"Happy Boxing Day, I'm here, you recognized me, I am Iva Zanicchi ..., during the Christmas period we must not cheat: I am Frassica and I am happy to do this show, to take care of this schedule, I who have been involved only once of this: when I was doing Tele Scasazza, when I was in charge of programs, I was the director ".
Nino Frassica, one of the most original, but also beloved, interpreters of Italian comedy, 71 years old on 11 December, also told about himself in a hilarious autobiography (70% true 80% false - Mondadori), will do his "surreal" "" Domenica Con "Sunday 26 December, from 14 to 24 on Rai Storia. A schedule he chose point by point in the space curated by Enrico Salvatori and Giovanni Paolo Fontana. In a conversation with ANSA, while they call him in a loud voice to reach him (he is on the set of Don Matteo, the third block of filming between stop and go, they end in February, the broadcast scheduled for spring) "Here I am in fibrillation ... Christmas is approaching", he explains what the program is about on this special day on TV and who he chose and why. "From Renzo Arbore to Mario Marenco to Peppino de Filippo and Eduardo, to Totò, Benigni, up to Carlo Verdone. I wondered what I would like to watch on television if I were a viewer, in a marathon, so I thought about what my ideal schedule could be on an ideal day, and what better occasion than on Boxing Day, after the vigil. and on the 25th, you have the time to focus, take a break ". But are they so many hours?" Yes, every space - he replies - will be dedicated to a fundamental character in my career or in my life, or to a variety, a film , and I will comment on it in my own way for those at home watching us, then there are lots of images, clips from the repertoire. "Of course I don't expect that the audience that tunes in will remain glued from 14 to 24, maybe someone turns on antime and spend some time in our company. "Nino Frassica introduces his" Domenica "with a tribute to one of his masters of comic" surrealism ", Mario Marenco, and his characters invented with Renzo Arbore for" L'altra Sunday " . "Marenco - he explains - is my first teacher, the real teacher because, it is true that I am a lover of High Rating and therefore an Arborian, I did The Night, I did the radio with them, with Arbore and Boncompagni, Back all ... but the comedy of Marenco is what struck me, precisely in the period of my adolescence: this way of ruining everything, of shattering clichés, of not being in tune with reality, this escape ... ".And again a special dedicated to Roberto Benigni film critic hired by Renzo Arbore in the 1978/79 season of "L'Altra Domenica", with the task of making film criticism, but with the result of hilarious squabbles. A selection of the sketches performed by Peppino De Filippo, inventor of the Pappagone mask for the TV variety "Scala Reale", from 1966.
"Peppino De Filippo, with Pappagone shows us the heart of the farce, of the show which will later become a cabaret, then on television it will be called Variety". Frassica will also introduce Eduardo de Filippo's Dream of a Half Hangover (1959).
But also Cochi and Renato and together with a young Massimo Boldi animate the surreal sketches of "Canzonissima '74", conducted by Raffaella Carrà.
Then a tribute to Carlo Verdone with a special recalling his artistic origins and his characters, of "Che Fai Ridi". According to Frassica "Verdone is the best Italian actor ever." Then Frassica recalls a variety written and directed by Pupi Avati and conducted by Nick Novecento in 1986, of Hamburger Serenade. And among the many also a "tour of Italy "special, links and films from countries with particular names, made by Nino Frassica in 1986/87 for the variety" Fantastico 7 ", conducted by Pippo Baudo. Then the best" live "performances by Doc (1987) and International Doc Club (1989), presented by Renzo Arbore, Monica Nannini and Gegè Telesforo, and an episode of the 1967 television series "Tutto Totò".Finally Frassica takes his leave wishing you a good December 27th.
Excuse me Frassica what do you expect from 2022?
"what everyone hopes for this pandemic to end, we must have confidence. And look to tomorrow with hope".
What will he do on New Year's Eve?
"I am happy to confirm that I will be in my city Messina, in Piazza Duomo, the agreed conditions have been found to confirm the show on December 31st. There will be friends, and great artists".
But she likes today's TV "I think there are talents, you have to see how you use them. It's like if you write a book, if it takes you 5 days or 5 months, it all depends on the quality of the product".