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Films
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That Midnight Kiss

"That Midnight Kiss" was Mario's first film for MGM 1949. Cast:- Kathryn Grayson, Jose Iturbi, Ethel Barrymore, Keenan Wynn, J.Carrol Naish, Jules Munshin, Thomas Gomez, and Marjorie Reynolds.

Director:- Norman Taurog. Producer:- Joe Pasternak.
Screenplay:- Bruce Manning and Tamara Hovey.
Musical Director:- Charles Previn.
Running Time 98minutes, Filmed in Technicolor.

A romantic type of very coincidental plot, but a perfect vehicle to introduce Mario Lanza to the public, as numbers include, "Mama mia che vo sape", "Una furtiva lagrima", "Celeste Aida", "They didn't believe me" duet with Kathryn Grayson, also a new song "I Know I Know I Know" written for the film. Very enjoyable and easy to watch for the comedy parts and the music, also the scene that introduces Mario Lanza is a masterpiece, because at first you hear the voice singing "Mama mia che vo sape" then the camera pans to Mario at the piano, the effect is quite unique.

The Toast of New Orleans

"The Toast of New Orleans" MGM 1950
Starring Kathryn Grayson, David Niven, J.Carrol Naish, Richard Hageman, and Rita Moreno.

Director:- Norman Taurog.
Producer:- Joe Pasternak.
Screenplay:- Sy Gomberg & George Wells.
Musical Directors:- George Stoll & Johnny Green.
Running Time:- 97 minutes, Technicolor.

The Toast of New Orleans is a real fun Mario movie, throughout the whole film he is completely relaxed and looks like he is enjoying himself, Kathryn Grayson is a very good support, the interplay between them looks easy going and at one stage in the dance scene you catch a slight glimpse of her laughing under her wide brimmed hat when she should be looking very annoyed, Rita Moreno as Tina is a very good foil between Mario and Richard Hageman as Pierre. The plot concerns a singing Bayou fisherman and his uncle who share a boat, the boat becomes wrecked in a storm, and as they need money fast, fisherman (Mario) decides he will take up the offer made earlier by enterprenaur (Niven) to sing in the opera get rich quick and buy a new boat, of course it does not happen that way, and the love angle between tenor and soprano is the basis for the rest of the movie, boy meets girl they realise they are made for each other, fall in love, fall out, due to circumstances get back together again. The End. lots of good singing, light songs "Be my love" "I'll never love you" the enchanting "Bayou lullaby" and some good opera the "Butterfly Duet" at the end is paticularly good. An all round good light movie, good singing, good comedy, and good to watch no matter how many times you have seen it.

The Great Caruso

Cast:- Ann Blyth, Dorothy Kirsten, Jarmila Novotna, Carl Benton Reid, Eduard Franz, Richard Hageman, Ludwig Donath, Alan Napier.

Director:- Richard Thorpe.
Producer:- Joe Pasternak.
Screenplay:- Sonya Levien & William Ludwig.
Musical Directors:- Johnny Green & Peter Herman Adler.
Running time:- 109 minutes; Technicolor.

"The Great Caruso" 1951, what can you say about this film that has not already been said. Mario Lanza's greatest movie role, both singing and acting, he studied the mannerisms of Caruso, he read everything that he could lay his hands on, for the time the movie was being made he became Caruso. The singing is magnificent, the voice is controlled and he is completely in command of every note. The story line was to be based on Dorothy Caruso's biography of her husband, although that was the original concept, the Hollywood scriptwriters had other ideas and produced an entirely fictional story in the finish, they also left out a lot of very interesting aspects of Caruso's life and work, but the movie gives us an insight into the era of Caruso, and some idea of the respect in which he was held not only by the adoring public, but also by his fellow artists.

Because You're Mine

Because You're Mine (1952)
Cast:- Doretta Morrow, James Whitmore, Paula Corday, Jeff Donnell, Spring Byington.

Director:- Alexander Hall
Producer:- Joe Pasternak
Screenplay:- Leonard Spiegelgass & Karl Tunberg
Musical Director:- Johnny Green
Running time:- 103 minutes, Technicolor

This movie was a thinly disguised semi biographical plot of an opera singer who is inducted into the US army, he gets involved with an opera loving sergeant who happens to have a sister who sings, the sergeant sees an opportunity for his sister to get a break into the big time, after a few misadventures said opera singer gets together with the sergeants sister, and supposedly they live happily ever after. The plot is very flimsy and makes for a very lightweight movie, but the songs and arias are what makes it entertaining, the church scene gives us a very emotional and powerful rendition of "The Lords Prayer", other gems from this film include "The song the angels sing" which is sung as only Mario could sing it, he puts so much feeling into it that it is a perfect example of what Mario could do with an ordinary song, "Granada" has to be the best this song has ever been sung, also the signature tune "Because you're mine" was nominated for an academy award in the "Best song" category, also some very good operatic singing with the "Addio, addio" duet and "Questa O' Quella" from Rigoletto, also "O Paradiso" from L'Africana. Very worthwhile for the singing from Mario, Paula Corday and Doretta Morrow, but dont expect too much of a storyline.

The Student Prince

"The Student Prince" MGM 1954
Cast:- John Ericson, Louis Calhern, Edmund Gwenn, S.Z. Sakall, Betta St John, John Williams, Evelyn Varden.

Screenplay:- William Ludwig & Sonya Levien.
Music by Sigmund Romberg.
Director:- Richard Thorpe.
Producer:- Joe Pasternak.
Running time 83 minutes, colour by Ansco.

This movie starred Edmund Purdom and Ann Blyth and featured the singing voice of Mario Lanza. This was the film that was to bring to a head all of the underlying tension that existed between Mario and the studio bosses, the story is to involved to elaborate on here, but it has been told in detail in a number of biographies which are available (see list in biography section) This movie is exceptionally good, particularly when you realise that Edmund Purdom is miming to Mario's voice, and he does it very very well, in fact you cannot tell that it is not Edmund singing, Ann Blyth is a real treat she looks lovely as always. The story is basically of a Prussian style prince who makes a real hash of his betroval party, and causes friction not only between himself and the princess who he is to marry but also between his father the King and her mother, so he gets sent to Heidleberg University to learn warmth and charm, the rest of the plot is fairly involved and really too long to explain here. The singing is absolutely magnificent every song is an absolute gem, it is very difficult to pick out any one in particular, but "Serenade" is marvelous with the background scene of the river Neckar and the trees in blossom is indicative of the quality of this film, also the scene after the duel with the Prince and Kathy in the woods with the morning mist sing the duet "Deep in my heart dear" the Prince and his tutor on the train where Prince Karl sings "Golden Days" are all marvelous scenes. The singing from Mario in this movie is magnificent, every number is perfection, even more so when it is realised that it was all done, every item in one take. A musical masterpiece.

Serenade

"Serenade" Warner Bros (1956)
Cast:- Mario Lanza, Joan Fontaine, Vincent Price, Sarita Montiel, Vincent Edwards.
Director of photography:- J.Peverell Marley
Edited by:- William Ziegler.
Original songs "Serenade" and "My Destiny"
Music by:- Nicholas Brodszky.Lyrics by:- Sam Cahn.
Screenplay:- Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts & John Twist.
Produced by:- Henry Blanke.
Directed by:- Anthony Mann.
Running time 117minutes. Colour by WarnerColor.

"Serenade" is based loosely on the novel of the same name by James M. Cain, it was Mario's first film after the row with MGM, and the embargo placed on him by the courts, due to clauses in his contract, which effectively stopped him from performing in any media for almost 2 years. I consider this to be one of his best films, although some criticize that Mario is somewhat tense during the film, this may be so, but when you consider that he had not worked for nearly 2 years and this was virtually a comeback film, it is to his credit that his acting is very good, particularly as he had not ventured into anything like a dramatic situation film before, the singing is strong and precise, he sings the dramatic "Dio ti Giocondi" duet from Verdi's "Otello" with Licia Albanese, and also the following aria "Dio mi potevi scagliar" this is dramatic singing at its best, listen to the duet and when he accuses Desdemona of being unfaithful listen to the sheer drama and emotion in his voice, I have never heard any other tenor put this much feeling into this passage. The story is quite long and involved and includes two emotional involvements between Mario and Joan Fontaine and also Sarita Montiel, basically it is about a farm worker with a voice who through his agent gets a start in a cafe that is famous for giving promising artists a start to their careers, he is discovered by Joan Fontaine and enterprenaur Vincent Price, and given a chance at the big time, where he becomes famous until he walks out halfway through a performance of "Otello", he leaves America and ends up in Mexico where he auditions for a part but fails, and believes that he has lost his voice, he collapses in his hotel room and is rescued by Juanna (Sarita Montiel) who nurses him back to health, there is a fantastic scene in the church where he kneels next to Juanna and sings "Ave Maria", he marries Juanna and they leave and go back to America where through the auspices of Vincent Price he gets another chance at the opera and once again makes good. This is a very short precis of the plot, as space does not permit the full story, it is a very good film from Mario and also from the supporting cast, there is some really great singing, in fact some of Mario's best, he tackles some items like the "Otello" arias and duets that he had not attempted on film before. Recomended for a film where Mario shows his dramatic talents both in singing and acting.

The Seven Hills of Rome

"The Seven Hills of Rome"(1957)MGM/Titanus
Director:-Roy Rowland
Producer:-Lester Welch
Screenplay:-Art Cohn & Giorgio Prosperi
Musical Director:-George Stoll
Running Time:-104mins, Technirama
Cast:- Mario Lanza, Renato Rascel, Marisa Allasio, Peggy Castle.

Mario's first film in Italy, the story is almost biographical it concerns an American tenor who arrives in Europe penniless looking for his girlfriend (Peggy Castle) who he has followed to Italy after she leaves him due to a quarrel, he has to find a job in Italy where the main export is tenors, but through the auspices of his cousin (Renato Rascel) he eventually finds employment though not the kind that he is used to.
He does make good in the end after a few adventures and mishaps along the way, he even ends up with the girl (Marisa Allasio) lucky Mario (see picture)
After Serenade this is a very lightweight movie with a very easy going plot, some of the highlights are Mario's imitation sequence a helicopter tour of Rome and a stroll through St Peters square at the Vatican, there are some good songs and some not so good, all in all it is an easy and very relaxing film to watch.

For the first time

"For the first time" (1959) MGM/Corona Orion
Director:- Rudolph Mate
Producer:- Alexander Gruter
Screenplay:- Andrew Solt
Musical Director:- George Stoll
Running time:- 97minutes, Technirama

Cast:- Mario Lanza, Johanna von Koczian, Kurt Kazner, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
"For the first time" was sadly for the last time, this film has a lot of very good singing from Mario, the title song "Come prima" is very well done wth a lot of feeling, the opera offerings are exeptional "Aida grand march", "Niun mi tema" from Otello, and the beatifully sung "Vesti la giubba", of the popular songs "O mon amour" is a Lanza classic, this film also includes what must surely be the worst song Mario ever recorded "Pineapple picker", I can only think that he wanted to include a beaty type of song for the emerging rock era. The film itself is very entertaining and includes some very good scenery of various European opera venues Rome, Vienna, Paris, as Tony Costa (Mario) tours the major European cities in search of a doctor to operate on the deaf Christa (Johanna von Koczian) all the while being pursued by the Contessa (Zsa Zsa Gabor), the story is once again very flimsy and not up to the standard of storyline that should have been given to Mario, and certainly not up to the standard of earlier presentations, that aside the film is good to watch and enjoyable for the singing and the interplay with the three main characters.

For further information or comment please email Michael Davis