Exhibition Fondo Luciano Salce (1922-1989)

The Luigi Chiarini Library together with Emanuele Timothy Salce presents a focus of some representative documents of the famous and eclectic showman Luciano Salce, showing with a gallery of images the various types and partitions of this very important in-person archive of the Italian history of the twentieth century.

The archive of the multifaceted actor, director, screenwriter,radio television host and lyricist Luciano Salce, declared of particularly important historical interest by the Archival and Bibliographic Superintendence of Lazio, was donated by his son Emanuele Timothy Salce to the Luigi Chiarini Library of the Experimental Cinematography Centre Foundation in 2019, to be preserved and freely accessible to all scholars, researchers and curious users.

The fund is divided into series and sub-series covering a chronological period from 1935 to 1987. Below we point out the twelve series from the inventory of the archival fund indicative of his prolific production and his works: Writings by Luciano Salce; Catalogue of subjects, scripts, films and stories; Subjects and treatments of Salce; Subjects and stories of other authors; Scripts; Screenplays; Radio activity; Television activities; Correspondence; Reviews and curricula; Photographic documentation; Printed documentation.

Biographical note by Luciano Salce (Rome, 25 September 1922 – Rome, 17 December 1989)

Luciano Salce, actor, director, screenwriter, radio and television host, lyricist, central character to reconstruct the history of Italian culture of the twentieth century, with a lucid look and the desecralling force of irony he told the vices of our country. Among the most famous films he directed, we remember: Il federale (1961), La voglia matta (1962), Le ore dell’amore (1963) Basta guardarla (1970), L’anatra all’arancia (1975), Fantozzi (1975), Il secondo tragico Fantozzi (1976). Also fundamental are his debuts in the world of theater first alongside actors such as Vittorio Gassman, his partner in the Academy of Dramatic Art Silvio D’Amico, then with the establishment of the company of the Teatro dei Gobbi (with Alberto Bonucci, Vittorio Caprioli and then Franca Valeri), an example of satirical cabaret, participation in the Variety Studio Uno, the conduct of radio programs: I malalingua and Blackout.

Memory of Emanuele Salce

It is always difficult, or even impossible, to remember from a naturally private point of view what it has become, over time, a public figure, without falling into anecdotal, rhetoric or biased memory.

My father, Luciano Salce, was a man of entertainment and culture of the Italian twentieth century who was able to give back in different artistic forms what his short (but rich of important events) life proposed to him: for over forty years he wrote, directed, performed theatrical and cinematographic, radio and television, even musical works. An activity that has given important artistic results and that, at the same time, has put it in contact with all the greatest cultural expressions of the twentieth century.

Like many art men of his time, my father wrote a lot, even in the private: letters to friends and family, subjects, scripts, plays, stories, songs, radio programs, ideas and often even on receipts or on the back of binned scripts pages. And much has preserved, indeed, almost everything, even drawings, drafts and sketches, ladders, messages, postcards, beyond the large amount of writings more or less organic to his profession as a perennial humorist.

This Fund, collected and indexed in over 40 sickles thanks to the patient work of Giovanna Robustelli, consists of documents of all kinds (including a huge private photographic archive), therefore represents not only the artistic testimony of a great man of entertainment, but also an important path in the History of the Italian twentieth century.

I thank the Luigi Chiarini Library for giving it a “home” and the Archival and Bibiliographic Superintendence of Lazio for recognizing its particularly important historical interest.

Emanuele Salce

Reproduction in any medium, even partial, of the images shown is forbidden.