50 years ago Milleluci, Mina's last television program

On 16 March 1974, the first of the eight episodes of the television variety show 'Milleluci' was broadcast by our state broadcaster. The program was directed by Antonello Falquiwhile the management was entrusted to Mina And Raffaella Carrà. The latter replaced, practically on the fly, Alberto Rabagliati who passed away at the age of 67, due to a cerebral thrombosis, the week before the start of the show, on March 8th.

The eight episodes of 'Milleluci' were themed, each dedicated to a different genre of entertainment, with ad hoc guests: the radio, the café chantant, the magazine, the television, the vaudeville, the cabaret, the musical, the operetta, circus and musical comedy. Since the program is not live, but previously recorded, Alberto Rabagliati he participated in the first episode, dedicated to the radio, singing “The first thought of love”a song published by the Milanese interpreter in September 1940.

The opening theme of 'Milleluci', sung and danced by Raffaella Carràera “Ding don dang”. The song was then included in the album of the Romagna soubrette “Milleluci”, so titled in the wake of the television success. The songs on the album were covers of the songs proposed by Carrà in the TV program. In addition to two unreleased songs, the theme song “Ding don dang” And “But what an evening”song written by Gianni Boncompagniwhich will also be the title of a Saturday night Rai show broadcast in 1978 hosted by Raffaella Carrà and written by Gianni Boncompagni with Green Dino directed by Gino Landi.

“I don't play anymore” was the ending theme, performed by Minaaccompanied by the great Belgian jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans. “I don't play anymore” was written by Roberto Lerici (text) e Gianni Ferrio (music). This song, one of the countless classics of the Lombard singer, risked being remembered as her last before the farewell to the world of music by the Tiger of Cremona who, in a moment of evident despondency, declared: “I was very ill , after Milleluci I will no longer sing.”

'Milleluci' will mark the farewell of Mina to the world of television that had seen her as a protagonist in the previous fifteen years. Although, in 1978, she played “Again, again, again” as the closing theme of the television program 'A Thousand and One Lights'. The last public appearance of the Lombard interpreter is linked to the concert on 23 August 1978 which was held at the Teatro Tenda Bussoladomani in Marina di Pietrasanta, in the province of Lucca. This latest live show by Mina is immortalized in the double album “Mina Live '78”.