Legend of the "Vremya" program Aza Likhitchenko - 83: How Vysotsky's heart was broken, and a "moonshine harvester" appeared on TV

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

November 20 marks 83 years of the famous Soviet TV presenter, who is called the legend of the "Time" program, People's Artist of the RSFSR Aza Likhitchenko. In her youth, she conquered Vladimir Vysotsky himself, who persuaded her to marry him. They studied together and were going to become actors, but in the future Aza chose a different path - she became an announcer. Millions of viewers watched the Vremya program, and therefore any errors on the air were simply unacceptable. But even first-class professionals sometimes made annoying mistakes, which is why one day a “moonshine harvester” appeared in the news …

Azalia Likhitchenko could shine on the theater stage and act in films - this is what she dreamed of in her youth, and therefore entered the Moscow Art Theater School. Vladimir Vysotsky studied with her, and in his second year he began to look after her. Aza was then in love with a senior, and about Vysotsky, according to her, she "had no idea." She admits that at first she did not see a genius in him - there were a lot of talented guys on the course, almost everyone sang, and against their background he did not stand out in anything special, according to Likhitchenko.

Vysotsky's mother was sure that they had an affair, and Aza herself answered, laughing that it was he who had an affair with her, and not her with him. He often visited her, about which she told: "". Vysotsky made Aza an offer, and she refused. After that, he did not back down and decided to convince her in an original way: he took her to the artist's studio and asked him to photograph them - so that Aza could see what a beautiful couple they are. This argument did not convince her - Likhitchenko did not allow herself to be persuaded. And two months later, she learned that Vysotsky was marrying Isolde Meshkova.

Later, Aza married journalist and screenwriter Alexander Mendeleev. Interestingly, according to his script, the film "An Urgently Required Song" was shot, in which Vladimir Vysotsky starred. She herself later met with him sometimes - on television, in the WTO, in the House of Journalists. And only years later she confessed: "".

In her last year at the Moscow Art Theater School, Aza Likhitchenko saw an announcement that an announcer competition was being held in Moscow. Nowadays, the profession of "announcer" does not exist, but in the days of the USSR it was one of the most important and most responsible on television. There were thousands of applicants, but only a few were selected from among them, who first underwent training, and then began to work on TV. Aza said: "". Aza went through all the qualifying rounds, and at the end she was asked what she was doing. She replied that she was finishing the Moscow Art Theater. She was told: "". And Aza decided that in this way she was politely refused - she simply could not believe that the commission was really interested.

After graduating from the Studio School, Likhitchenko was admitted to the Sevastopol Russian Drama Theater, where she was given a role in one performance. But in the troupe of this theater, Aza remained only 25 days. One day her mother called her and said that a letter from television had come to their home address: Aza actually passed the competition, and they are waiting for her. She immediately went to the head of the theater and asked to let her go. Already 4 days after Likhitchenko's arrival, she was aired.

At first, all her fellow students turned away from her - no one could understand how it was possible to leave the theater for television. But a year later, she proved to everyone that these sacrifices were not in vain. At the end of 1959, Aza Likhitchenko became the announcer of Central Television, and in the 1970s - 1980s. she was already one of the most popular presenters of the Vremya news program. Together with Igor Kirillov, Anna Shatilova and other announcers, Aza Likhitchenko became a real TV star. Together with them, she repeatedly broadcast from Red Square.

Aza Likhitchenko's colleague Anna Shatilova spoke about her like this: “”. Among her admirers was Leonid Brezhnev himself, who constantly complimented her. Aza told how, at meetings with the audience, men often approached her and shared the same story: when the "Time" program began, their wives called them: "Go, yours is on the screen!" She received bags of letters, where marriage proposals were often sounded, and the audience sent parcels with fruit for Aza Likhitchenko to the studio's address.

Periodically, Aza Likhitchenko appeared on the screens as an actress - she starred in several films, performances, but still she considered herself primarily a speaker. The requirements for this profession were then very high - the announcer could not afford speech errors or some inaccuracies, because it was from them that the whole country learned the news every day. But incidents, of course, did happen.

Aza forever remembered her slip of the tongue, which did not go unnoticed among the audience. Once on the air she said: "". Of course, the harvester was actually self-propelled, not moonshine. Today, this reservation would probably have become a meme on social networks, but then the studio was inundated with letters and attacked with calls from viewers who sarcastically asked to share the secret of where you can buy a moonshine harvester.

Aza Likhitchenko worked as an announcer until 1993, and then this profession was abolished - announcers were replaced by journalists and TV presenters. The legend of the "Time" program has not appeared on the screens since then, she retired and devoted herself to taking care of the family. At her age, she sees significant advantages: "". It remains only to wish Aza Likhitchenko good health and many years to come!

There were many taboos in the work of the announcer, but there are exceptions to every rule: How Igor Kirillov bypassed the harsh rules of Soviet television.