The real "joy" is between his pipes

PIPA CLUB, December 1966.

Meeting with Mike Bongiorno. De rigueur, in this gallery of characters, since he is an authentic star and a true pipe smoker. The meeting began in a studio at the Milan Fair, during the rehearsals of “Giochi in famiglia” and continued in an all too quiet restaurant. At work, Mike is tough, and you already know this, he thaws out during dinner, he talks willingly, but the relaxation is only apparent, you can understand it, the words and statements are weighed and controlled, even if the friendliness is remarkable. Let's hear, therefore, what he couldn't tell us while he was busy in front of the cameras, organizing the complicated mechanism of competitors, "grandchildren", guests of honor.

Let's immediately bring the discussion, and naturally, to the pipes: we had in fact seen him, in the short minutes of interval between the rehearsals, relax with a few smokes, nervous at first, then more calm and “technically” acceptable.

”And, it's true, for me too the pipe has the function of stimulating and helping relaxation; for this reason it is rare for me to smoke it at work, just as I find it a little exaggerated to smoke it in the middle of the street, and even absurd to smoke it while driving the car. In fact, I believe that smoking a pipe requires a calm, a tranquility, a concentration that cannot be achieved without sinking into an armchair; on the other hand, it is the smoke itself which, in turn, helps to give calm and tranquility. So, for example, when I stay up late some nights, in the quiet of my home, to think and ideally prepare my work, the pipe is my faithful companion".

“I must confess – continues Mike, between one macaroni and another – that now I smoke much less and less willingly than I did in America. And do you know why? For the tobacco issue. You have no idea of ​​the quantity, the infinite variety of types of tobacco, packaging and blends found in the United States. Going into certain shops is, for a pipe smoker, what a visit to the best-stocked toy emporium is for a child. If you are interested in an anecdote, I will tell you that - for example - I really liked a certain type of salty tobacco which has a curious history. Once upon a time there was a ship that crossed the Atlantic with a cargo of tobacco and salt; the sea became agitated, the crates split and got mixed up, everything had to be thrown away. The captain, sadly, wanted to try what had come out of the involuntary tobacco-salt mixture, and was surprised by the goodness of the result. Now, as I told you, this particular type of tobacco is sold which, in addition to a nice story behind it, has a very pleasant aroma. And then I remember the different types of tobacco to smoke on the different types of drinks (wines, beer, spirits) and so on."

“In short – he continues – I was used to it so well that, now, it is difficult to find tobacco that fully satisfies me. Please note, I don't want to come across as a highly refined expert; I'm just talking about my taste. That was fine with me; so, now I get less satisfaction from the pipe. In Italy, on the other hand, there is another advantage: that of finding some of the best pipes in the world, at least always in my opinion.

Let's go into a little more detail. Therefore, Mike Bongiorno smokes a pipe above all in the quiet of his home, his famous home in which he spends all the free time he has available, the home in which he finds his true "happiness". What altitude is it currently at?

”I have about thirty pipes worthy of the name; some beautiful. Mostly, I spin around ten. Do you remember the period of “Campanile sera”? Well, it was known about my passion for smoking; therefore, the representatives of the different countries who took part in the broadcast, when they wanted to bring me a little gift on behalf of the community, brought me, in fact, a nice pipe. It was a golden period for my collection, because naturally it was mostly very original pipes, rare to find on the market, perhaps made by some craftsman from the country in question. Needless to say, to these are added those that I personally chose and bought from the major Italian manufacturers, to whom, I repeat, all my admiration goes."

So we got to know Mike the pipe smoker quite well. Following the rigid rules of this now traditional column, let's now try to find out a little about the Mike-character and the Mike-man. It goes without saying that this is a sector of very subtle interest, because for 12 years we have been talking and writing about him every day, but we always have the impression that a sincere portrait does not emerge from it; and probably not his fault, who is actually overflowing with sincerity. So much so that - having touched the button - he immediately states that "at the risk of appearing dry", he is keen to point out that he likes the work he does above all because it allows him to "own the things that please me: a beautiful house, a yacht , a fabulous collection of classical music records, precious paintings; in short, all the beautiful things that I have wanted to achieve since I was a boy."

An important choice

“This was the field in which I felt I could break through, and when the time was right I made my choice, a precise choice: now I'm enjoying the fruits. They say I'm only interested in quizzes and games? But they confuse Mike-character with Mike-man; What do those who say that know about my authentic tastes? What do they know about the fact that, after presenting a long-haired complex, the character Mike becomes the man Mike again and locks himself in the house to listen to Mozart and Bach for hours? How dare they say, and sometimes write, that I am made like this and like that, judging only on the basis of what I do on television? Don't you think such a yardstick is out of place?"

Honestly, we share. And we ask him the specific question, speaking of work, how does he place the current program he is presenting on the scale that began with “Leave or double?” and continued with “Campanile sera” and “Fiera dei dreams?”. Here is the answer:

“I put it in its right place: that is, in my opinion it is the program that was needed at this moment. You see, everyone says that programs like "Do it or double it?", popular and successful like that, are no longer made. The fault is certainly not mine, nor the formula of the quiz games that have followed. The thing is, “Double or fold?” it made a sensational success because it was the first program of its kind in Italy, and moreover with a newly created television. I'm sure that if I did it now, we would absolutely no longer have the phenomenon, the authentic phenomenon of then. Once that first cycle was over, I thought that the typical parochialism of every town, of every Italian town could be exploited to create a show, and so “Campanile sera” was born; therefore, I believed that it could be interesting to present particular, strange, curious types on television, and the series of "The Fair of Dreams" began. Finally, I now believe that a new, completely special situation has been created in Italian families: enough with parents who act as absolute masters, enough with grandparents who silence everyone with the fateful words "in my time..."; now, it seems to me that there is a greater sense of collaboration between all the members of a family unit, also because it is the very young, the "children", who sometimes come to influence the tastes of everyone else. And so “Giochi in famiglia” was born, a program that is enjoying great success with the public, even if the criticism is sometimes a little harsh”.

Yes: how does Mike Bongiorno have the measure, the pulse of the reactions of the television audience, which is so vast?

“Simple: as you know, I don't limit myself to working on television; I present shows and singing competitions almost every evening with thousands and thousands of spectators, and it is in these direct contacts - in the theatre, or even in stadiums - that I can measure the degree of sympathy and popularity I enjoy. It is something, I assure you, that still strikes me, many years after my first steps in Italy. And I need it, precisely, to have the measure of favor that my programs enjoy: I have a very loyal audience, on whom I know I can always count. Maybe because I know my job well: you see, I came to Italy after 10 years of hard American schooling; therefore, I started 10 years before everyone else who works in the same field as me, and what's more with an internship that can't even be imagined here."

What criticism bothers you the most?

”Generally, all the preconceived ones; the so-called “reviews” written before the show even airs. And it happens sometimes, you know? Well, that's the thing that bothers me the most, and I think I'm right. And then, as I was telling you, the fact that sometimes they talk about me as a man, instead describing the TV character."

The chat lasts a long time, as the man and the character deserve it; but it is space, now, that forces us to stop. This, however, is the sincere and authentic portrait of Mike Bongiorno, smoker, man and character. Judge it for yourself. We honestly liked it.

Giorgio Colarossi