70 years ago: the first Eurovision Song Contest in Lugano

The first Eurovision Song Contest, then called Eurofestival in Italy, was held on May 24, 1956, at the Teatro Kursaal in Lugano, Switzerland, exactly 70 years ago. Only seven countries participated: Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, each performing two songs. The winner was Swiss Lys Assia with "Refrain"; she forgot the lyrics when asked to reprise. Italy was represented by Franca Raimondi (who had just won Sanremo with "Aprite le finestre") and Tonina Torrielli (second at Sanremo with "Amami se vuoi"). England, Ireland, and Austria failed to register in time. The event was organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), founded in 1950. The idea was conceived in 1955 by an EBU committee chaired by Marcel Bezençon; Italian TV executive Sergio Pugliese proposed a music competition inspired by the Sanremo Festival. The single evening lasted about 1 hour 40 minutes, hosted by Swiss presenter Lohengrin Filipello. The first performer was Dutch singer Jetty Paerl. Performances were sober: men in tuxedos, women in evening gowns, no choreography, live orchestra. The jury consisted of two delegates per country, voting behind closed doors; no live ranking was shown. The only surviving video footage is Lys Assia's reprise; complete recordings are lost. In April, the EBU asked the public for help recovering them. The 1964 Copenhagen edition is also missing.