T: Telematch, Giochi senza frontiere, and La Domenica Sportiva: Enzo Tortora

In this episode, my virtual guest star is one of the four so-called founding fathers of Italian entertainment television: Enzo Tortora. He was an important star right from the start of the varietà, hosting series like Primo applauso in 1956, Telematch in 1957, and Voci e volti della fortuna again in 1957. In 1965, Enzo would become host of La Domenica sportiva and Giochi senza frontiere. And in 1977, he would reach the peak of his fame as host of yet another new series, Portobello. But his career was also marked by scandal. In June 1983, Enzo was arrested and charged with being a member of the camorra and with drug-trafficking. Sentenced to ten years in prison, he was finally acquitted of all charges in 1987, four years after his arrest. The caso Tortora remains one of the most prominent examples of a miscarriage of justice in the Italian legal system.

Enzo would return to television screens in 1988, to once again host Portobello - much to audience's delight. And when Enzo died prematurely of cancer in 1989, historian Bob Lumley points out that ‘Tortora wanted to make his death a public act to dissipate the slightest doubt as to his innocence: Enzo Biagi wrote 'È morto, praticamente, in diretta: ma non per sbigottire, per porsi ancora una volta al centro, sotto la luce dei riflettori, ma perchè voleva dissipare ogni dubbio sulla pulizia, sulla onestà dei suoi propositi. Continuava ad offenderlo anche l'ombra del sospetto; voleva dire: "Vedete come me ne vado, come una sentenza mal costruita può distruggere una esistenza"'. In fact few deaths can have made such a profound impact on Italian public opinion'.

Signore, signori, ecco a voi Enzo Tortora!