaime, directed by Gino Landi, with Gino Bramieri and Valeria Valeri; a bank clerk, on the eve of retirement, has a gallant adventure.Profumo di classe - by Giorgio Capitani, with Ombretta Colli and Aldo Maccione; inspired by Pygmalion, but with inverted gender roles.Addavenì quel giorno e quella sera'' – by Giorgio Ferrara, with Ninetto Davoli and Adriana Asti, music by Antonello Venditti; controversial attempt to adapt the themes of Pasolini's fiction in form of musical comedy.Miniseries
Cinema! – by Pupi Avati, with Lino Capolicchio, in 5 episodes; follow-up of Jazz Band, it fictionalizes the adventurous Avati's debut as movie director.Ma che cos’è questo amore? – by Ugo Gregoretti, in 2 episodes, with Stefano Satta Flores and Roberto Benigni, from the Achille Campanile’s humoristic novel; the slap of a woman to an intrusive suitor has the most unpredictable and absurd consequences. Holocaust; the hit of the year among the minsieries, with 20.2 million viewiers.Period dramas
Accadde ad Ankara – by Mario Landi, in 3 episodes; reconstruction of the “Cicero affair” with Stefano Satta Flores as Elyesa Bazna.L’affare Stavisky by Luigi Perelli, with Pietro Biondi in the title role and Ivana Monti.- Le affinità elettive – by Gianni Amico, from the Johan Wolfgang Goethe’s novel, with Franco Graziosi, Nino Castelnuovo and the future director Francesca Archibugi; 3 episodes.Bel Ami – by Sandro Bolchi, with Corrado Pani, in 4 episodes; from the Guy de Maupassant’s novel.Che fare? – by Gianni Serra, with Elisabetta Pozzi and Remo Girone, in 5 episodes; from the Nikolaj Gavrilovič Černyševskij’s novel.Il delitto Notarbatolo – by Alberto Negrin, in 3 episodes, with Ivo Garrani; reconstruction of the first clamorous Mafia crime, happened 1n 1893.La commediante veneziana – by Savatore Nocita, in 5 episodes, from the Raffaello Calzini's novel; the life of the actress Teodora Ricci, lover of Carlo Gozzi.I vecchi e I giovani – by Marco Leto, with Gabriele Ferzetti and Alain Cuny, in 5 episodes; from the Luigi Pirandello’s novel. In the Sicilia of the late Nineteenth century, the “old generation” face the “young people”.Martin Eden – by Giacomo Battiato, with Christopher Connelly, in 5 episodes, from the Jack London’s novel.
Mystery
Così per gioco – by Leonardo Cortese, in 5 episodes, with Mariano Rigillo; mystery set in the world of the gamble.La mano sugli occhi – by Pino Passalacqua, written by Andrea Camilleri, with Leopoldo Trieste, in 3 episodes; a quiet chicken farmer is inexplicably involved in a mafia plot.Astuzia per astuzia by Mario Caiano, with Mario Carotenuto and Elsa Martinelli; a former lawyer enquires about the murder of a model.La dama dei veleni – by Silverio Blasi, from John Dickson Carr’s The burning court, with Ugo Pagliai and Susanna Martinkova. and Morte a passo di valzer by Giovanni Fago, from same author's Fire, burn !, with Gianni Garko and Macha MerilLuigi Ganna detective – by Maurizio Ponzi, in 4 episodes, with Luigi Pistilli; the adventures of a Milan private eye.La vedova e il piedipiatti – comic-mystery serial, by Mario Landi, in 6 episodes; with Ave Ninchi and Veronica Lario.Il giorno dei cristalli political thriller by Giacomo Battiato, with Francisco Rabal and Saverio Marconi; a neo-fascist organization plans an attack to sabotage a peace conference.Fantastic
Racconti di fantascienza – by Alessandro Blasetti, in 3 episodes, with Arnoldo Foà as the teller.I racconti fantastici di Edgar Allan Poe – by Daniele D’Anza, in 4 episodes, with Philippe Leroy as Roderick Usher. The classical horror stories of the American writer are transferred in the USA of the Twentieth Century.Il filo e il labirinto – by various directors, written by Biagio Proietti; cycle of four stories with paranormal implications.Paura sul mondo by Domenico Campana, from Corrado Alvaro’s dystopian novel The man is strong, with Ugo Pagliai, Laura Belli and Raoul Grassilli.News and educational
Made in England - reportage about England, by Enzo Biagi, in 12 episodes. Il cuore della Jugoslavia è fatto di mulini - reportage by Tonino Guerra, in 3 episodes.Sono arrivati quattro fratelli – documentary by Maricla Boggio about the child-adoption.Un autore una città – six great Italian writers speak about their link with the home town.Quando è arrivata la televisione – documentary by Ermanno Olmi, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Italian television Il lavoro contro la vita - by Anna Lajolo, Guido Lombardi and Alfredo Leonardi; documentary on the Porto Marghera chemical industry and its negative effects on the health of workers and the environment.Variety
C’era una volta Roma – with the Bagaglino troupe; parodic history of the Italian capital.Carissimi, la nebbia agli irti colli – first variety aired on Rai 3.Due come noi – by Antonello Falqui, with Pino Caruso and Ornella Vanoni.Grand’Italia– talk show, hosted by Maurizio Costanzo.Sotto il divano – talk-show hosted by Adriana Asti.Luna park – hosted by Pippo Baudo, with Tina Turner as constant guest; debut of Heather Parisi.Tilt – with Stefania Rotolo.Una valigia tutta blu – musical show, hosted by Walter Chiari.Private channels
Il Napoleone – game show, with Ettore Andenna, directed by Cino Tortorella Ottava nota – music show, with Richard Benson.Ending this year
L’altra domenicaGioco città.Montecarlo seraNon Stop- ''La sberla.''