''I delitti del cuoco'' (''The

Chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

's Crimes'') is an Italian

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

television series starring Bud Spencer, directed by Alessandro Capone, shot in

Ischia Ischia ( , , ) is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about from Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures approximately east to west ...

and freely inspired by the

Nero Wolfe Nero Wolfe is a brilliant, obese and eccentric fictional armchair detective created in 1934 by American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe was born in Montenegro and keeps his past murky. He lives in a luxurious brownstone on West 35th Street in Ne ...

character from the eponymous US 1981 TV series (itself adapted from novels and stories by Rex Stout). Produced by Spencer's son Giuseppe Pedersoli's Smile Productions company, the series ran for only one season in 2010 on

Canale 5 Canale 5 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel of Mediaset, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It was the first private television network to have a national coverage in Italy in 1980. On 4 December 2012, Mediaset launched Canale 5 HD, a s ...

Plot

Carlo Banci (played by Spencer), anagraphically known as Rosario, is a former

police constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

. Once retired, he decides to open a restaurant. In his new venture, Carlo is partnered with three "acquaintances" of his, who he got jailed in the past:

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

murderer Castagna, forger Margherita and

robber Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

Antonio. The grumpy but golden-hearted chef, who never lost his passion for justice and for upholding weak people's rights, collaborates indirectly to investigations of criminal cases led by his policeman adopted son Francesco. Soon, the company's routine is upset by the arrival of Elsie, a young woman who pretends she is a nun but is later revealed as an international thief and Carlo's daughter - born out of a relationship with an old crush of his in Germany, a thief as well. Elsie is forced to interrupt her thieving "activity" as she is controlled by her father; in the meantime, having realized she is a good cook, she becomes sous-chef in the restaurant and falls in love with Francesco, who is already engaged to fellow law enforcer Serenella. However, his romance with Elsie ends up as truer and more deeply felt.

Historical inaccuracy

The third episode in the series includes a deliberate historical inaccuracy. It is stated that Gabriele D'Annunzio was killed by two lovers of his, who pushed him down a third-floor balcony. D'Annunzio actually died of

intracerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into Intraparenchymal hemorrhage, the tissues of the brain, into its Intraventricular hemor ...

; however, the incident actually happened, but instead of killing the writer, it resulted in a long agony which he recovered from after several days.

Cast

* Bud Spencer: Carlo Banci * Enrico Silvestrin: Francesco Fattori *

Monica Scattini Monica Scattini (1 February 1956 – 4 February 2015) was an Italian actress. Films Scattini appeared in include ''Maniaci sentimentali'', for which she won a David di Donatello for Best Supporting Actress, and '' Lontano da dove'', for ...

: Castagna * Monica Dugo: Margherita * Lucia Ragni: Suor Croce * Giovanni Esposito: Antonio *

Eleonora Sergio Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

: Serenella *

Andrea Ferreol Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrey, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek language, Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός ...

: Gertrude Heine *

Sascha Zacharias Sascha Zacharias (born 23 February 1979 in Stockholm) is a Swedish television and film actress who developed her acting career in Italy. Biography Born in Stockholm on 23 February 1979 to Sven-Bertil Taube, an actor and singer, Ann Zacharias an a ...

: Elsie Keller *

Gigi Savoia Gigi Savoia (born 30 November 1954), also known as Luigi Savoia, is an Italian actor. Career Savoia was born in Naples. He debuted in theatre in 1980 with ''Pescatori'', written by Raffaele Viviani and directed by Mariano Rigillo. Currently he r ...

: Michele Apicella *

Sergio Solli Sergio Solli (19 November 1944 – 3 February 2023) was an Italian actor and stage director. Life and career Born in Naples, Solli was originally a hairdresser who acted in small amateur dramatics as a hobby, but his career had a turning point ...

: Gaetano Morabito

External links

* Italian television series Canale 5 original programming {{Italy-tv-prog-stub

Plot

Historical inaccuracy

Cast

See also

External links