July 20–21. For the
Apollo 11 mission,
RAI airs a live show lasting 27 hours. It involved more than 200 technicians and journalists, and included the presence of more than 500 guests (scientists, sportsmen and intellectuals, such as
Michelangelo Antonioni and
Alfonso Gatto). At 22:17 (Italian hour) the anchorman
Tito Stagno announces the
Moon landing with a minute in advance. He is corrected by the correspondent
Ruggero Orlando, who follows the event from
Houston Space center. The subsequent quarrel between the two journalists overshadows, for the Italian public,
Neil Armstrong’s historical announcement: “The eagle is landed.”[4] Despite this incident, the “night of the moon” is for RAI a professional achievement and a huge public success (20 million viewers).[5]
October 25:
Enzo Tortora, very popular host of The sporting Sunday, in an interview with the weekly
Oggi announces his intention to leave RAI and argues with the company's executives, defined as "boy scouts driving a jet and playing with the keyboard"; RAI responds by not renewing its contract. In the following years, Tortora worked for
RSI and for the emerging private TV channels.[6]
December 12: an extraordinary edition of the
TG1 announces to the country the
Piazza Fontana bombing; the same evening, the
Prime MinisterMariano Rumor, in a TV message to the nation, condemns indignantly the slaughter and promises justice. On December 15, RAI broadcasts live the burial of the victims.[7]
December 16: in the evening news, the young journalist
Bruno Vespa, live from the Milan police headquarters, announces: “
Pietro Valpreda is one of the guilty for the slaughter in Milan and for the attacks in Rome”. Valpreda was a dancer and leader of a small anarchist group, which was verbally extremist but fully unrelated to the crime. Valpreda is subsequently depicted by television and by most of the press as a monster. The TV show Stasera Gina Lollobrigida is deleted because he appears for a few seconds as an extra. Only
Indro Montanelli, interviewed by
Sergio Zavoli, declares that he does not believe that the anarchists were guilty.[7]
Speciale per voi (Special for you) – directed by Carla Ragionieri and Romolo Siena, with
Renzo Arbore (at his TV debut); two seasons. The show is one of the first aimed explicitly to the young public and reflects, indirectly, the
protests of 1968 ; in every episode, a guest singer faces an audience of teen-agers, often polemic and impertinent.[9]
Doppia coppia (Double couple) - variety hosted by
Alighiero Noschese and
Bice Valori, playing the RAI receptionist; 2 seasons. For the first time, Noschese is allowed to impersonate on video the politicians.
News and educational
AZ: un fatto come e perchè (AZ: a fact, how and why) – news magazine, hosted by Emilio Mastrostefano; 7 seasons.[10]
Il segreto di Luca (
Luca’s secret) – by Ottavio Spadaro, from
Ignazio Silone’s novel, with
Turi Ferro,
Riccardo Cucciolla and
Lydia Alfonsi; 4 episodes. A simple countryman, to save the honor of his beloved, chooses to be sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he never committed.
Mystery
La donna di cuori (The queen of hearts) – by
Leonardo Cortese, with
Ubaldo Lay (as Lieutenant Sheridan),
Emma Danieli,
Sandra Mondaini (in her only dramatic role) and
Amedeo Nazzari; 5 episodes. In this new chapter of the “Sheridan’s queens” series, the detective is, for the first time, in love and personally involved in the enquiry.[15]
Il killer – dark comedy by Dino Bartolo Partesano, written by
Cesare Zavattini, with
Paolo Villaggio and
Oreste Lionello ; 3 episodes. An ice-cream manifacturer hires a killer to eliminate a rival.
For children
Le avventure di Ciuffettino (Little Turft’s adventures) – by
Angelo D’Alessandro, from the Yambo’s novel, with Maurizio Ancidoni. A runaway boy lives, or dreams, fabulous asventures.[18]
Gulliver – by Carla Ragionieri, with Arturo Corso, music by
Fabrizio De André; 10 episodes. The
Jonathan Swift’s
novel is adapted in a musical comedy with a mixed cast of actors and puppets.[19]
La filibusta (
Filibuster) – musical show by Beppe Recchia, written by
Franco Franchi, with Donatello Falchi,
Gianni Magni and various famous singers as guest stars; 8 episodes. A pirate ghost tells to the customers of an inn the life of the most famous
buccaneers.
Aiuto, è vacanza! (Help, there are the holidays!) – summer show, directed by Eros Macchi, with
Walter Chiari and
Isabella Biagini.[20]
Incontri musicali (Musical encounters) – hosted by Enza Sampò.[21]
È domenica ma senza impegno (It’s Sunday, but with no obligations) and La domenica è un’altra cosa (Sunday is something else)– by Vito Molinari; shows of the Sunday afternoon, hosted respectively by
Paolo Villaggio[22] and
Raffaele Pisu.
July 20–21. For the
Apollo 11 mission,
RAI airs a live show lasting 27 hours. It involved more than 200 technicians and journalists, and included the presence of more than 500 guests (scientists, sportsmen and intellectuals, such as
Michelangelo Antonioni and
Alfonso Gatto). At 22:17 (Italian hour) the anchorman
Tito Stagno announces the
Moon landing with a minute in advance. He is corrected by the correspondent
Ruggero Orlando, who follows the event from
Houston Space center. The subsequent quarrel between the two journalists overshadows, for the Italian public,
Neil Armstrong’s historical announcement: “The eagle is landed.”[4] Despite this incident, the “night of the moon” is for RAI a professional achievement and a huge public success (20 million viewers).[5]
October 25:
Enzo Tortora, very popular host of The sporting Sunday, in an interview with the weekly
Oggi announces his intention to leave RAI and argues with the company's executives, defined as "boy scouts driving a jet and playing with the keyboard"; RAI responds by not renewing its contract. In the following years, Tortora worked for
RSI and for the emerging private TV channels.[6]
December 12: an extraordinary edition of the
TG1 announces to the country the
Piazza Fontana bombing; the same evening, the
Prime MinisterMariano Rumor, in a TV message to the nation, condemns indignantly the slaughter and promises justice. On December 15, RAI broadcasts live the burial of the victims.[7]
December 16: in the evening news, the young journalist
Bruno Vespa, live from the Milan police headquarters, announces: “
Pietro Valpreda is one of the guilty for the slaughter in Milan and for the attacks in Rome”. Valpreda was a dancer and leader of a small anarchist group, which was verbally extremist but fully unrelated to the crime. Valpreda is subsequently depicted by television and by most of the press as a monster. The TV show Stasera Gina Lollobrigida is deleted because he appears for a few seconds as an extra. Only
Indro Montanelli, interviewed by
Sergio Zavoli, declares that he does not believe that the anarchists were guilty.[7]
Speciale per voi (Special for you) – directed by Carla Ragionieri and Romolo Siena, with
Renzo Arbore (at his TV debut); two seasons. The show is one of the first aimed explicitly to the young public and reflects, indirectly, the
protests of 1968 ; in every episode, a guest singer faces an audience of teen-agers, often polemic and impertinent.[9]
Doppia coppia (Double couple) - variety hosted by
Alighiero Noschese and
Bice Valori, playing the RAI receptionist; 2 seasons. For the first time, Noschese is allowed to impersonate on video the politicians.
News and educational
AZ: un fatto come e perchè (AZ: a fact, how and why) – news magazine, hosted by Emilio Mastrostefano; 7 seasons.[10]
Il segreto di Luca (
Luca’s secret) – by Ottavio Spadaro, from
Ignazio Silone’s novel, with
Turi Ferro,
Riccardo Cucciolla and
Lydia Alfonsi; 4 episodes. A simple countryman, to save the honor of his beloved, chooses to be sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he never committed.
Mystery
La donna di cuori (The queen of hearts) – by
Leonardo Cortese, with
Ubaldo Lay (as Lieutenant Sheridan),
Emma Danieli,
Sandra Mondaini (in her only dramatic role) and
Amedeo Nazzari; 5 episodes. In this new chapter of the “Sheridan’s queens” series, the detective is, for the first time, in love and personally involved in the enquiry.[15]
Il killer – dark comedy by Dino Bartolo Partesano, written by
Cesare Zavattini, with
Paolo Villaggio and
Oreste Lionello ; 3 episodes. An ice-cream manifacturer hires a killer to eliminate a rival.
For children
Le avventure di Ciuffettino (Little Turft’s adventures) – by
Angelo D’Alessandro, from the Yambo’s novel, with Maurizio Ancidoni. A runaway boy lives, or dreams, fabulous asventures.[18]
Gulliver – by Carla Ragionieri, with Arturo Corso, music by
Fabrizio De André; 10 episodes. The
Jonathan Swift’s
novel is adapted in a musical comedy with a mixed cast of actors and puppets.[19]
La filibusta (
Filibuster) – musical show by Beppe Recchia, written by
Franco Franchi, with Donatello Falchi,
Gianni Magni and various famous singers as guest stars; 8 episodes. A pirate ghost tells to the customers of an inn the life of the most famous
buccaneers.
Aiuto, è vacanza! (Help, there are the holidays!) – summer show, directed by Eros Macchi, with
Walter Chiari and
Isabella Biagini.[20]
Incontri musicali (Musical encounters) – hosted by Enza Sampò.[21]
È domenica ma senza impegno (It’s Sunday, but with no obligations) and La domenica è un’altra cosa (Sunday is something else)– by Vito Molinari; shows of the Sunday afternoon, hosted respectively by
Paolo Villaggio[22] and
Raffaele Pisu.