Antonio Carrizo | |
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 Carrizo, c. 1950s | |
| Born | Antonio Carrozzi Abascal (1926-09-15)September 15, 1926 General Villegas, Argentina |
| Died | January 1, 2016(2016-01-01) (aged 89) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Antonio Carrozzi Abascal, best known asAntonio Carrizo, (September 15, 1926 – January 1, 2016) was an Argentineradio andtelevision presenter.
Born inGeneral Villegas, in westernBuenos Aires Province, his first experience in broadcasting was during his teens at the helm of atransit media vehicle, from which he could be heard hawkingMejoral, aparacetamol analgesic, in General Villegas and surroundingPampas towns. He arrived inBuenos Aires following a year ofmilitary service, and began on the radio as an ad announcer on Radio del Pueblo in 1948. He later co-hosted a program on ratings leaderRadio Belgrano withBeatriz Taibo, in which the duo became known for announcing advertisements in the form of a dialogue. Taibo, for example, might ask:"Traffic's at a standstill. What do you think happened?" to which Carrizo would answer"ASunlight girl must have walked by!"[1]
Theradio theater producer atRadio El Mundo, Julio César Barton, hired Carrizo in 1949. He worked with leading names in Argentine radio at the time such asNiní Marshall,Tita Merello, andLuis Sandrini, eventually becoming the station'sprogramming director. Remaining on the radio, Carrizo debuted on Argentine television in the 1950s onChannel 7, and in cinema as a radio presenter inLuis César Amadori'sEl barro humano (1955). Carrizo was hired byChannel 9 directorAlejandro Romay to hostSábados Continuados in 1964. He returned to Channel 7 as host ofBienvenido Sábado (Welcome, Saturday), avariety show that aired in 1965, and in the 1970s hostedPrimera de la Noche (Top of the Evening). Carrizo also appeared from 1966 onRadio Rivadavia, which by then had become the nation's top radio network, working withCacho Fontana,Héctor Larrea, andJuan Carlos Mareco, and in 1971 left El Mundo to become host of Rivadavia'sLa Vida y El Canto (Life and Song).[1] The urbanetalk show, which ran for twenty years, drew guests fromArgentine music,cinema, andliterature (includingJorge Luis Borges, with whom he tapedBorges, el Memorioso in 1979), as well as foreign guests such asItalian cinema greatVittorio Gassman.[2] He also hostedCíclo Los Intérpretes (Performers' Series) on Radio Rivadavia, devoted tofolk andclassical music, and appeared as a recurring guest commentator on the popularround table programPolémica en el Fútbol (Controversies inArgentine Football). Carrizo earned aKonex Award for his career as presenter in 1981.[3]
Carrizo was named President of the Society of Argentine Bibliophiles, and of the Argentine Chess Federation.[4] The accomplishedchess player counted among his friends Grand MasterBobby Fischer. Fischer visited Argentina often, and Carrizo's home hosted numerous matches between the two, as well as with other noted players such asTigran Petrosian andMiguel Quinteros; during one such match, which Fischer and Quinteros played for money, the unpredictable Fischer repeatedly slammed the Japaneseforest glass coffee table, prompting Carrizo to urge Quinteros to lower the stakes,"lest that son of a bitch break my table!"[5]
His later projects included serving asmaster of ceremonies at the 1980OTI Festival, as well as the annualCiclo Música en la Ciudad (City Music Series), a classical music festival, from 1987 onward.[6] He joinedJuan Carlos Calabró as co-host of the radio comedy series,Calabromas, and its long-running television counterpart:El contra (The Jerk, Calabró's stock character).[1] Carrizo served asCultural Attaché to theArgentine Embassy in Spain during the 1990s, and was bestowed theOrder of Isabella the Catholic.[3] He later hostedEl Locutorio (The Broadcast Room),[2] a cultural program, andPapeles Sueltos (Loose Papers), an intellectual round table show.[7] He also hosted, among other programs,Hecho en Argentina, a geographic documentary series on theAmérica 24 cable network, and from 2006 onwardTangos y Libros on Municipal Radio.[8]
Because he hosted atango program onAM radio, Carrizo maintained a connection to the people that allowed him to bring high-culture to them. On his interview program thus he could introduce his audiences to such figures asJorge Luis Borges andAstor Piazzolla.[9]
Carrizo's health worsened, and in 2008 he underwentcardiopulmonary bypass andcerebrovascular surgery.[10] He recovered, returned as host ofTangos y Libros, and in 2010 was awarded theArgentina Bicentennial Medal by Buenos Aires MayorMauricio Macri.[4] Carrizo, whose career spanned seven decades, earned widespread respect among colleagues and listeners for his authoritative intonation and cultural breadth. He became known asel señor de la radio ("the lord of the radio") in Argentina.[11][12]
He died on January 1, 2016.[13]
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