How a Cartoon Cat Named Super Telegattone Became an 80s Italian TV Icon
Superclassifica Show was a musical television program that became especially popular in the 1980s, broadcast on Canale 5. The show reported weekly on the best-selling records of the moment, often inviting singers and airing their performances. It was created and primarily hosted by Maurizio Seymandi, at least until 1995.
The program enjoyed great success in the early 1980s, remaining etched in collective memory above all thanks to its theme song, which featured Il Telegattone — a cartoon cat and large talking puppet that became the program’s mascot-symbol. Because of the similarity with the title, he was immediately nicknamed “Super Telegattone.” Initially he was called Oscarino, and later simply Oscar, after the famous American Oscar statuette.
The feline was inspired by the Telegatto statuette, an award established in 1971 by the weekly magazine TV Sorrisi e Canzoni to honor Italian television shows and music personalities. In 1984, the award became a true gala event under the name “Gran Premio Internazionale dello Spettacolo,” broadcast on Canale 5.
The voice of Super Telegattone was provided by Franco Rosi, a voice actor and impressionist, who also sang the theme song. Both the cartoon and the lyrics of the theme were conceived directly by Maurizio Seymandi, set to the music of Walter Camurri.
In the 1995 version of the opening theme, some lyrics were changed according to the celebrities of the time, and the program’s logo was slightly updated. From September 1987 to May 1996, all original background music and the closing theme were composed by Iliano Casini, then the young artistic director of the program, who also created the instrumental music used during Seymandi’s interviews.
The animated video opening was drawn by Anacleto Marosi, known artistically as Cleto Marosi. Both the opening and closing themes were released for the first time on a 45 rpm record in 1981 (label: Dischi Ricordi).
The version below was the one used from Sunday, October 25, 1981, to Sunday, January 29, 1989.
Lyrics
Sono il telegattone… mao!
Io per Pippo, Mike e Corrado
sono meglio di un corredo
Per l’attore ed il cantante
sono un premio inebriante
Supertelegattoneeee? Mao!
Barbra Streisand ed anche Frank Sinatra
sono una mia trovata.
Senza me Claudio Cecchetto
non sarebbe che un pupetto
Supertelegattoneeee? Mao!
Come tutti i gatti
vivo sopra i tetti
appoggiato all’antenna centrale io controllo la TV locale.
Sono il gatto sul tetto che ascolta
tutto come fosse la prima volta
Con la faccia a tivù-ù-ù-ù
questi baffi all’insù-ù-ù-ù
gli occhi più blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu blu
di Paul Newman
Se vi piace chiamatemi Oscar.
Lyrics
I’m the Telegattone… meow!
For Pippo, Mike, and Corrado,
I’m better than a wardrobe!
For the actor and the singer,
I’m a prize that makes them linger.
Super Telegattoneeee? Meow!
Barbra Streisand and even Frank Sinatra
Are part of my repertoire.
Without me, Claudio Cecchetto
Would just be a little puppet, you know.
Super Telegattoneeee? Meow!
Like all cats,
I live on the rooftops,
Leaning on the main antenna,
I control the local TV nonstop.
I’m the cat on the roof,
Listening to everything
As if it were the very first time.
With a TV face-ù-ù-ù-ù,
These whiskers pointing up-ù-ù-ù-ù,
The bluest eyes, blue blue blue blue blue blue blue
Like Paul Newman’s,
If you like me, you can call me Oscar
Source: Wikipedia
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