The Styrous® Viewfinder: Enrico Caruso

On February 25, opera singer Enrico Caruso was born in Naples in 1873. He was one of the first major singing talents to be commercially recorded and made 247 released recordings from 1902 to 1920, which made him an internationally popular entertainment star.

Enrico Caruso ~ Caruso Sings

45 rpm (red vinyl) back cover

photo of album cover by Styrous®

Enrico Caruso ~ Caruso Sings

45 rpm (red vinyl) side 1

photos by Styrous®

Enrico Caruso ~ Caruso Sings

45 rpm (red vinyl) side 2

photos by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Cavalleria Rusticana: Siciliana (Thy Lips Like Crimson Berries)
Composed By Mascagni*
Harp – Francis J. Lapitino

A2 - I Pagliacci: No, Pagliaccio, Non Son! (No, Punchinello, No More)
Composed By Leoncavallo*

Side 2:

B1 - Otello: Act II: Ora E Per Sempre Addio (Now Forever, Farewell)
Composed By Verdi*
B2 - Queen Of Sheba: Act II: Magiche Note (Magic Tones)
Composed By Goldmark*

B3 - Pour Un Baiser (For A Kiss)
Composed By Tosti*

Companies, etc.

Credits:

Tenor Vocals – Enrico Caruso

Notes:

Side 1 all tracks in Italian, recorded Dec. 28, 1910.

Side 2 Track 1 in Italian, recorded Dec. 28,1910.
Side 2 Track 2 in Italian, recorded Nov. 7,1909.
Side 2 Track 3 in French, recorded Nov. 6,1909.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label Side 1): E2LW-0969
    Matrix / Runout (Label SIde 2): E2LW-0970
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side 1): E2LW 0969 1S B1
    Matrix / Runout: E2LW 0970 1S A2

Enrico Caruso – Caruso Sings Five Famous Selections
Label:    RCA Victor Red Seal – ERAT 1
Format:    Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, EP, Red
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera

Viewfinder links:

Enrico Caruso

Ruggero Leoncavallo

Pietro Mascagni

Giuseppe Verdi

Net links:

YouTube links:

Styrous® ~ Monday, September 7, 2020

45 RPMs Archive
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Ruggero Leoncavallo articles/mentions

mentions:

Enrico Caruso ~ Caruso Sings 45 (red vinyl)

Ruggero Leoncavallo - 1913

photographer unknown

Music People

MAIN MENU - Blog Articles
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Pietro Mascagni articles/mentions

mentions:

Enrico Caruso ~ Caruso Sings 45 (red vinyl)

Pietro Mascagni

date & photographer unknown

Music People

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September 16, 2021

Teresa Celli articles/mentions

The Best of Enrico Caruso

Teresa Celli

date & photographer unknown

Music People

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July 3, 2021

20,000 Vinyl LPs 297: George M. Cohan ~ George M!

George M. Cohan ~ George M!

vinyl LP front cover

photo by Styrous®

What better way to salute the 4th of July, aka Independence Day (although that is slowly disappearing), than to celebrate the birthday of George M. Cohan who was born on July 3, 1878[, in Providence, Rhode Island, to Irish Catholic parents. He was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer.

He wrote the patriotic standards, Over There, The Yankee Doodle Boy and You're a Grand Old Flag, as well as the wonderfully uplifting tune, Give My Regards to Broadway.

George M. Cohan ~ George M!

vinyl LP back cover

photo by Styrous®

George M! is a musical based on the period of his life from the late 1880s until 1937 and focuses on his life and show business career from his early days in vaudeville with his parents and sister to his later success as a Broadway singer, dancer, composer, lyricist, theatre director and producer.

It was produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed and choreographed by Joe Layton. The cast featured Joel Grey as George M. Cohan, Bernadette Peters as his sister, Betty Ann Grove as his mother and Jamie Donnelly of Grease fame and Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show as his first wife.

George M. Cohan ~ George M!

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

In 1969 I saw the production when it was on tour with Joel Grey; it was pretty exciting to see it live as Grey was totally animated and perfect for the role of Cohen.

George M! program, June 26, 1969

photos by Styrous®

George M! opened at the Palace Theatre on April 10, 1968 and closed on April 26, 1969 after 433 performances and 8 previews. It did not get very good reviews.

A television adaptation, presented as a staged reading of the musical with the performers discussing Cohan's life and work between rehearsal-style song-and-dance routines, was broadcast by NBC on September 12, 1970. Grey and Peters were joined by Jack Cassidy, Nanette Fabray, Anita Gillette, and Blythe Danner.

There are some great videos of both Joel Grey from the play and James Cagney from the film, as well as Enrico Caruso taking a shot at a Cohen song and sound and video of George M. Cohan himself on YouTube (links below).

A 1942 film, Yankee Doodle Dandy, was based on his life and starred James Cagney as Cohan. It also featured Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, Richard Whorf, Irene Manning, George Tobias, Rosemary DeCamp, Jeanne Cagney, and Vera Lewis. Joan Leslie's singing voice was partially dubbed by Sally Sweetland.

James Cagney ~ Yankee Doodle Dandy - 1942

movie poster

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Overture - 3:32
Performer – Orchestra*
        -
A2a - Musical Moon - 3:59
Performer – Grove*, Dodge*
A2b - Oh, You Wonderful Boy
Performer – Peters*
        -
A3 - Musical Comedy Man - 2:03
Performer – Chorus*, Peters*, Grove*, Dodge*, Grey*

A4 - Twentieth Century Love - 2:34
Performer – Peters*, Grove*, Donnelly*, Dodge*, Grey*

A5 - My Town - 1:46
Performer – Grey*


A6a - Billie -    6:00
Performer – O'Hara*
A6b - Push Me Along In My Push Cart
Performer – Donnelly*, Baker*, Savage*
A6c - Ring To The Name Of Rose
Performer – Bell Ringers*, Peters*
A6d - Popularity
Performer – Orchestra*
        -
A7 - Give My Regards To Broadway - 4:04
Performer – Company*, Grey*

Side 2:

B1a - Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway - 4:43
Performer – Grey*, Ackerman*
B1b - So Long, Mary
Performer – Martin*, Carroll*, Evans*, Grey*, Ackerman*
B1c - Down By The Erie
Performer – Company*, Politicians*, Allen*, Batson*
Performer – Company*, Politicians*, Allen*, Batson*
        -
B2 - Mary - 1:49
Performer – Alloway*

B3 - All Our Friends - 1:49
Performer – Company*, Evans*, Grey* - 1:05

B4 - Yankee Doodle Dandy; Nellie Kelly I Love You; Harrigan; Over There; You're A Grand Old Flag - 8:23
Performer – Company*, Grey*

B5 - Finale; Yankee Doodle Dandy - 1:10
Performer – O'Hara*, Grey*

B6 - Epilogue
Performer – Company*, Grey*

Companies, etc.

Credits:

    Arranged By [Vocals] – Jay Blackton
    Directed By – Joe Layton
    Engineer – Fred Plaut, Murray Zimney
    Liner Notes – Charles Burr
    Music By, Lyrics By – George M. Cohan
    Orchestrated By – Philip J. Lang
    Producer – Thomas Z. Shepard
    Supervised By [Musical] – Laurence Rosenthal
    Vocals [Agnes Nolan] – Jill O'Hara
    Vocals [Ethel Levey] – Jamie Donnelly
    Vocals [Fay Templeton] – Jacqueline Alloway
    Vocals [George M. Cohan] – Joel Grey
    Vocals [Jerry Cohan] – Jerry Dodge
    Vocals [Josie] – Bernadette Peters
    Vocals [Nellie] – Betty Ann Grove
    Vocals [Rose] – Loni Ackerman
    Vocals [Sam Harris] – Harvey Evans

Notes:

Sleeve variation, back of sleeve bottom near # shows an Engineering credit.

Joel Grey – George M!
Label: Columbia Masterworks – KOS 3200
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1968
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Musical

Viewfinder links:

James Cagney

Enrico Caruso

George M. Cohan

Joel Grey

William Hopper

Walter Huston

Bernadette Peters

Rocky Horror articles

Net links:

Masterworks Broadway ~ George M! – Original Broadway Cast 1968

NY Times ~ George M. Cohan, 64, Dies at Home

NPR ~ The Man Who Created Broadway Was An Anthem Machine

PBS ~ George M. Cohan

Playbill ~ George M!

Songwriters Hall of Fame ~ He gave us Yankee Doodle Dandy

YouTube links:

George M! (complete show) (1 hr., 16 mins., 26 secs.)

James Cagney ~

Give My Regards To Broadway

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Enrico Caruso ~ Over There

George M. Cohan ~

George M. Cohan (sound clips)

Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (1906)

Life's A Funny Proposition After All

Over There (only Cohen studio recording)

You Won't Do Any Business (If You Haven't Got a Band

You're a Grand Old Flag (1948)

Joel Grey ~

George M. Cohan Medley, Statue of Liberty, 1986 (TV)

George M! 1974 Tony Awards (TV)

"Ladies and gentlemen, my mother thanks you,

my father thanks you, my sister thanks you,

and I thank you!"

~ George M. Cohan

Styrous® ~ Saturday, July 3, 2021

20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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March 21, 2021

20,000 vinyl LPs 279: The Student Prince, Mario Lanza & drama

Mario Lanza ~ The Student Prince "Hit Songs"- 1954

vinyl LP front cover

album cover photographer unknown

This entry of the recording of The Student Prince, without any doubt, rightfully belongs in my "Music & Mayhem" category (link below).

I have loved musicals since I was a little kid in the forties. I remember my first one, mostly because of the situation. My father wanted to take me to the fights, he was big into boxing and wrestling (link below), and my mother wanted to take me to see the Student Prince, which is technically NOT a musical, it is an operetta by Sigmund Romberg, but back then I didn't know the difference.

I actually wanted to go to the fights with my dad as I loved them. I remember the huge argument between them and my father hitting her, it is my first memory of that happening. My mother won the argument, however, so, split lip and all, off she and I went. My first recollection of the event is sitting in a plush seat that popped up when empty; it was my very first theater experience and thought that was the most fun thing EVER and kept letting the seat pop up and pushing it back down until my mom irritably told me to cool it. Looking back I think she was still sore about the fight with my dad. The next memory is the house lights dimming, the goose bumps when the orchestra tuned up (I still get them) and the giant red velvet curtain slowly opening to the most magnificent scene imaginable. Between the spectacle I saw that night on the stage and the anger toward and fear I felt of my dad, I was hooked on musicals forever!

The Student Prince was made into a film in 1954 with Mario Lanza cast in the title role with John Ericson, Louis Calhern, Edmund Gwenn, S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall and Betta St. John. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak.

S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakall & Louis Calhern

film still

During most of his film career, Lanza suffered from addictions to overeating and alcohol which had a serious effect on his health and his relationships with directors, producers and, occasionally, other cast members.

The legend goes, like Liz Taylor in the filming of Cleopatra, he had erratic weight problems during filming which made it impossible for him to fit into the costumes at times; thus, the role of the prince was recast with Edmund Purdom . . .

Edmund Purdom as The Student Prince - 1954
photographer unknown

. . . with Lanza singing the songs, which had been recorded early on during the filming, dubbed in (link below) and the film credits read, "the singing voice of Mario Lanza".

The Student Prince - 1954

lobby card

However, the real story is, there was a dispute during the filming; a disagreement with director Curtis Bernhardt over Lanza's singing of one of the songs in the film led to Lanza walking off the set. MGM refused to replace Bernhardt, and the film was subsequently made with English actor Edmund Purdom. Ann Blyth appears as the love interest for the Prince in the film; she had previously appeared as Lanza's love interest and wife in the 1951 film, The Great Caruso. A true twist of fate.

The hit songs from The Student Prince with Lanza singing was released by RCA records in 1954 with songs from other musicals included on the "B" side but subsequently released an album with only the music from the film in 1960.

Mario Lanza ~ The Student Prince - 1960

vinyl LP front cover

One of the most beautiful love songs ever written, Serenade, is sung by Lanza in the film; he also sings the very wistful, Golden Days. His stunning voice is resplendent in the rollicking drinking song, Drink, Drink, Drink (links below).

Mario Lanza - ca 1950

publicity photo

Depressed by his dismissal, and with his self-confidence severely undermined, Lanza became a virtual recluse for more than a year, frequently seeking refuge in alcoholic binges. During this period, Lanza also came very close to bankruptcy as a result of poor investment decisions by his former manager, and his lavish spending habits. And to boot, he was left owing about $250,000 in back taxes to the IRS.

In April 1959, Lanza fell ill, mainly with heart problems as well as pneumonia. On September 25, 1959, he entered the Valle Giulia clinic in Rome for the purpose of losing weight for an upcoming film. While in the clinic, he underwent a controversial weight loss program colloquially known as "the twilight sleep treatment", which required the patient to be kept immobile and sedated for prolonged periods. On October 7, Lanza died of an apparent pulmonary embolism at the age of 38.

In 1991, his son Marc Lanza died of a heart attack. He was 37, a year younger than Mario was when he died. In 1998, the daughter of Marios Lanza, Colleen Lanza, was killed by a car as she crossed a street. She spent two weeks in the hospital in a coma from which she never recovered. The son of Mario Lanza, Damon Anthony Lanza, died on August 16, 2008 in California at the age of 55.

Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper wrote that "his smile, which was as big as his voice, was matched with the habits of a tiger cub, impossible to housebreak." She adds that he was the "last of the great romantic performers".

Lanza was a fan of opera star Richard Tucker but they only met once in 1958 at the Covent Garden in London. Tucker stated that Lanza possessed “the voice of the [twentieth] century.”

Richard Tucker & Mario Lanza

Covent Garden - 1958
photographer unknown

Placido Domingo declared Lanza possessed “one of the truly great natural tenor voices of the past century – a voice of beauty, passion, and power!”

In a summary, author and astrologer Eleonora Kimmel recognized that Lanza "blazed like a meteor whose light lasts a brief moment in time".

It is a tragedy that the life of Mario Lanza rose to the dizzying heights of fame and stardom but ended in disaster.

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Orchestral Introduction

A2 - Serenade

A3 - Golden Days

A4 - Drink, Drink, Drink, words by Donnelly*

A5 - Summertime In Heidelberg, Soprano Vocals – Elizabeth Doubleday, words by Webster*, written by Nicholas Brodszky

Side 2:

A6 - Beloved, words by Paul Francis Webster

A7 - Gaudeamus Igitur, written by Traditional

A8 - Deep In My Heart, Dear, Soprano Vocals – Elizabeth Doubleday, words by Donnelly*

A9 - I’ll Walk With God, written by Nicholas Brodszky

B1 - Yours Is My Heart Alone, written by Franz Lehár

B2 - Romance, words by Walter Donaldson, written by Edgar Leslie

B3 - I’ll See You Again, written by Noel Coward*

B4 - If I Loved You, words by Oscar Hammerstein II, written by Richard Rodgers

B5 - I’ll Be Seeing You, words by Irving Kahal, written by Sammy Fain

B6 - One Night Of Love, words by Gus Kahn, written by Victor Schertzinger

Companies, etc.

    Copyright (c) – Radio Corporation Of America
    Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis

Credits:

    Conductor – Constantine Callinicos (tracks: A1 to A9), Ray Sinatra (tracks: B1 to B6), written by Sigmund Romberg (tracks: A1 to A4, A6, A8)

Notes:

Full title on sleeve: "MARIO LANZA Sings the hit songs from THE STUDENT PRINCE And other Great Musical Comedies".
Full title on vinyl label: "Songs from "The Student Prince" and other Famous Melodies".

The A-side is the songs from "The Student Prince", the B-side the other songs.
B1 from "Land Of Smiles"
B2 from "Cameo Kirby"
B3 from "Bittersweet"
B4 from "Carousel"
B5 from "Royal Palm Revue"
B6 from "One Night Of Love"

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label Side A): E4RP-8166
    Matrix / Runout (Label Side B): E4RP-8167
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side A (stamped)): E4 RP8166-18S I A3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout Side B (stamped)): E4 RP8167-12S I B2

Viewfinder links:

1940's Wrestling Wonders

Ann Blyth

Enrico Caruso

Plácido Domingo

Clark Gable

Hedda Hopper

Mario Lanza

Music & Mayhem

Angel Morales

Edmund Purdom

Sigmund Romberg