Making a star on the small screen: The case of Mina and RAI

Haworth, Rachel

Abstract

© 2015 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. Anna Maria Quaini (née Mazzini), or Mina as she is more commonly known, is a prolific Italian pop singer who rose to fame in the late 1950s. She was particularly dominant from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, before her retirement from television appearances in 1974 and public performances in 1978. In particular, it was her relationship with and continued appearances on Radiotelevisione Italiana/Italian Radio-Television (RAI) programmes during this dominant period, which helped to cement her popularity with Italian audiences. This article examines Mina’s celebrity status through a detailed analysis of the construction of her star persona in a televisual context, taking as case studies her appearances on three RAI television series: Studio Uno/‘Studio One’ (1961-1962), Canzonissima 1968/‘Lots of Songs 1968' (1968-1969) and Teatro 10/‘Theatre 10' (1972). A comparative reading of her performances on these variety shows enables us to evaluate the extent to which RAI facilitated the construction of Mina’s star persona according to a specific set of cultural and ideological values. Ultimately, this article demonstrates the ways in which Mina’s evolving celebrity came to challenge the homogenizing mission of RAI during the period.

Citation

Haworth, R. (2015). Making a star on the small screen: The case of Mina and RAI. Journal of Italian cinema & media studies, 3(1-2), 27-41. https://doi.org/10.1386/jicms.3.1-2.27_1

• Acceptance Date: Jan 2, 2015
• Publication Date: Mar 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Dec 1, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 29, 2018
• Journal: Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies
• Print ISSN: 2047-7368
• Electronic ISSN: 2047-7376
• Publisher: Intellect
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1-2
• Pages: 27-41
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/jicms.3.1-2.27_1
• Keywords: Canzonissima 1968; Mina; RAI; Studio Uno; Teatro 10; Celebrity; Stardom
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/481569
• Publisher URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jicms/2015/00000003/f0020001/art00003