VivirLatino

VLMIL Candidate #18: Don Francisco

07:26 H | Topics: Celebrities - Polls2006 - TV - VivirLatino

Name: Mario Kreutzberger

Age: 65
Occupation: Television host

Place of Residence: Miami, Florida

Bio: From Wikipedia: "Don Francisco (Born on December 28, 1940 in Talca, Chile) is the artistic name of Mario Kreutzberger, a Chilean television host. He was born into a Chilean-German Jewish family; his parents had fled to Chile escaping from Nazi persecution. Back in Chile, where TV was just beginning, Don Francisco started a TV show in 1962, and he named it Sábados Gigantes. In it, he adapted many of the formulas he had seen in American TV to the Chilean public. The show became an instant hit that has lasted 40 years. In 1985, the show began to be produced in Miami, Florida, with the same formula used in Chile, with the slightly different name of Sábado Gigante. Don Francisco immediately became a household name among Latino families across the United States, and in the following five years, television networks from all over Latin America started buying the show. Spain also became a show customer during that period, and with that, 99 percent of the world's Spanish-speaking people knew who Don Francisco was."

Why he's loved: Admit it or not, most Latinos have seen
Sabado Gigante to watch the celebs perform, the scantally clad models, the cheesy commercials, or el chaqual trumpet horrible singers off stage. Some people actually find Don Francisco, funny, riveting even, with his latest Don Francisco Presenta midweek interview show. In Chile, thousands flock to see him and all households and all television stations support his Teleton, a Jerry Lewis like telethon for children with developmental and physical challenges.

Why he's hated: His show can be considered the epitomy of cheese complete with lame jokes and lamer commercials which the whole audience literally does a song and dance about. In Chile rumores abounded about him being a viejo sucio and in 1992 one of the models from his show formally accused him of sexual harassment. His show can also be considered sexist, featuing models in the smallest outfits I have ever seen.

Why he's influential: Every celeb wants to be on Don Francisco. He has a huge audience , has been going strong for 40 plus years with no plans on letting up. In fact his empire is expanding. Don Francisco has two shows on Univision and his daughter hosts the Chilean version of the show. No chaqual is gonna get this man off stage.

VOTE for Don Francisco as VL's Most Influential Latino 2006.

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