Ugo Tognazzi, Raimondo Vianello, and Un, due, tre: Establishing Italian Television Audiences, Genres, and Expectations in the 1950s

Abstract

ABSTRACT During the 1950s, comedy actors Ugo Tognazzi and Raimondo Vianello were the famous faces of Italian variety television thanks to their roles as hosts of the popular series Un, due, tre (1954-1959). In addition to proving popular with audiences, the programme played an important role in establishing the nature of variety television in this period, and the expectations of Italian television more broadly, given the regular focus in each episode on the nature of the medium itself. This article explores this focus on television and the wider role played by Tognazzi and Vianello as hosts of Un, due, tre as a way of exploring the nature of Italian variety television in the 1950s. In particular, it examines how the two stars appealed to and connected with viewers in a way that established a nascent national television audience and expectations regarding entertainment programming and television broadcasting in this period.