The Styrous® Viewfinder: Mario Lanza

Showing posts with label Mario Lanza. Show all posts

January 31, 2024

20,000 vinyl LPs 352: Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP front cover

photo of album cover by Styrous®

Today is the birthday of American tenor, actor, and Hollywood film star, Mario Lanza who was born on January 31, 1921.

The Great Caruso was Lanza's very best film. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Joe Pasternak who produced other Lanza films. I've published other articles about them (link below).

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP back cover

photo of album cover by Styrous®

The screenplay, by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig, was suggested by the biography Enrico Caruso His Life and Death by Dorothy Caruso, the tenor's widow. The original music was composed and arranged by Johnny Green who produced other Lanza films (link below).

The Opera Montage are Metropolitan Opera stars, notably sopranos Teresa Celli, Lucine Amara and Marina Koshetz, mezzo-soprano Blanche Thebom, baritone Giuseppe Valdengo and bass Nicola Moscona.

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

Ann Blyth portrayed the Wife of Caruso.

Several of the characters and incidents portrayed in the movie are fictional. Because of this, members of the Caruso family in Italy successfully sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for monetary damages, and the studio was temporarily ordered to withdraw the film from exhibition in Italy.

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

The Great Caruso was a massive commercial success and the most profitable film for MGM in 1951. It set a record gross at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, grossing $1,390,943 in ten weeks. According to MGM records, it made $4,309,000 in theatrical rentals in the US and Canada and $4,960,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $3,977,000. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards; at the 24th Academy Awards ceremony, Douglas Shearer and the MGM Studio Sound Department won for Best Sound and it was nominated for three Academy Awards; costume design and score.

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP back cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

The Great Caruso record album (not an actual film soundtrack) was issued by RCA Victor on the LP, 45 and 78 RPM formats. The album featured eight popular tenor opera arias (four of which were heard in the film) sung by Lanza, accompanied by Constantine Callinicos conducting the RCA Victor Orchestra. The album sold 100,000 copies before the film premiered and later became the first operatic LP to sell one million copies. After its original 1951 release, the album remained continuously available on LP until the late 1980s and was reissued on compact disc by RCA Victor in 1989.

The Great Caruso movie poster

The Great Caruso lobby card

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP front cover detail

detail photo by Styrous®

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP side 1

photos by Styrous®

Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

vinyl LP side 2

photos by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

    Verdi: Rigoletto
A1 - Act I: Questa O Quella (The One Is As Fair As The Other), Composed By – Verdi*


A2 - Act II: La Donna È Mobile (Woman Is Fickle), Composed By – Verdi*


A3 - Act III: Parmi Veder Le Lagrime (Art Thou Weeping?), Composed By – Verdi*


   Puccini: Tosca
A4 - Act I: Recondita Armonia (Strange Harmony Of Contrasts), Composed By – Puccini*

Side 2:

B1 - Act III: E Lucevan Le Stelle (The Stars Were Brightly Shining), Composed By – Puccini*


   Donizetti: L'Elisir D'Amore
B2 - Act II: Una Furtiva Lagrima (A Furtive Tear), Composed By – Donizetti*


   Ponchielli: La Gioconda
B3 - Act II: Cielo E Mar! (Heaven And Ocean), Composed By – Ponchielli*


   Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
B4 - Act II: Vesti La Giubba (On With The Play), Composed By – Leoncavallo*

Companies, etc.

    Pressed By – RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis

Credits:

    Conductor – Constantine Callinicos
    Orchestra – RCA Victor Orchestra*
    Sleeve Notes – Mari Yanofsky
    Tenor Vocals – Mario Lanza

Notes:

Front cover:
Printed in U.S.A.

Back cover:
Printed in U.S.A.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Label side A): E0-LRC-4040
    Matrix / Runout (Label side B): E0-LRC-4041
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A): E0 LRC 4040 12S I B1F L
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B): E0 LRC 4041 9S I C1D L
    Other (Front Cover): Form 2S-4212
    Other (Back cover): Form 2S4411

Mario Lanza ‎– The Great Caruso
Label: RCA Victor Red Seal ‎– LM-1127, RCA Victor Red Seal ‎– LM 1127
Format: Vinyl, LP, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1950
Genre: Classical
Style: Vocal, Classical

Viewfinder links:

Ann Blyth

Peter Brocco

Kirsten Flagstad

Mario Lanzo

Joe Pasternak

Net links:

YouTube links:

Enrico Caruso -

Una Furtiva Lagrima (1904)

E lucevan le stelle (1904)

O Sole Mio (1916)

Enrico Caruso film restored after 100 years

Mario Lanza: Bringing Opera To The Masses (42 mins.)

Mario Lanza The American Caruso (1 hr., 6 mins.)

Mario Lanza's Rome funerals in color

The Mario Lanza Story ~ BBC Radio 2 Broadcasts - October 2009

The Best Opera And More Mario Lanza

The Great Caruso ~

Trailer

Credits & Opening

Complete film

Deleted & Extended Sequences

Aida ~ O terra, addio

Ave Maria

Because

Che Gelida Manina

Celeste Aida

La Danza

La Donna E Mobile

Granada

St. Joan of Arc ~ I'll Walk With God

The Lord's Prayer

The Loveliest Night of The Year

Lucia di Lammermoor ~ Sextet

Marta Finale

Nessun dorma

Torna a Surriento

Vesti La Giubba

Kathryn Grayson ~When You Are In Love

Mario Lanza & Kathryn Grayson ~ Madame Butterfly

Styrous® ~ Wednesday, January 31, 2024

20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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Doris Day - Love Me or Leave Me
Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

Joe Pasternak - 1957

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Mario Lanza ~ The Great Caruso

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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