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Wrong facts about the Eurovision Song Contest, albeit published by respectable authors or widespread

Generalities

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Naming

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"Erst seit den Neunzigern trägt das Event offiziell die englische Bezeichnung 'Eurovision Song Contest'."[1] [= "It is only since the 1990s that the event is officially called in English 'Eurovision Song Contest'"].

Not exactly true because:

While it is true that the ESC 1991 was called "Concorso Eurovisione della Canzone" in its logo and all subsequent editions "Eurovision Song Contest"[2], apart from a few editions (in French-speaking countries), the contest was called "Eurovision Song Contest" already in most editions from 1968 onwards, including contests held in the Netherlands (1970), Germany (1983), Norway (1986) and Sweden (1975).[2] Only the editions of 1976 and 1980 in the Netherlands and those in French-speaking countries (for example 1987, 1989) didn't have the English name but used a version in their own language.[2] See more on the history of the name in Eurovision_Song_Contest#Naming.

1956

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Origins: reason of creation of the ESC

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"[Marcel Bezençon] veut absolument trouver un programme qui permette de réunir les uns et les autres [...] Il rêve d'une Europe réunie autour de la culture et du divertissement"[3] [Marcel Bezençon "absolutely wants to find a programme which permits to reunite everybody (...) He dreams of a Europe united around culture and entertainment."]

Similarly presenter Måns Zelmerlöw at the beginning of the ESC 2016 grand final: "This competition was created in 1956 to unify a continent torn apart by war."[4]

Also claimed in: [5][6][7][8]

Wrong because:

"Utopic ideas of the ESC's innate Europeanism are, however, not justified in the documental archives of the EBU: the founders of the ESC really did only conceive of it in the mid-1950s as an experiment in television."[9]

Only solo artists allowed

[edit]

"Only solo artists were allowed to enter the contest."[10]

Also claimed in: [11][3][12]

Wrong because:

The official rules[13] say different, see Talk:Eurovision_Song_Contest_1956#Rules: solo artists.

Production: only one camera

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"Saali nurgas seisis väidetavalt vaid üks kamera, mis andis vähestele teleriomanikele edasi uduse kujutise."[14] ["Allegedly, there was only one camera in the corner of the hall, which gave a blurry image to the few TV owners."]

Seems to be wrong because:

The preserved reprise video of Lys Assia's "Refrain" shows different camera angles shortly one after another when Lys Assia finishes her performance: cutting from the stage to the audience. According to Corriere del Ticino, three cameras were used.[15]

United Kingdom's "entrant"

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"Britain had an entrant ready, zither-playing Australian singer Shirley Abicair, with a song called 'Little Ship', but she never made it to Lugano. It is not clear why, though it might have been because Britain suddenly decided it didn't want to be represented by a non-Brit."[16]

Wrong because:

"Little Ship", sung by Shirley Abicair, was an entry in the Festival of British Popular Songs 1956 (which wasn't a preselection for the ESC, see above (section Reason of the United Kingdom's absence)). She finished 2nd in the final on 22 October 1956 and had qualified for the final by winning heat one held on 7 May 1956.[17]

Location of jury

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“Die Jurys saßen, anders als in der Folgezeit, damals noch im Saal.”[18] ["Unlike in later editions, the juries were sitting in the hall/auditorium at that time."]

Also claimed in:[19][20]

Not exactly true because:

It seems true that the jury was assembled in the same venue,[21] at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano but not inside the same hall as the auditorium and the performers. The official rules (article 12) stated that the jury composed of the jurors from every country was to follow the contest on usual television screens, in a location decided by Swiss television.[13] It would have made no sense for the jury to watch a show on television screens if they had the stage itself in front of their eyes as well. Besides that, according to Dutch juror Ger van Lugtenburg, the jury members were removed from the jury room once they had cast their votes and were therefore unable to follow the tabulation of the final results.[22] Which means that they were in a separate room. The distance between jury room and stage must have been not too great as the jury president Rolf Liebermann appeared on stage after the vote count to announce the winner.[23] According to Corriere del Ticino, the jury assembled in the room usually used for playing Bridge.[24] (see also Stephan Näther[25])

Voting rules: jurors' mode of giving points

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"There were two members from each country, who would award ten points for their favourite song, nine for second, eight for third and so on down to one point for their tenth favourite."[26]

Also claimed in: [27]

Other version: "Chaque jury attribue deux votes à sa chanson préferée."[28] ["Each juror gives two points to their favourite song."]

Wrong because:

The official rules say different: "Chaque membre du jury cote, sur un bulletin 'ad hoc' chacune des chansons présentées de 1 à 10 dans l'ordre croissant de son appréciation."[13]

[= "Each jury member, on an 'ad hoc' report, gives marks from 1 to 10 in ascending order of appreciation to each of the songs presented."]

This means that all fourteen songs were ranked by each juror from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest mark, 1 the lowest, and with several songs having the possibility of getting a "10 point"-mark by each juror, for example.

"No trophy" record for Lys Assia

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"Lys Assia holds the record of being the only winner without a trophy."[11] [translation]

Wrong because:

While it seems to be true that she didn't receive a trophy after her victory, other winning artists share the same fate. In 1957, a medaillion was awarded to the composer but not to the artist (press documents explicitly stated that it was not for the artist).[29]

Winning songwriters finding out about victory

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"Neither of the [winning] composers was present at the contest, and they didn't find out about their victory until the following day. Apparently on the evening of the contest they were a long way from Lugano having a meal with their friends."[30]

Probably not exactly true because:

An interview with the winning songwriters Géo Voumard and Émile Gardaz published in the Swiss listings magazine Radio Je vois tout after the victory asks the question where they had been the night of the final:

"Nous étions invités à Lugano, mais pour tout vous dire, nous étions si peu confiants dans notre succès que, le soir des finales, nous n'avons ni écouté la radio, ni regardé la télévision ! Nous étions dans la campagne, avec des amis de Radio-Lausanne, sans plus penser au Grand Prix européen de la chanson ! Et ce sont nos parents qui, par téléphone, nous ont appris notre succès. Peu après, nous étions interviewés en direct par Lugano !"[31]

[= "We were invited in Lugano but honestly, we were not confident of our success so that, the night of the finals, we neither listened to the radio nor watched television! We were in the countryside with friends from Radio Lausanne, not thinking anymore of the Grand Prix européen de la chanson! And it was our parents who, by phone, informed us of our success. Shortly after, we were interviewed live on air by Lugano!"]

While it seems to be true that the songwriters were not in Lugano but far away with friends, the passage mentioning the quick succession of being phoned by their parents and then interviewed live by Radio Monte Ceneri suggests that they found out about their victory the same night.

Claimed broadcasts

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  • 1956 was not televised, only broadcast on the radio[32] => Wrong: The show appears in TV listings of the participating countries and there are reports of it being broadcast on TV the days after.[33][34][35][36]
  • Germany: live on radio BR[37] => Wrong: not programmed on either BR1 or BR2 for that day.[38]

National finals and preselections

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1956 Germany

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Lys Assia sang the song "Ein kleiner gold'ner Ring" in the national final.[39][40][41]

Wrong because:

She competed with this song in the German Schlager Festival of 1961 [de].[42]

1957 Belgium

[edit]

The Belgian entry was selected by a jury of 11 members.[43]

Probably wrong because:

Contemporary sources say it consisted of ten members and name all ten members: Nic Bal [nl], Francis Bay, Robert Bosmans (Charles Bens), Bob Boon [nl], Léonce Gras [nl], Jack Kluger, Albert Rollewagen, Paul Van Dessel [nl] and Renaat Verbruggen [nl], with Marcel Poot acting as jury president.[44] According to André Vermeulen, Charles Bens was replaced by Gerd Mertens for the final decision between the last three songs.[45]

1957 Germany

[edit]

Burandt gives different matches singer - composer for the national final, plus an additional song sung by Margot Hielscher:

National final – 17 February 1957[46]
Artist Song Composer
Paul Kuhn Lotar Olias
Illo Schieder [de] Friedrich Meyer [de]
Margot Hielscher "Telefon, Telefon" Friedrich Meyer [de]
Renée Franke [de] Karl Götz [de]
Margot Hielscher Willy Mattes [de]

NDR's Eurovision website also pretends Margot Hielscher sang two songs.[47] This contradicts the matches singer - composer and also the number of four entries given by the ARD press service ahead of the national final.[48] The number of four entries was also mentioned in a press report after the national final.[49]

References

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  1. ^ Breitinger, Matthias (2016). Europe - 12 Points! : die Geschichte des Eurovision Song Contest (in German). Hamburg: Atlantik. p. 15. ISBN 978-3-455-75017-1. OCLC 932028067.
  2. ^ a b c "Eurovision Song Contest: History by events". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Richard, Jean-Marc; Clapasson, Mary; Tanner, Nicolas (2017). La Saga Eurovision (in French). Lausanne: Favre. p. 23. ISBN 978-2-8289-1549-0. OCLC 1029450594.
  4. ^ Eurovision Song Contest 2016 (grand final) (Television production). Sveriges Television. 14 May 2016. Event occurs at 09:30 min.
  5. ^ Gambaccini, Paul; Rice, Jonathan; Brown, Tony (1999). The Complete Eurovision Song Contest Companion 1999. London: Pavilion Books Unlimited. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-86205-243-7. OCLC 60223350.
  6. ^ Galopim, Nuno (2018). Eurovisão : dos ABBA a Salvador Sobral : canções que contam a história da Europa (in Portuguese). Lisboa: A Esfera dos Livros. p. 79. ISBN 978-989-626-854-1. OCLC 1080946377.
  7. ^ Moser, Heinz (1999). Twelve points : Grand Prix Eurovision - Analyse einer Fankultur (in German). Zürich: Pestalozzianum. p. 16. ISBN 3-907526-55-4. OCLC 611224368.
  8. ^ Raykoff, Ivan; Tobin, Robert Deam (2007). "Introduction". A Song for Europe : Popular Music and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest. Aldershot: Ashgate. p. xvii. ISBN 978-0-7546-5879-5. OCLC 1082243089.
  9. ^ Vuletic, Dean (2023). "The Grand Tour: the origins of the Eurovision Song Contest as a cultural phenomenon". In Dubin, Adam; Vuletic, Dean; Obregón, Antonio (eds.). The Eurovision Song Contest as a cultural phenomenon : from concert halls to the halls of academia. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 8. doi:10.4324/9781003188933-2. ISBN 978-1-03-203774-5. OCLC 1296690839.
  10. ^ EBU. "Lugano 1956". eurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 23 May 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  11. ^ a b Ayllón, Juan Luis; Alfageme, José Mária M.; Bravo, José Mária; Escudero, Victor (2004). Eurovisión, un fenómeno paranormal (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Pinto (Madrid): Editorial AlfaSur. pp. 13–14. ISBN 84-95811-38-3. OCLC 1025170039.
  12. ^ Heinser, Lukas (2022). Eurovision Song Contest : populäre Irrtümer und andere Wahrheiten (in German). Essen: Klartext. p. 14. ISBN 978-3-8375-2401-7. OCLC 1304477040.
  13. ^ a b c "Règlement du Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 de la Chanson Européenne (version définitive)" [Rules of the Grand Prix of the Eurovision Song Competition 1956 (final version)] (PDF) (in French). European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2016.
  14. ^ Pihlamägi, Olavi; Gambaccini, Paul; Rice, Jonathan; Brown, Tony (2002). Eurovisioon läbi aastate (in Estonian). Tallinn: Kirilille Kirjastus. p. 9. ISBN 9985-886-68-2.
  15. ^ "La Caramellaia a Lugano". Corriere del Ticino (in Italian). 22 May 1956. p. 2. ISSN 1660-9646. OCLC 1284212173.
  16. ^ West, Chris (2017). Eurovision! : A History of Modern Europe Through the World's Greatest Song Contest. London: Melville House UK. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-9934149-9-2. OCLC 1001565785.
  17. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest: Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos. pp. 17–27, 84–90. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6. OCLC 862793988.
  18. ^ Heinser, Lukas (2022). Eurovision Song Contest : populäre Irrtümer und andere Wahrheiten (in German). Essen: Klartext. p. 15. ISBN 978-3-8375-2401-7. OCLC 1304477040.
  19. ^ Feddersen, Jan (2002). Ein Lied kann eine Brücke sein. Die deutsche und internationale Geschichte des Grand Prix Eurovision (in German). Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe. p. 16. ISBN 3-455-09350-7. OCLC 48966334.
  20. ^ Feddersen, Jan (2000). Merci, Jury! : die Geschichte des Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson : Zahlen-Daten-Stories (in German). Wien: Döcker. p. 13. ISBN 3-85115-274-3. OCLC 247421516.
  21. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos. p. 95. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6. OCLC 862793988.
  22. ^ "Jury mocht niet bij telling in Lugano". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 28 May 1956. p. 4. OCLC 643834779. Retrieved 5 November 2023 – via Delpher.
  23. ^ Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson Européenne 1956 (Television programme) (in French and Italian). Lugano, Switzerland: Radiotelevisione svizzera. 24 May 1956.
  24. ^ "Alla canzone svizzera 'Refrain' il 'Gran Premio Eurovisione 1956'" [The Grand Prix Eurovision 1956 to the Swiss song 'Refrain']. Corriere del Ticino (in Italian). 26 May 1956. p. 2. ISSN 1660-9646. OCLC 1284212173. [...] ma durante quel venti minuti che i giurati hanno dedicato alla fase conclusiva della loro deliberazioni nella sala del bridge il brioso duo del 'Rossignols' e i tre argutissimi menestrelli si sono prodotti [...] [[...] but during those twenty minutes which the jurors dedicated to the final phase of their deliberations in the Bridge room the lively duo 'Rossignols' and the three very witty menestrels performed [...]]
  25. ^ Näther, Stephan; Regauer, Ernst (1996). Grand Prix d'Eurovision und deutsche Schlagerwettbewerbe seit 1956 (in German). Vol. 2 (Supplement). Berlin: Näther & Regauer. p. GPE 1996. OCLC 642860643.
  26. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6. OCLC 862793988.
  27. ^ Wittfoht, Jörg (1998). "Die Wertung im Wandel der Zeit". In Fessmann, Milena; Topp, Kerstin; Kriegs, Wolfgang (eds.). L'Allemagne deux points : ein Kniefall vor dem Grand Prix (in German). Berlin: Ullstein. p. 144. ISBN 3-548-36205-2. OCLC 75903599.
  28. ^ Richard, Jean-Marc; Clapasson, Mary; Tanner, Nicolas (2017). La Saga Eurovision (in French). Lausanne: Favre. p. 21. ISBN 978-2-8289-1549-0. OCLC 1029450594.
  29. ^ "Internationaler Schlager- und Chansonwettbewerb". Deutsches Fernsehen. ARD-Pressedienst (in German). No. 10/57. 21 February 1957. pp. 4–5. OCLC 183304021. Das hierbei ausgewählte Lied erhält den 'Grand Prix Eurovision 1957', einen Ehrenpreis, der keine Geldzuwendung enthält und dem Komponisten – nicht dem Sänger und nicht dem Texter – zuerkannt wird. [The selected song will receive the 'Grand Prix Eurovision 1957', an honorary price, which doesn't include any monetary grant, and which is awarded to the composer – not to the singer and not to the lyricist.]
  30. ^ Roxburgh, Gordon (2012). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest: Volume One: The 1950s and 1960s. Prestatyn: Telos. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-84583-065-6. OCLC 862793988.
  31. ^ "Géo Voumard et Emile Gardaz, lauréats du Grand Prix européen de la chanson, nous déclarent...". Radio Je vois tout. Vol. 34, no. 22. 31 May 1956. p. 997.
  32. ^ Dreyer, Clemens; Triebel, Claas (2011). Ein bisschen Wahnsinn : wirklich alles zum Eurovision Song Contest (in German). München: Kunstmann. p. 161. ISBN 978-3-88897-715-2. OCLC 711826454.
  33. ^ "Wegwijs in de Aether" [Find your way around the aether]. Limburgsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 23 May 1956. p. 9. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  34. ^ "I programmi della tv" [TV programmes]. La Stampa. 23 May 1956. p. 4. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  35. ^ "T.V. van gisteren: Refrain d'Amour". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 25 May 1956. p. 9. OCLC 643834779. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  36. ^ "'Refrain', presentata dalla Svizzera ha vinto il Gr. Premio Eurovisione 1956". Il Tempo (in Italian). 25 May 1956. p. 7. OCLC 1367961551.
  37. ^ Näther, Stephan; Regauer, Ernst (1996). Grand Prix d'Eurovision und deutsche Schlagerwettbewerbe seit 1956 (in German). Vol. 2 (Supplement). Berlin: Näther & Regauer. p. GPE 1956.
  38. ^ "Do. 24. Mai". Bild + Funk (in German). No. 21/1956. 20 May 1956. p. 43. OCLC 643528928.
  39. ^ Burandt, Holger (1999). Der Weg zum Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson. Die deutschen Vorentscheidungen von 1956 - heute (in German). p. 6. ISBN 3-9804141-5-9.
  40. ^ Weissbarth, Roland (2019). Ein Lied für Europa : vom Grand Prix zum Song Contest : die Geschichte des europäischen Liederwettbewerbs von 1956 bis 2019 (in German). Berlin: Weissbarth Infotainment. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-5470-1897-0. OCLC 1237352643.
  41. ^ Baumgartner, Michael (2007). "Chanson, canzone, Schlager, and song : Switzerland's identity struggle in the Eurovision Song Contest". In Raykoff, Ivan; Tobin, Robert Deam (eds.). A Song for Europe : Popular Music and Politics in the Eurovision Song Contest. Aldershot: Ashgate. p. 43. doi:10.4324/9781315097732-4. ISBN 978-0-7546-5879-5. OCLC 1082243089.
  42. ^ Näther, Stephan; Regauer, Ernst (1996). Näther, Leonore; Kassanteires, Sisitantos (eds.). Grand Prix d'Eurovision und deutsche Schlagerwettbewerbe seit 1956 (in German). Vol. 2: Supplement. Berlin: Näther & Regauer. p. [DSW 1961]. OCLC 644076293.
  43. ^ Hendrickx, Jonathan; van Biesen, Jasper (2021). 65 jaar België op het Songfestival (in Dutch). Mechelen: Baeckens. p. 19. ISBN 978-90-5924-939-4. OCLC 1256401439.
  44. ^ "Op komst in de Televisie: Grote Eurovisiewedstrijd van het Europese lied". De radio- en televisieweek (in Dutch). Vol. 13, no. 4. 27 January 1957. p. 9. OCLC 1399842623.
  45. ^ Vermeulen, André (2021). Van Canzonissima tot Eurosong: 65 jaar Belgische preselecties voor het Eurovisiesongfestival (in Dutch). Tielt: Kritak. pp. 14–17. ISBN 978-94-0147-609-6. OCLC 1281873016.
  46. ^ Burandt, Holger (1999). Der Weg zum Grand Prix Eurovision de la Chanson. Die deutschen Vorentscheidungen von 1956 - heute (in German). Berlin: Holger Burandt. p. 7. ISBN 3-9804141-5-9.
  47. ^ NDR. "1957: Deutscher Vorentscheid in Frankfurt am Main". www.eurovision.de (in German). Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Fernseh-Quiz mit Vorentscheidung zum 'Grand Prix Eurovision 1957'". Deutsches Fernsehen. ARD-Pressedienst (in German). No. 8/57. 11 February 1957. p. 5. OCLC 183304021.
  49. ^ "Am Sonntag fiel im Funkhaus...". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). 20 February 1957. p. 7. ISSN 0940-6980. OCLC 643528928.
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