Renzo Cesana (30 October 1907, Rome â€" 8 November 1970, Hollywood,
California) was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed
for his title role on the American television show The Continental. He
was also known as Renato Cesana.Cesana was the grandson of Luigi
Cesana, publisher of one of Rome's largest daily newspapers, Il
Messaggero. He emigrated to America as a screenwriter in 1929, to
adapt Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer "talkies" for Italian audiences. After a
failed attempt at becoming a film star, he appeared on radio in San
Francisco, then became the U.S. advertising director for a prominent
Italian wine, eventually opening his own advertising agency. He
returned to Italy to co-write and appear in childhood friend Roberto
Rossellini's film Stromboli (1950), then returned to America in 1949
to begin a film and television acting career in Hollywood.In an era
when advertisers and advertising agencies played major roles in
program creation and sponsorship, Cesana created The Continental as a
radio program that he produced, wrote, and starred in for a Los
Angeles station in 1951, where it directly followed The Lonesome Gal,
in which a female disk jockey talked soothingly to male listeners.
After a brief and unsuccessful run, Cesana convinced a local
television station to broadcast a video version of The Continental,
which was picked up by the CBS television network in 1952.The program
led to a recording contract with Capitol Records, in which the
non-singer Cesana would recite the lyrics of romantic songs to a
musical accompaniment. For instance, "Walk The Lonesome Night" was a
big hit in which Cesana recited the lyrics along with a piano and a
theater organ. It was released on the "Ultra-Lounge Vol. 7: The Crime
Scene" as an extra track; but it received massive success when it was
originally released.
California) was an actor, writer, composer, and songwriter most famed
for his title role on the American television show The Continental. He
was also known as Renato Cesana.Cesana was the grandson of Luigi
Cesana, publisher of one of Rome's largest daily newspapers, Il
Messaggero. He emigrated to America as a screenwriter in 1929, to
adapt Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer "talkies" for Italian audiences. After a
failed attempt at becoming a film star, he appeared on radio in San
Francisco, then became the U.S. advertising director for a prominent
Italian wine, eventually opening his own advertising agency. He
returned to Italy to co-write and appear in childhood friend Roberto
Rossellini's film Stromboli (1950), then returned to America in 1949
to begin a film and television acting career in Hollywood.In an era
when advertisers and advertising agencies played major roles in
program creation and sponsorship, Cesana created The Continental as a
radio program that he produced, wrote, and starred in for a Los
Angeles station in 1951, where it directly followed The Lonesome Gal,
in which a female disk jockey talked soothingly to male listeners.
After a brief and unsuccessful run, Cesana convinced a local
television station to broadcast a video version of The Continental,
which was picked up by the CBS television network in 1952.The program
led to a recording contract with Capitol Records, in which the
non-singer Cesana would recite the lyrics of romantic songs to a
musical accompaniment. For instance, "Walk The Lonesome Night" was a
big hit in which Cesana recited the lyrics along with a piano and a
theater organ. It was released on the "Ultra-Lounge Vol. 7: The Crime
Scene" as an extra track; but it received massive success when it was
originally released.
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