Luciano Pavarotti is often credited with being the opera singer who popularized classical music by singing popular songs and collaborating with pop singers. However, years earlier, another tenor brought opera music to the general public. He sang in movie musicals, made best-selling records, and performed on stage as an opera singer. His name was Mario Lanza, who was known as the “next Caruso” before his early death at 38 in 1959.
Operatic Stories
In “That Midnight Kiss,” Abigail Budell (Ethel Barrymore), a wealthy patron of the arts, is starting an opera company in Philadelphia because she herself wanted to be an opera singer, but her mother wouldn’t let her. Now she wants to help her granddaughter, Prudence (Kathryn Grayson), become the opera star she never was.Prudence hears a truck driver’s beautiful tenor voice as he makes a delivery at her house, and sets up an audition for Johnny Donnetti (Mario Lanza). Johnny proves to be a talented, well-trained singer, so the Budell’s opera company hires him. As they train together, he and Prudence begin to fall in love. However, their relationship on and off stage sours when Prudence hears that he is practically engaged to Mary (Marjorie Reynolds).
In “The Toast of New Orleans,” Suzette Micheline (Grayson) is the prima donna at the New Orleans Opera. She and her manager, impresario Jacques Riboudeaux (David Niven), visit a rural Cajun fishing village where she is to sing at a festival. There, they meet cocky fisherman Pepe Duvalle (Lanza), who loves to sing, dance, and flirt with the girls. He takes immediate notice of Suzette. Duvalle’s beautiful voice impresses Riboudeaux , who invites Duvalle to come to New Orleans to appear in the opera.
Duvalle is shocked to learn that there’s more to being an opera singer than singing. Although he excels at the musical training, the free-spirited young man rebels against lessons in the social graces. When he arranges for Suzette to be his teacher, the romance develops as Micheline teaches him to be a high-society gentleman.
Art Imitates Life
Both movies included aspects of Lanza’s real life and character. As the truck driver in “That Midnight Kiss,” his cinematic opera career was delayed by his serving in World War II. Lanza was a Philadelphian of Italian heritage who drove a truck and was just starting his opera career when he joined the army. The film also highlighted his rich Italian heritage, since the Donnettis own an Italian restaurant.Both films were directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Joe Pasternak, one of MGM’s top musical producers. It was only natural that Pasternak would produce Lanza’s first two movies, since the producer had made many classical singers and musicians into movie stars. Some of Lanza’s best onscreen opera performances are in these first two movies.
Musical Masterpieces
There are some wonderful musical moments in both these movies. In “That Midnight Kiss,” Mario Lanza sings famous tenor arias, such as “A Furtive Tear” ("Una furtiva lagrima”) from “The Elixir of Love” (“L’elisir d’amore”) and “Heavenly Aida” (“Celeste Aida”) from “Aida.” Kathryn Grayson begins a hilariously nervous rendition of Verdi’s famous “Dear Name” ("Caro nome”) as an audition piece for Jose Iturbi.Besides the singers, this movie has the very talented Jose Iturbi on piano and conducting in what would be his last film. He even plays a piano duet with his sister, Amparo. After making seven films for Joe Pasternak at MGM, he realized that his Hollywood career was undermining his formal musical reputation.
“The Toast of New Orleans” is also a musical masterpiece. Kathryn Grayson sings two glittering coloratura arias, “Oh, light of this soul” (“O luce di quest’anima”) and “I am Titania” (“Je suis Titania”). Mario Lanza sings Don Jose’s intense aria from “Carmen.” They sing the memorable drinking song from “La Traviata” as a duet at a gala. We hear them both singing snippets of many other arias in an overview of rehearsals.
The score also featured three original songs, most notably “Be My Love,” a fantastic impromptu duet at their first meeting. Of course, the movie’s musical climax is the Act I finale of “Madame Butterfly,” performed in the movie’s last scene. Their voices blend beautifully on this extremely difficult music, and the romantic tension is triple-layered, between Lanza as Pinkerton and Grayson as Cio-Cio-San, the characters in “Madame Butterfly.”
If you’re an opera fan, Mario Lanza’s movies are a valuable opportunity to see his dynamic performance up close. Kathryn Grayson is an ideal leading lady for him, since she match his classical technique while providing excellent dramatic tension. If you aren’t an opera fan yet, these movies may just win you over.
