Colpo Grosso (Big Shot) was an Italian television program, broadcast for five seasons from 1987 to 1992 in late evening on the Italia 7 syndication network.
The main host of the program was Umberto Smaila, replaced by Maurizia Paradiso in the first part of the final season. After she left the show, she was replaced by Massimo Guelfi and Gabriella Lunghi for the remainder of the season. The first season was directed by Pino Callà, while subsequent seasons were directed by Celeste Laudisio.
The show was produced by Fininvest, the manager of Italia 7's programming at the time. the program was initially set in a casino distinguished by the presence of numerous showgirls who offered stripteases during each episode. The sets became more elaborate as the show went on, with season 3 set in an airport while seasons 4 and 5 were set on a cruise ship. The contestants also had the option to strip in order to increase their score. The show's title was a deliberate reference to the Italian title of the original Oceans 11 film by Frank Sinatra, set in a casino.
Despite being considered by many critics as a lowbrow show of dubious taste, the program achieved enormous public success, especially considering the small channel that broadcast it, with audience peaks exceeding 2 million viewers. Smaila himself, in an interview during Enzo Biagi's program I dieci comandamenti on Rai 1, declared that the audience could easily be identified as the medium-high range.
The popularity of the programme, considered today a cult of commercial television, remained high even after the end of the programme, thanks to the continuous syndication of episodes on regional broadcasters who still owned the masters and on the Mediaset channels Happy Channel (from 1998 to 2005) and Mediaset Extra (since 2015).
The program Colpo Grosso was produced by G.E.I.T., while its production was handled by A.S.A. Television on behalf of Fininvest. The episodes of the first four editions were recorded at Teatro 12 of Icet Studios in via Peppino Rossi 11/13 in Cologno Monzese (now Big Motion Studios), while for the last season the set was transferred to the studios by A.S.A. Television in Cinisello Balsamo. The filming was entirely carried out using Plumbicon tube cameras, like almost all of the television programs made in Italy in that period. Only for a short period, between December 1989 and January 1990, were CCD digital sensor cameras used.
Season 1 (1987–1988) The debut of Colpo Grosso in the television schedules dates back to 16 November 1987: Umberto Smaila hosted it alongside the wardrobe attendant Nadia Picciurro, the croupier Barbara Iaschi (later replaced by Krizia Scognamillo) and the money changer Daniela Lodigiani; Pino Callà is directing. The studio where the show took place was furnished in a style reminiscent of a casino and the contestants (a man and a woman) competed in bets and roulette games. The initial chips for each player were decided by a roll of the same on the slot machine, which contained seven symbols depicting a part of the body to which a different value was attributed (in ascending order: foot, hand, eye, mouth, leg, breast, seat).
The winnings, which could be doubled if the competitor answered correctly to questions posed by the host, were then used to have the masks (four masked men and four women) remove their clothes, while in the event of an insufficient number of chips with to play, the competitors themselves could strip to increase their assets. The aim of the game was to completely undress all the masks (the last piece of clothing they took off was the mask over their eyes) and make the so-called big shot (the titular "colpo grosso"), winning the entire prize pool. The contestant who made the biggest win, but not the big score, had the chance to remain as the reigning champion for the next episode.
The initial formula of the program was progressively changed over the course of the episodes. Among the main changes were the addition of a co-host, Daniela Fornari, the elimination of male masks and the inclusion of a musical space in which Smaila could perform on the piano.
Season 2 (1988–1989) The second season of the program started on 5 September 1988, with the passing of the directorial baton from Pino Callà to Celeste Laudisio. The host Umberto Smaila, the co-host Daniela Fornari (later replaced by Linda Lorenzi starting from 4 November 1988) and the croupier Daniela Lodigiani were confirmed.
Numerous changes compared to the previous edition, also due to a greater economic investment by the broadcaster: Rosanna Olmo joined the cast as a notary, Tina Pepe as a cashier, Stefania Valentini as a valet, Stefano Celoria and Lais Silvess as cloakroom attendants; the scenography, although still reminiscent of a casino, was totally renewed; the masks were renamed strip-chips and represented various professional figures in each episode who were often given original names such as "Esagerata", "Scappatella", "Maria la O", "Tripla", etc.; new heats were also established for the competitors, including the slot machine, dice and French cards, but the most significant innovation concerned the introduction of the "Lucky Charms": seven girls of different nationalities representing as many lucky symbols (Esther Aregall the iron horse, Natasja Narain the rabbit, Deborah Zapparata the horn, Natacha Velimirovic the joker, Alma Lo Moro the four-leaf clover, Monique Sluyter the number 13 and Viemla Jagroep the ladybug). The symbol assigned to them, in addition to differentiating the color of their costume, was placed as a left nipple cover during the shows/strips in which they performed.
These girls quickly became one of the most well-known features of the program, so much so that in those years the final part of one of their segments was played every evening during the intro of Rai 3's Blob. In the musical space Umberto Smaila was accompanied by Nylon (Maurizio Filippi, Diego Michelon, Renzo Meneghinello) during the live performance of the musical pieces; furthermore, in the Saturday episode Linda Lorenzi performed magic tricks and the closing theme song was replaced by the striptease of one of the Portafortuna girls.
Starting from February 1989, themed evenings were also held in discos throughout Italy, in which Umberto Smaila and some strip-chips involved the public in participating in games inspired by the television broadcast.
Season 3 (1989–1990) Aired from 4 September 1989 to 1 June 1990, the third edition of Colpo Grosso probably represents the most successful one of the programme. The presence of Linda Lorenzi was confirmed alongside Umberto Smaila as host, the busty Tiziana D'Arcangelo made her appearance as cashier, and she passed to the role of valet (after having been one of the Lucky Charm girls in the previous season) Monique Sluyter; Stefano Celoria also confirmed as cloakroom attendant.
While maintaining casino-inspired games, the same as the previous edition, the cash prize pool was replaced by the use of chips (called Eurofiches), while the final prizes were replaced by household appliances and, in case of a big score, by a trip to abroad paid by the production and the sponsor of the program (the Panto fixtures, for which there was also a gift card for each player and a dedicated game). The scenography, significantly changed compared to previous editions, no longer represented a casino but the waiting room of an airport, a symbol with which the program celebrated the opening of the borders of Eastern European countries towards the Western world.
Consequently, the strip-fiches (which entered the studio by descending from the ladder of an airplane) were renamed flags because each one depicted a geographical area of Europe. Finally the Lucky Charm girls were replaced by the Cheers girls: seven girls representing as many fruit drinks with the same role as the Lucky Charms: Nadia Visintainer the pineapple, Esther Kooiman known as "Amy" the cherry, Esther the strawberry, Natacha Velimirovic the kiwi, Stella Kobs the lemon, Angelique the tangerine and Jacqueline Hammond the blueberry. The popularity of the program was such that it dedicated a space in the Saturday episode to the post office corner, where Linda Lorenzi responded to letters and gifts received from viewers of the program (the address to write to was: Colpo Grosso, Casella Postale 112, 20093 Cologno Monzese).
There were several protests against the program, with hundreds of letters sent by a group of Venetian women to the sponsor, who threatened with a boycott. During the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy (from 8 June to 8 July), the program, after a suspension in the first week of June, resumed in conjunction with the tournament, taking the name of Colpo grosso 90 – rivediamole insieme (Let's Rewatch Them Together), and broadcast a selection of stripteases taken from old episodes, then extending the editions with this formula until almost the end of August.
Season 4 (1990–1991) The references to geography and travel reached their peak in the 4th season of Colpo Grosso, which began on 10 September 1990 and aired until 29 June 1991 (with a brief interruption during the Christmas period, from 23 December to 6 January, and in Easter period, from 28 March to 1 April), in which the scenography was inspired by a cruise ship of which Umberto Smaila was the captain. Joining him in what was his last season as host were Welshwoman Amy Charles as cashier, already present among the flags of the previous edition with the names of Albarosa and Tripla, and Czechoslovak Žaneta Fajová as cloakroom attendant. The presence of the Cin Cin girls was also confirmed, who have now become a symbol of the program, in this edition played by Jessica (cherry), Lena (pineapple), Susanne (kiwi), Suzana (lemon), Renate (tangerine), Michelle (strawberry) and Bernardine (blueberry).
Compared to previous editions, the regulation underwent various changes, detaching itself from the initial mechanism linked to casino games: the competitors' prize money was no longer counted in chips but in points, which were used by the competitors to visit European countries during the cruise on the ship. of Big Shot; for each country visited we witnessed the striptease of the Star of Europe (name with which the flags were already called in the last episodes of the previous edition) representing that country. Roulette, dice and French card games were abolished from the beginning and later also the historic slot machine game, replaced by games linked to sponsors (such as the Vitec question and the Panto island game). At the end of each episode two possible scenarios could occur: In the event that the two competitors had managed to visit fewer than four countries, the one who had obtained the most points (or with the same points, the one who had visited the most countries) became the winner of the bet and, if he had won two bets (out of a maximum of three ) against his challenger, he acquired the title of "champion", eliminating his challenger from the game and returning in the next episode against a new competitor, always with the best of two bets won out of a maximum of three.