The Continental screened late (after 11.00 pm) on Tuesday and Thursday nights and was a particular favourite with early female television viewers.
‘The Continental’ was a gigolo – sophisticated gentleman with a charming European accent. His name was Renzo Cesana, and he made the ladies’ hearts flutter with his suave and romantic continental monologues.
The 15-minute segment was filmed in the first person, with the camera effectively becoming the “eyes” of the female viewer. At the beginning of each episode, the apartment door would open, and Cesana (looking directly into the camera) would purr a suggestive come-on such as: ‘You have nothing to fear. It is only . . . a man’s apartment!’ Shyly, the camera would enter the room.
For the rest of the episode, Cesana would ply the camera lens with champagne flutes and lit cigarettes, all the while murmuring about “how lovely you look tonight”.
Trying to stoke romantic fantasies, Cesana went on, and on that he loved the marvels of a woman’s smile, that he valued champagne that did not tickle your nose, and that his ladies looked great in Cameo stockings.
Inevitably this led to a plug for women’s stockings, revealing the great lover as a pitchman in a rented tuxedo.
Cesana was said to have been an Italian aristocrat and a member of one of Rome’s most prominent families, although this speculation could never be substantiated. He was, in fact, an actor, composer, songwriter and author, and the brother of famed composer Otto Cesana.
Before CBS gave Cesana a network show that originated in New York City, he had been performing similar monologues on a local TV station in Los Angeles.
For one year, ‘The Continental’ was one of the most talked-about performers on television, but the novelty of his show soon wore thin, and when his first year on air ended, Cesana almost immediately faded into obscurity.
Cesana passed away on 8 November 1970, in Hollywood, from lung cancer.
Christopher Walken later parodied The Continental on Saturday Night Live to great effect.
