Lanza the person

[Derek McGovern]

A friend of mine back in New Zealand (and a longstanding Lanza
admirer) recently surprised me by saying, "You know, I'm not sure that
I would have liked Lanza as a person."

This friend's rationale was that, on the basis of everything that he'd
read about Lanza (and that included all the biographies with the
exception of Mannering's first book), he'd come around to the view
that Mario was a frequently crude and physically destructive
individual whose mood swings alone would have made him extremely
difficult to be around. And although my friend didn't say so
specifically, I also had the impression that he (like quite a number
of people) didn't regard Lanza as having been particularly bright.

Then I came across this comment in an interesting article on Louis B.
Mayer & Dore Schary by another Lanza admirer (and a member of my old
Yahoo Lanza forum):

"[Lanza's] ego alone could have occupied two floors of the Thalberg
Memorial Building."

(From http://thehollywoodart.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html)

Crude? Violent? Extremely moody? Unintelligent? Egotistical? And these
are comments from people who actually love Lanza's voice!

This set me wondering: how do the members of this forum perceive Lanza
*the person*? To borrow the beloved question of one of my old English
Lit lecturers (who always delighted in applying it to the novelists we
were studying), "Would you like to have gone on holiday with him?" Or
to put it more seriously: from everything that you've seen & heard and
read of him, what is *your* impression of Lanza's personality and
character? And of his intelligence, for that matter?

I know it's hard to be objective, just as it's equally difficult (and
probably unfair) to sum up a person's character in a few sentences.
But I think it's an interesting subject that we've only ever mentioned
in passing on this forum. And without trying to influence anyone's
replies (and let me add that I certainly don't regard Lanza as a
saint!!), I'll leave you with Armando's touching description from one
man who knew a very different Mario from the one perceived by the two
people I quoted above. This is from an earlier forum that I was
involved in, and at the time Armando was replying to a question about
his interview with Lanza's janitor at the Villa Badoglio, Antonio
Fabianelli:

"[Fabianelli] was wonderful. He had nothing but kind words for Lanza
and his family. He also spoke about Mario's
grandfather who had come to stay with them at the Villa, the visit
from Mario's mother, and the love and warmth that was evident among
them all.

"He spoke about Lanza's great generosity and how he'd come back from a
recording session. Since he had been paid in cash, he would carry all
this money in a briefcase. He'd call Antonio over, grab a bunch of
notes and, without counting them, hand them over and tell him, "Go and
buy yourself a coffee."

"Antonio spoke with great affection and had tears in his eyes while
reminiscing about the time he spent working for Lanza."

A far cry from the unpleasant individual described by the likes of Dore Schary!

[Joseph Fagan]

A VERY interesting topic. From all that I have read of Lanza, I believe he had the following traits:

 

* Generous to a fault

* Very Moody

 *Very Unsure of himself, but he tried to cover his lack of confidence with braggart, egotistical acts.

 *When under the influence, mean spirited.

 *A great friend if you were on the right side, but woe is you if you got on    his bad side.

 * loyal

 * Bright ( reports that he was not very bright were dumb!)

 * A great family man

* Sometimes gullible , or too trusting

 * A true artist....even though financial problems forced him to "ok" works which he KNEW were below his standards.

* Impatient

 * Generally very warm, outgoing and charming WHEN in good moods.

 

In summary, I would enjoy him a lot as a friend as long as I knew when to "back off" during one of his down moods....the frequency of which I believe were greatly exaggerated by the media.

 

Joe Fagan

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek,
First of all thank you very much for this very interesting topic and I
want to tell my own oppinion about Mario, his personality.
Well, as I`m very deeply interested about Mario, not only his unequal,
fantastic voice, but also his whole life and he himself as a person,
so I have the feeling that I know him quite well.

A person`s character is created half way from his genes, what he gets
by his birth and later, half way from the influence of his
surroundings, his family, school-pals and later the people whom he is
happened working with.
I think that Mario`s genes, what he`s got from his ancestors, were
very strong, very nice, happy and vivid genes. As a very colourful
child, he was adored by his parents and by his whole, big family, not
only because he was the child, but because his whole, radiant,
colourful, happy beeing.
When he went to the school, he became the leader and has got great
friends there, who reminded his friends, long after his tragic death.
In this surroundings Mario thought, that friendship can only be honest
and enduring. He has a very happy, mischievous, beautiful childhood
and youth. Many great, colourful stories from his friends of this
time, told delightful stories about his time as a teenager. His was a
real Italian family, loveable, adoring, a safe basic of his life and
future. He deeply belonged to his family and friends. He was a very
open character and sincere person, the only one thing that he wanted
to keep a secret, was his affection and love for opera and his secret
desire, to became the greatest opera singer, who ever lived. Some of
his closest friends knew this secret desire of his and they went and
listened before the window of his teacher, when he was exercising with
his teacher. (The story that surely MGM found out later, that he has
never learned to sing, is absolutely not true, it is just rubbish,
like the truck driver story.) America in that time was not the land
where the people liked opere, or would be interested about any type of
classical music. So it was really exceptional, and shows his great
talent, that in this America, he was yet hypnotised by the magic and
beauty of the works of Puccini, Verdi, Donizetti, and other maestros.

When Koussewitky discovered him, it looked that he is on his way
smoothly, to became, what his great talent and desire predicted him
And then came the first point, when he was abruptly stopped in his way
to a great oper career, when he was called to the armee. I think
everyone can well understand, that he was more than unhappy with his
situation in the armee, and here was the very first time when he tried
to get out of his miserable fate, with the help of outside. But he was
strong, healthy, young and with a fabulous career before him on the
horisont.

After the armee, he was free again and started with all his great
vitalities, working of his career with help of many, f.e. Rosati,
Weedy, Leila Edwards, and of course Peter Hermann Adler, George London
and Frances Yeend, etc. Maybe these great people were his last, real
friends, who wanted to help, when they have heard his fantastic voice.
Then came his great and legendary concert in the Hollywood Bowl and
from that point on, he became surrounded with leeches, unhonest
people, who wanted to be there only, because his fame and money, not
because of his loveable, warm hearted character. And this fact, he
recognised too late. But he was still strong, healthy and willing to
keep his artistic value, fighting for it desperately. He could not
win, because the people he was fighting against, were too mighty, they
had too much power. And this was the point when he has got his very
first big slap on his face and from that, he could never really and
fully revover. Only his voice reminded as magical as it was, or even
became greater and better till the end.

From that point on, he became of course suspicious with the press and
the bussiness people altogether, and he just could not hide his
feelings against these characters.
But I think, that all of this: his happy life at the beginning and
great tragedy later, belonged him and his undying legacy, and created
that unforgettable, great singer and beloved character as he was!

Surely, it is not easy, living together with a genius, it is well
known, but it is so only, because the fire inside, which makes them
unique, as they are, is just no possible with a simple, only nice
character. That is the reason, that Mario had his problems! But all
the other greats have had their own problems too!
A very good literature critic told about the great German writer and
poet: `If we start to speak about his foults, we`ll stay here and
discussing about them, till the end of next week. But that is not the
reason we are here and talking about him and remembering him.` How
very true words about the greats.

No, Mario was not faultless, or a saint, but he was a very much human
beeing, loved and enjoyed life, loved his family, his friends. How
could he singing like he did, when he would not have had that great
feeling for life and for everything what belonging to that.
Please forgive me for my long write up, but I think, one can not make
this theme shorter.
Very much looking forward to read your oppinions about this exciting
topic.
Ciao from Susan

On 9 Aug., 08:51, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> A friend of mine back in New Zealand (and a longstanding Lanza
> admirer) recently surprised me by saying, "You know, I'm not sure that
> I would have liked Lanza as a person."
>
> This friend's rationale was that, on the basis of everything that he'd
> read about Lanza (and that included all the biographies with the
> exception of Mannering's first book), he'd come around to the view
> that Mario was a frequently crude and physically destructive
> individual whose mood swings alone would have made him extremely
> difficult to be around.  And although my friend didn't say so
> specifically, I also had the impression that he (like quite a number
> of people) didn't regard Lanza as having been particularly bright.
>
> Then I came across this comment in an interesting article on Louis B.
> Mayer & Dore Schary by another Lanza admirer (and a member of my old
> Yahoo Lanza forum):
>
> "[Lanza's] ego alone could have occupied two floors of the Thalberg
> Memorial Building."
>

> (Fromhttp://thehollywoodart.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html)

[Anita]

Yes, I would have liked to know Mario Lanza as a person, especially if
I could have heard him singing!  Listening to him sing one doesn't
have to understand the words in order to understand the message.  He
put so much passion and sensitivity into his songs.
 There are many stories about him, many of them untrue but the people
who knew him personally still had good things to say about him many
years after his death.  That wouldn't have happened if he hadn't been
a good person.  There's good and bad in everyone and unless we were in
his shoes we could never know why he may have acted badly some of the
time.
 I believe that he was intelligent but naive, ignorant and lazy in
that when he was growing up he was most probably spoilt and when
things didn't go his way after he left home he didn't know how to
handle it.  If he had had strong, caring people around him, who were
more knowledgeable about business and health matters and who he would
listen to then it's possible that he would not have had as much stress
as he did and he most probably would have lived longer.
I feel that the people at MGM and Mario were equally to blame for most
of his health problems because they insisted on his losing so much
weight but at the same time Mario had choices.  He could have chosen
to live a healthier life style and not indulged so much.  He could
have been less lazy and found out what the long term effects of such
drastic dieting were and he could have had a more active role in
planning his finances and thinking about the future for his family.
However, because of the way that he was brought up (everything being
done for him and his not having to be responsible for himself - if
what one reads is true) then I can understand how he wasn't prepared
to face the difficulties that arose and had no idea about planning for
the future.
All of that does not take away from the fact that from all accounts he
was kind, sensitive, caring, generous and a good friend and family man
as well as being such a talented entertainer.

[leeann]

Dear Derek, This is a harder question than it seems. And fun. I'd bet
your students are never bored.

But first off--what irony that Nick Zagarac would digress for a single
parenthetical, derogatory comment on Lanza's ego in the middle of an
article on two individuals whose individual egos would likely have
occupied not only two floors of the Thalberg building, but enormous
stretches of the surrounding environment. I wonder if that doesn’t
reflect the many times and ways Lanza appears to be a target of
journalists and writers during his lifetime—from the good to the
simply sensational—for reasons that seem hard to understand. It seems
as if talking about Lanza means you first have to cut through the
garbage before you can get down to business far more than with
celebrities of comparable talent who carry similar baggage with far
less public criticism or judgment.

Lanza, the person? Well, trying not to pull a Roland Bessette here and
impute the unprovable, I think--trite as it seems--like many creative
people, the qualities he needed to sing as he did warred with
practical skills that help navigate daily life in different ways and
at different points in his career.

Intelligent? I think he was both intuitively and pragmatically
knowlegeable and intelligent about his art.

Egotistical? No. At the core, quite realistic and healthy in his
assessment of his voice and its potential. But, as Joe points out,
quite insecure.

Crude? Sure, at times, but to what extent?—that’s where it’s so hard
to sort out the stories, fact and fiction, event and exaggeration. It
becomes hard to reconcile the extremes we hear about, particularly
when the sources are anecdotal and their authors have huge personal
stakes in their telling—or when the sources are unreliable press
clippings.

What I think is critical about who Lanza was, at least in his early
years—and perhaps it’s one reason why his public image is so
frequently misconstrued—is his transparency, a kind of spontaneous,
unmonitored immediacy that fed his art, his generosity, sociability,
humor--but was frequently misunderstood, misplaced, or inappropriate
in his professional relationships. But that doesn't mean he wasn't
right--but that's a whole other conversation.

Would I want him for a friend? Oh yes. Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

The following post is by Maria Luísa (who's been having technical
problems in getting her message to appear):


What a terrific idea to discuss, Derek, "Lanza the person". Without
much time to write, nevertheless I cannot let this go by without
giving my opinion. This subject is more my dominion so to speak, more
than the specifics of music or the different qualities of voices.

I am not able to accept that Mario was known by some as an
insupportable man, how could that be? All kinds of people from the
most different social extracts gave their testimonies about Mario as a
man and all those without exception said the most beautiful things
about his character: as a partner, as a friend, as a boss, as a
colleague and not less important as a loving husband and a devoted
father.

Of course Mario had his special genius (who with Latin blood hasn't?),
and it is also true that he got sometimes exalted with such person or
other who worked with him, but who wouldn't be with the busy life he
led and the worries he surely kept in his mind (especially if he knew
he was right in a certain subject) and the enormous responsibilities
he carried over his shoulders, namely the duties he had towards the
many people who worked for him to whom he had the strict obligation to
pay huge salaries each month (or week) knowing he could not fail, not
to mention the permanent care of his own big family and the many
worries that this alone contained?

How could Mario have been an insupportable man if Betty loved him
passionately and could not live without him? If that was the case,
Betty would have left him a few years after they had married. And
those servants and gardeners who worked for him either in America or
in Italy: did any of them say ever that he was a bad boss? As I have
read all of those loved him, Mario had an extremely good heart,
everyone who knew him well said that.

His bosses at the Studios, those few (one?, two?) who dared say ugly
things about his bad temper probably had worse temper themselves, some
were even irascible as, for example and just to cite one, Dore Schary
who was terrible for Mario without reason, or so said some colleagues
who worked with Mario.

Mario was a very good man: he was extremely sensitive, did good
actions frequently, as we know from honest articles written about him
but also from his close friends. Above all, Mario had the purest of
the souls. Some also said that he drank a lot. Perhaps he did but not
all the time. But then who is the actor or actress in Hollywood who
doesn't drink a lot? (Mario himself
said that he started drinking whisky (heavily?) only after going to
Hollywood, before that he said that he only drank red wine with
meals).

That he sometimes exploded with those working for him? Maybe he did,
but again he must have had good reasons for doing that. Any of us
would do exactly the same under the same circumstances he was living,
under permanent pressure at work and with the enormous money problems
he had to deal with. I don't believe a word of those critics who wrote
in various articles not very nice things about him, either as an actor
or about his singing. That was nothing more than a lot of envy of his
fantastic voice and to add to that (such great qualities in one single
man? what a sin that was!) his being so very good-looking which both
put together made those mean people burst with jealousy and envy,
because they could not stand that an "Italian" was the greatest singer
of America and simultaneously a most handsome man.

What those people could not stand also was the big success that a
simple tenor, moreover Italian... - never or difficultly recognizing
that he was one of the, if not THE, greats of his time - had had in
very a short period of time with just a few films turned famous and
some songs which records were sold by the hundred of thousands if not
millions and was adored almost instantaneously by millions of people
all over the world. This was what really made them furious and many
times go mad, nothing else.

Independently of some defects which Mario must have had, like everyone
else, he had many wonderful qualities which exceeded by far those
faults. And that alone made Mario the unique person he was.

Luísa

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lee Ann: Many thanks for your very thoughtful post.

Yes, Lanza seems to be fair game among journalists and blog-writers
when it comes to making disparaging passing remarks. Think of AP
writer Bob Thomas's much-reported recent snipe in his obituary for
Kathryn Grayson, when he made the risible claim that Lanza wasn't in
The Vagabond King film because he had "pulled one of his
characteristic no-shows."

As far as I'm concerned, Nick Zegarac's comment about Lanza's supposed
ego is either lazy reporting (what's his source? Dore Schary's dubious
comments in his autobiography?) or a fundamental misunderstanding of
the difference between raw egotism and honest self-appraisal. We're
brought up to believe that false humility is better than honesty. Yet
being a highly musical person, Mario knew that he possessed a great
vocal gift, and, as Vincent Price once pointed out, it would have been
ridiculous for him to have pretended otherwise. But evidently, many
journalists -- both then and now -- would have preferred a modest "Aw-
shucks" Lanza who downplayed his awareness of that talent.

If Lanza had been a true egotist, he would also not have suffered from
the constant self-doubt and insecurity (mostly regarding his decision
to go to Hollywood) that ultimately led him to destroy his health. MGM
conductor John Green to Armando: "[Mario] was in truth as insecure as
it is possible for a human being to be." And as Armando has pointed
out, had Lanza been a true egotist along the lines of, say, Mario del
Monaco, he would not have tormented himself over his career path, etc
-- and consequently not sought refuge in the bottle.

Was Lanza an intelligent person? Plenty of people who knew him -- from
Green to For the First Time screenwriter Andrew Solt -- insist that he
was. To Solt, who had known him both in Hollywood and towards the end
of his life, Lanza was not only "highly intelligent" and "very smart
and fast and funny," but also "a lovable person." Yet to conductor
Paul Baron, who clearly applied different criteria to assessing these
things (!), Lanza was not intelligent because "he screwed up his
career." Mind you, Baron was still nursing a grievance toward Lanza
when he made that comment.

I think it's blindingly obvious that Lanza was intelligent. While, as
Barry Nelson once pointed out, he wasn't an intellectual as such that
one might sit down with and discuss, say, Dante, there are plenty of
other ways to measure intelligence, and Lanza comes through loud and
clear in his letters and interviews as a pretty smart cookie. Most
convincingly of all, his *singing* abounds with intelligence.

While I do feel that Lanza, like all volatile, larger than life
people, would have been an exhausting person at times to have been
around -- the sympathetic John Coast certainly discovered that when he
travelled with Lanza during his 1958 recital tour! -- life would
certainly never have been dull in his presence.

Cheers
Derek

[Maria Luísa]

Thank you very much Derek.
Just a note to agree totally with your statement about Mario not being
an intellectual but surely an intelligent man. Alias Mario did not
considered himself as such. This for example was perfectly clear in
some of the words he expressed during the italian radio interview. How
could a not intelligent tenor sing the fantastic way he did and what's
more, how could a singer not be intelligent enough to record most of
his songs and arias in a single take, most of which very difficult to
sing? How could a not intelligent Mario, especially without any kind
of experience in that exacting area, act as correctly, naturally and
beautifully as can be observed in all his films? Impossible.

[Lover of Grand Voices]

I have read every book on Mario and every article I can get my hands
on, and every posting on this site. It is obvious that he was complex
but also quite simple in terms of taste and nature. He was a product
of an Italian American family and being one, I can identify with his
experiences and his view on life. I believe Mario Lanza was first and
foremost and enormously kind and generous person. He constantly went
out of his way to help others.

There are many examples noted in his bios, even those least
flattering. He loved his family and his friends and came from a world
where family, friends, country and faith were the pillars of one's
life. We need to recall that he was only 26 when he did the Hollywood
Bowl Concert which touched off his career like a rocket. He was not
prepared to deal with the white hot movie and entertainment industry
and had, unfortunately, poor representation. It was no wonder that he
had a temper, became suspicious and cynical. Any one that went
through the pressure to record, do concerts and make movies and be a
star in each catagory with little or no preparation could imagine what
could happen.

We have many examples of lives destroyed by the Hollywood meat
grinder. Lanza had to face to many challenges at the same time with
no preparation. This obviously had an impact on an essentially kind
and trusting man who was continuously disappointed by those around
him. I believe that in the last year of his life he had digested the
poor experiences of the past, had set up his priorities better, knew
what he wanted and was prepared to make the right adjustments to
achieve them.

Mario Lanza, in summary, was a good man, a fine friend, a wonderful
son, a good husband and a loving father but was not perfect. He was
tempermental and sentimental and could be firey and passionate to a
fault yet he brought these weaknesses and strengths to his art and no
one can reasonably deny that he was a truly great artist.

[leeann]

Dear Emilio, I appreciated reading your ideas. I hadn't thought
earlier about the enormous implications of the fact you point out
about how young and unprepared Lanza was at 26 years to deal with the
overwhelming giant step into his new world after the Hollywood Bowl
concert. Thanks for pointing that out.

If you ever have time, I'd also appreciate hearing your point of view
about Lanza and the implications of his Italian/Italian-American
roots--including the way he was perceived as well. I think there may
be a lot more to say about that than has been said and it was a rather
big deal in this country during Lanza's lifetime. Goodness knows,
Sinatra's life has been quite thoroughly investigated from that
standpoint! Just wondering. Thank you. Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for a very thoughtful post, Emilio.

I agree with much of what you've written here. Whatever one might want
to say (or emphasize, as several of his biographers have done) about
his faults, the bottom line is that he was a profoundly decent person.
His battle with his personal demons (and we've certainly discussed
these candidly here: http://groups.google.com/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/c12cb2c664865199)
should inspire sympathy, not scorn.

Just a couple of thoughts: Lanza was certainly brought up in the
Catholic faith, but I don't think that he was a particularly religious
person. Callinicos says quite bluntly in his book that by the end of
his life, Lanza had essentially abandoned his faith. As to whether he
"became suspicious and cynical," I would say yes to the former and no
to the latter! I think it's clear that he did go through a dark period
after the MGM bust-up in which he trusted virtually no one. Some have
described his behaviour as paranoid during this time.

But cynical, no. I don't think he ever quite lost that love of life
that he had, for all the disappointments and failures (both self-
inflicted and otherwise) that he endured, particularly in the last
seven years of his life. Look at him here, on the Berlin set of For
the First Time, and it's pretty obvious that he remained an endearing
person at heart:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8q2Avw_j_8&feature=related

Cheers
Derek

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Derek and Lee Ann, thank you.

Lanza was an optimist. This is very Italian American. At the end of
his life he was signing contracts for new movies, the premier at a
great opera house, new television shows, etc. This is not the action
of a cynic but one who expects to live and loves life. He was "
larger than life" to use a well worn cliche.' Being an Italian
American he grew up in two cultures and two societies at once. This
is hard and mentally taxing.

He loved and enjoyed his Italian roots but had to live and contend in
an America that had different values. Family is the heart of the
Italian heritage. Do you ever here about devoted family men or women
who grace the silver screen? Even in Lanza's day, when puritanism in
Hollywood was projected as an image, the reality we know was
incredibly different. Can you imagine this young man, who grew up a
Catholic, in an urban setting like Philadelphia, in a close knit
family that relished love and respect of each other being suddenly
thrust into the culture of MGM? To paraphrase Harry Truman, in
Hollywood, if you want a friend, buy a dog.

Mario was also and only child, which is rarely discussed. He was the
center of his family's universe. His self esteem at home was high.
In Hollywood self esteem is often crushed by the inability to conform
to the treacherous culture of making money by selling illusions. It
is no wonder that Mario found some peace in Italy. Here life does not
change. The past is more important than the present. Italians fight
western alienation every day. So did Mario Lanza. Remember, he was
26 when he performed at the Hollywood Bowl. How many of us could have
handled the moguls of the movie world at that age? How many of us
could have dealt with fraud, dishonesty and betrayal at that age.
Lanza faced all of this. Yes, he was hurt and hurt badly. Even so,
he was continued to work and produce even as he faced one storm after
another. He recorded and performed up to his death. This is not the
act of a cynic, a loser or a pessimist. It is the move of a winner
who knows what he wants. He was a good man, an honest man, a good
friend, a good husband and father, a responsible man and a great
performer. He had a wonderful future before him because, like the
proverbial phoenix, he rose from the ashes. If he had lived, he would
have flown to heights that others never would reach. Saluti da Roma,
Emilio

On Aug 18, 3:00 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks for a very thoughtful post, Emilio.
>
> I agree with much of what you've written here. Whatever one might want
> to say (or emphasize, as several of his biographers have done) about
> his faults, the bottom line is that he was a profoundly decent person.
> His battle with his personal demons (and we've certainly discussed

> these candidly here:http://groups.google.com/group/mariolanza/browse_thread/thread/c12cb2...)

[Derek McGovern]

Emilio has kindly supplied us with another essay, and one that
addresses the topic of this thread:

http://groups.google.com/group/mariolanza/web/mario-lanza-the-man-and-the-myth-by-emilio-iodice

Caro Emilio: If I'm to be honest with you (and I hope you won't be
offended), I found your essay a bit too hagiographic for my taste. I
think it's important to acknowledge that Mario was certainly no angel,
and that not everything bad that happened to him was the fault of
other people. Mario was a wonderful guy -- of that there's no doubt in
my mind -- but I wouldn't have wanted to be around him when he was
drinking. Or in a bad mood, for that matter!

Cheers
Derek

> ...
>
> read more »

[zsazsa]

Hi Emilio,
thank you so very much (and these words can really not express my
feeling of gratitude!) for your new, great essay, that is really a
treasure! All of his critics should read it, as it is such a realy
analyse of Mario`s life, from childhood, till his tragic death! Saluti
Mario and Saluti you also dear Emilio, you are really very much
talented, it is a joy and great feeling reading your very true and
inteligente analyse!
Thanks from my heart!
Best wishes always Susan

> ...
>
> Erfahren Sie mehr »

[Maria Luísa]

Thank you very much Emilio for your touching words about Mario Lanza.
How true you are. His character and the man himself, were, for me at
least, exactly as you described him. Nothing could be more correct
than what you wrote especially when you refer his italian ascendency
and the way (latin) catholic people live very united and educate their
owns. The italians are very much like the portuguese, couldn't be
otherwise being both latin people and our countries, geographically,
situated very near from each other. Our food, costumes, language,
etc., are very much alike.

Let us not forget the Romans were here for more than three hundred
years, many centuries before this territory became independent in
1143, where
they left, besides some nice costumes, some fantastic solid
architecture namely many bridges and aqueducts and many other
beautiful structures, most of which still remain intact. The bridges,
for example, are still used everyday by hundreds of people and cars,
can you imagine?!

It was a delight to read your essay and all you have written is
absolutely beautiful. It's a true hymn to a unique man and singer that
was Mario Lanza. If he was alive he would certainly drop a few tears
of gratitude while reading your moving essay.

No words are too much to describe the wonderful, good-hearted, honest,
charming, sincere, funny, joyful, friend of his friend, loving family
man and the greatest tenor among the greats of all time that Mario
Lanza was. Congratulations once more.

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Dear Derek

I can never be offended by what you write because of my enormous
respect and admiration for you and your incredible knowledge, your
wisdom and the great contributions you have made to be an objective,
honest and brilliant examiner of Mario Lanza and other entertainers.
I, and all our friends, owe you a debt of gratitude.

What you say about his drinking is probably accurate and we have seen
this acknowledged in book and article after article. So much has been
written that is negative about Mario that I believe it is time to
stress the positive and also put greater emphasis on the time, place
and context of where he was and who he had to deal with. Armando said
that in his bio. He was seeking the truth. Yes, the truth is not
often pretty but it has many sides. Like a mosaic, we need to look at
all the pieces and all the colors. Human beings are not perfect yet
we should seek perfection.

I am sure you and our friends have read the bios of some Hollywood
stars. I am reading one about a singer/actor who was a contemporary
of Lanza's. If you believe all the stories about him, he was a vilan
with no virtues. The stories get to the point of being unbelievable
and also not needed to cast a portrait of the artist vs dwelling so
much on the person.

In the fifties in Hollywood it was as bad, if not worse to be a rising
star or a falling star as it is today. I know I do not have to go
into the chapter, or verse,or describe the atmosphere of gossip,
betrayal, treachery and power that were synonymous with "Tinsel Town"
in that era. It brought out the best and worst of people.

Let's dwell a bit on Mario Lanza the fine person. Let's concentrate
on that side of the coin just like we concentrate on his beautiful
voice, even though we admit he was not perfect. I wish we could find
the perfect tenor, star, actor, entertainer who was a perfect person
and perfect at what they do.

My point is that good people change in some enviornments. Some are
driven to drink. Some are driven to drugs and some are driven to
depression. Some are driven to all of these and more. It affects
their art. This is sad. Yet I feel that we should stress the
qualities of kindness, resilience, determination and the ability to
come back after adversity instead of human frailties.

Returning from the grave is more important than being put there.

Thank you Derek and our friends for your kind remarks. Warm best
wishes from Rome, Emilio

On Sep 1, 2:02 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Emilio has kindly supplied us with another essay, and one that
> addresses the topic of this thread:
>

> http://groups.google.com/group/mariolanza/web/mario-lanza-the-man-and...

> ...
>
> read more »

[zsazsa]

Hi Derek,

thank you very much for your information about Mario`s singing
`Because` in Belfast. Yes, as I have heard also it was the only one
place where Mario sang this wonderful song in Europe, as Terry
mentioned in his book, that Mario sang this song in America, during
his Lanza Bonanza Tour. A nd how could someone state that he was
holding the notes during singing, if it would have been not true! I
just can immagine the reaction of the public, when they have heard his
famous and fabulous performance!
Also thanks a lot for the other very touching story from the girls who
are travelled with him for a while in England, I find this so very
typical Mario, as he liked always acting and could do it very well!
But maybe it was no acting, who knows?
All in all, thanks a lot for your great post, surely all of us, we
love to hear anecdotes about Mario from people who really met him!

Cheers Susan

On 3 Sep., 13:05, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Great post, Emilio. It wasn't that I disagreed with anything in
> particular that you'd written about Mario in your essay; it was just
> the fact that you didn't really touch on any of his demons. But that
> wasn't your motive, as you've explained very eloquently here -- and I
> respect that. And you're right that so much that's been written about
> Lanza has emphasized the negative that, yes, it *is* time to "dwell a
> bit on Mario Lanza the fine person." As Mario's good friend and agent
> Sam Steinman recalled, "He was more sinned against than sinner." And
> that's probably an understatement.
>
> On the topic of Mario the person, I've just been going through some
> old articles written between 1957 and 1960 by a group of British fans
> who followed him around during his last tour, and also visited him in
> Rome several times. There's some beautiful stuff in these articles.
> I'll leave you with a couple of excerpts.
>
> One touching moment is an account of Mario's recital at the King's
> Hall in Belfast. (Actually, Susan will be interested in this, because,
> yes, they do indeed state that Mario sang "Because", with the sheet
> music in front of him, at this recital. She'd been asking about this.)
> Lanza was rapturously received at the King's Hall, but after the
> recital he needed solitude:
>
> "Mario went into a small office. He sat on a high stool, rested his
> elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands. Someone very
> quietly closed the door and left him alone. If only we'd known what
> must have been going through his mind then."
>
> In another article, two of his young female fans discuss the occasion
> on which they visited Lanza at the Villa Badoglio. It was 7 June 1959
> (four months to the day that he died), and he was busy recording
> Caruso Favorites at the time. (They mention that they'd called in a
> few days earlier, but Mario had gone to the recording studios with
> Betty.) Lanza was in a buoyant mood, and at one point asked the girls
> if they'd like to hear his new album, "Mario!" Of course, they said
> yes. The conversation continued for some time after the album had
> started playing, and then
> suddenly, "Mario asked us if we knew the song he was singing...[I
> think they're referring to Tu Ca Nun Chiagne here]":
>
> "No, we hadn't heard it before, so leaning very close, he began to
> translate into English the meaning of the song. 'This part says he
> loves her passionately.' Mario signed deeply. 'He takes her in his
> arms and kisses her, ah-h-h!!! He says she's beautiful.' Mario rolled
> his eyes soulfully and continued: 'He says, I love you and need you.'
> He put his hand to his heart, finished translating the words and gave
> another big sigh. As this romantic song finished, another -- sadder
> one -- began to play ['Na Sera 'e Maggio, presumably], and with this,
> Mario placed his head into his hands and began to sob loudly.
>
> "At first we grinned, but -- after a while -- Mario continued to sob
> loudly, and we began to get a little worried. Was he play-acting, or
> wasn't he? At any rate, Betty rushed over and said, 'Stop it Mario!'
> and, without more ado, he looked up and shook with laughter at the
> expressions on our faces. He jumped up and began to sing 'Funiculi'
> Funicula', beating time with his feet."
>
> What do you make of that?!
>
> Cheers
> Derek

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Hello Derek, thank you for the interesting words and points especially
about Mario here in the Eternal City. I have been in Rome, living and
working, off and on for several decades. I have spoken with people
who knew, met and lived near Mario in Rome. One of his neighbors was a
teenager at the time. He said Mario was always kind, playful and
generous. He was also always working very hard on his singing and
acting. He was generous to waiters and anyone who gave him the
smallest service. Lanza gave out food, money and clothing to the
poor. He never refused a request. Match all of this with his
wonderful talent and, I believe, we have more of the positive than the
negative.

Each of us is a little like a leopard skin. Looking at it overall, it
is lovely. Yet it is filled with yellow, white and black spots.
Touch a yellow or white spot and you see warmth, courage, honesty,
etc. You see virtues. Touch a black spot and you see the darker side
that each human being carries with them, like it or not. With some
and hopefully most, as we mature the colorful spots become more than
the black ones. We become better. This is my feeling about Mario
Lanza. He got better and better as a performer a person and an artist
the longer he lived. Imagine if he had been with us for a few more
decades. Just imagine....

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Susan: My take on that story about the sobbing is that Mario was indeed living the moment. If he'd been "play acting", he wouldn't have gone on for so long.

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

Emilio wrote:

I have spoken with people
> who knew, met and lived near Mario in Rome. One of his neighbors was a
> teenager at the time.  He said Mario was always kind, playful and
> generous.  He was also always working very hard on his singing and
> acting.  

Ciao Emilio: I'd love to know what else these people that you've met
told you about Lanza. How, for example, did that teenage neighbour
know that he was working so hard on his singing? We know that Mario
was working with an operatic coach two hours a day during that last
summer, so I'm not disputing the fact -- I'm just curious, that's all!

Also, have you thought of trying to contact Ennio Morricone? I think
he lives in Rome -- he was certainly born there (and studied music at
the Academy of Santa Cecilia) -- so it might be worth a shot. I'd love
to know if he knew Lanza, and what his thoughts are on Lanza's
interpretations of the songs that he arranged for him.

Cheers
Derek

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Buona sera Derek

My friend, who was the teenage neighbor, said that the Lanzas had
constant open houses for the kids of the neighborhood. Lanza was
constantly working at this singing he said but would take breaks to
chat with them and be with his family. He told me that Mario was
always jovial and friendly but spent long hours alone in the house.
They could always hear him singing from several houses away.

I wish I could meet Ennio Morricone and ask him all about his
experience with Mario. I have not met him yet but if I do I will
probe. I believe he worked with Lanza on the "Mario" record, is that
correct? Was that the only time they worked together? Saluti
Emilio

[Derek McGovern]

Ciao Emilio: Thanks for your reply about the neighbour. Interesting!

You must have missed the recent posts on Ennio Morricone (on the Vieni
Sul Mar thread). He actually arranged songs for two Lanza albums:
"Mario!" and "Caruso Favorites." His only "dud", in my opinion, is
Funiculi' Funicula'.

The other songs he arranged include some of the highlights on both
albums: Santa Lucia Luntana, Voce 'e Notte, Passione, Canta Pe' Me, 'O
Surdato ' Nnammurato, Comme Facette Mammeta. Vieni sul Mar, Senza
Nisciuno, L'Alba Separa dalla Luce l'Ombra, and La Mia Canzone.

10 great songs, magnificently arranged. What a guy!

Cheers
Derek

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Thanks Derek. Sorry I missed those points. This is useful. I hope I
get the chance to meet him. Saluti Emilio

[Andrew Bain]

Hi Derek and everyone, sorry to have been off line so long. I have been quite busy with various things. I have enjoyed reaading this thread on Mario the person, some very interesting points of view on someone who was undoubtedly a very complex human being. I can't help but feel that if he was simpler, and less affected by the baggage of fame, money and his much discussed indulgences, he would not have sung in the way he did. His complete immersion in some of his more tragic material in my opinion must have been coloured by his dissatisfaction with some of those around him and with himself. His tendency towards excess in life to me is mirrored in his singing and I mean musical, emotional excess in the best possible way.
I think that he would have been great company, he was undoubtedly a kind, gererous, fun-loving person but I don't think there can be any doubt that he had a less pleasant side to him at times - and quite frankly who doesn't!

As to my show Derek, I was not allowed to put the video up on youtube as the club where it was staged don't allow that. However this friday I am putting it on again in West London. I have developed the show a lot and will have no such restrictions on the video this time. I just have to hope the footage I get is good, that I sing well and then master imovie to edit it!

--
Andrew Bain
www.andrew-bain.com

[zsazsa]

Hi Andrew,
thank you very much for your wonderful analyse of Mario`s personality,
it is so very true, that how could he sing as he did, if he would not
have been that colourful person as he was! And also, who could tell,
that he or she have never had such moods, that is not very nice for
others around, the one who has never had any problems and bad moods,
should throw the first stone! Isn`t it? We`ve got and always have so
much beauty and happiness from Mario, through his magical singing and
acting, etc. that we are deeply grateful to him, for he himself as he
was, not as he should have beeen, that it would be not Mario, who
gives us so much and goldening our lifes with his unique, great art!
Thank you Andrew for your great thoughts, they are very precious to
me.

Dear Andrew, very happy to hear about your Mario show this Friday,
we`ll be keeping our fringers crossed for you, your success and will
be very good to hear about the whole show as soon as possible. Very
much looking forward to see it in Youtube soon, we`ll be surely
looking and I`m sure that we`ll like it very much! Have a great
success and do hope to hear from you again soon!
All the best from Susan

On 13 Sep., 11:02, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Derek and everyone, sorry to have been off line so long. I have been
> quite busy with various things. I have enjoyed reaading this thread on Mario
> the person, some very interesting points of view on someone who was
> undoubtedly a very complex human being. I can't help but feel that if he was
> simpler, and less affected by the baggage of fame, money and his much
> discussed indulgences, he would not have sung in the way he did. His
> complete immersion in some of his more tragic material in my opinion must
> have been coloured by his dissatisfaction with some of those around him and
> with himself. His tendency towards excess in life to me is mirrored in his
> singing and I mean musical, emotional excess in the best possible way.
> I think that he would have been great company, he was undoubtedly a kind,
> gererous, fun-loving person but I don't think there can be any doubt that he
> had a less pleasant side to him at times - and quite frankly who doesn't!
>
> As to my show Derek, I was not allowed to put the video up on youtube as the
> club where it was staged don't allow that. However this friday I am putting
> it on again in West London. I have developed the show a lot and will have no
> such restrictions on the video this time. I just have to hope the footage I
> get is good, that I sing well and then master imovie to edit it!
>

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Andrew: Good to see you posting again.

I was particularly struck by your comment that Mario's "complete

immersion in some of his more tragic material in my opinion must have
been coloured by his dissatisfaction with some of those around him and

with himself." It brought to mind something that Licia Albanese once
recalled him saying to her -- to the effect that he felt that if she
knew the story of his life, she wouldn't like him. I think there's no
doubt he was dissatisfied with himself.

All the best for your concert on Friday! I'm already looking forward
to seeing the videos.

Cheers
Derek

On Sep 13, 6:02 pm, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Derek and everyone, sorry to have been off line so long. I have been
> quite busy with various things. I have enjoyed reaading this thread on Mario
> the person, some very interesting points of view on someone who was
> undoubtedly a very complex human being. I can't help but feel that if he was
> simpler, and less affected by the baggage of fame, money and his much
> discussed indulgences, he would not have sung in the way he did. His
> complete immersion in some of his more tragic material in my opinion must
> have been coloured by his dissatisfaction with some of those around him and
> with himself. His tendency towards excess in life to me is mirrored in his
> singing and I mean musical, emotional excess in the best possible way.
> I think that he would have been great company, he was undoubtedly a kind,
> gererous, fun-loving person but I don't think there can be any doubt that he
> had a less pleasant side to him at times - and quite frankly who doesn't!
>
> As to my show Derek, I was not allowed to put the video up on youtube as the
> club where it was staged don't allow that. However this friday I am putting
> it on again in West London. I have developed the show a lot and will have no
> such restrictions on the video this time. I just have to hope the footage I
> get is good, that I sing well and then master imovie to edit it!
>

[BobD]

From the English Daily Mail, Tuesday, September 21, 2010.
The death of British showbusiness writer Roderick Mann leaves only one
remaining journalistic link with the golden age oh Hollywood, Donald
Zec, who befriended Monroe, Bogart, Cooper Brando and Sinatra. Living
in retirement in West London, he recalls failing to flatter Mario
Lanza who sent him a tea chest filled with toilet rolls and the
message: 'Donald, these foolish things remind me of you.' Says Donald:
'Roddy was a nice man and a good friend but he was only 87. What am I
doing walking around at 91?'.

On Sep 13, 10:02 am, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Derek and everyone, sorry to have been off line so long. I have been
> quite busy with various things. I have enjoyed reaading this thread on Mario
> the person, some very interesting points of view on someone who was
> undoubtedly a very complex human being. I can't help but feel that if he was
> simpler, and less affected by the baggage of fame, money and his much
> discussed indulgences, he would not have sung in the way he did. His
> complete immersion in some of his more tragic material in my opinion must
> have been coloured by his dissatisfaction with some of those around him and
> with himself. His tendency towards excess in life to me is mirrored in his
> singing and I mean musical, emotional excess in the best possible way.
> I think that he would have been great company, he was undoubtedly a kind,
> gererous, fun-loving person but I don't think there can be any doubt that he
> had a less pleasant side to him at times - and quite frankly who doesn't!
>
> As to my show Derek, I was not allowed to put the video up on youtube as the
> club where it was staged don't allow that. However this friday I am putting
> it on again in West London. I have developed the show a lot and will have no
> such restrictions on the video this time. I just have to hope the footage I
> get is good, that I sing well and then master imovie to edit it!
>

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Bob: I had no idea Donald Zec was still alive! Lanza once described
him as one of only two (UK) journalists whom he regarded as friends.
During his lifetime, Zec was nice to him in print; after Mario's
death, though, I think Zec stuck the knife in a little.

The anecdote about the toilet rolls isn't right; it wasn't that Zec
failed to "flatter" Mario. What actually happened is that Zec was
caught short while using the bathroom at the Villa Badoglio, and Lanza
humorously sent him a crateload of toilet rolls to commemorate the
occasion. (See Armando's book, pp 229-30.)

Cheers
Derek

[Andrew Bain]

Dear Derek et al

My show went well last week and I filmed it with 2 cameras. I have started editing but am new to macs so haven't finished yet. Here is one song from near the end of the show. It is 'You'll never walk alone" - not a song particularly associated with Mario but he did sing it. However it fits well with the drama, storyline of my play towards the end when he had hope that he was going to turn things around in Italy with opera bookings etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbtoUAPTQPY

There will be more to follow, I hope you like it. Sound is just the built in mic on my inexpensive video camera.

Best wishes

Andrew

--
Andrew Bain
www.andrew-bain.com

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Andrew: Congratulations on the success of your show, and many
thanks for the link.

I enjoyed your singing very much! You'll Never Walk Alone is a
fiendishly difficult song to pull off, and I thought you sang it
movingly and with great passion. A very gutsy rendition, and obviously
much appreciated by the audience. I wish Mario had stayed as much on
pitch on his Lanza on Broadway version as you do here!

I was also struck by how you managed to make some of your facial
expressions resemble Lanza's.

For an inexpensive camera, the picture and sound quality were very
good!

Good luck with the editing...

All the best
Derek

On Sep 23, 4:43 pm, Andrew Bain <andrew.d.b...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Derek et al
> My show went well last week and I filmed it with 2 cameras. I have started
> editing but am new to macs so haven't finished yet. Here is one song from
> near the end of the show. It is 'You'll never walk alone" - not a song
> particularly associated with Mario but he did sing it. However it fits well
> with the drama, storyline of my play towards the end when he had hope that

> he was going to turn things around in Italy with opera bookings etc.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbtoUAPTQPY

> There will be more to follow, I hope you like it. Sound is just the built in
> mic on my inexpensive video camera.
> Best wishes
> Andrew
>

> > > > Andrew Bainwww.andrew-bain.com<http://bainwww.andrew-bain.com/>
>
> --
> Andrew Bainwww.andrew-bain.com

[Derek McGovern]

Bringing this thread back to its original topic, I'd like to recommend
a sweet little essay by Orlando Barone (which I somehow missed when he
posted it back in 2004):

http://www.lanzalegend.com/newer/artbarone.htm

[Derek McGovern]

Here's an amusing anecdote about Lanza that illustrates his well-known rebelliousness toward authority figures -- in this case, the bosses at Titanus Studios. It's from an article dated 8 October 1957 that appeared in The Robesonian (and elsewhere) entitled "Mario Lanza Controls Temper; Thermometer Controls Mario." Peggie Castle, one of Lanza's co-stars in Seven Hills of Rome, is the interviewee:

"For the first three weeks [of filming], everything went smoothly," she remarked. "Mario was just a doll, and I thought all those reports I had heard about his temperament were false rumors.

"Then it got hot. And oh, can Rome in the summer get hot! One day it was 138 degrees in front of the camera. We couldn't have takes of more than 30 or 40 seconds long or we'd be dripping.

"Mario heard that one of the other studios had air conditioners. He asked the head of our studio to get one. It was refused. One day on the set, Mario said, 'This is ridiculous,' and he started tearing off his clothes. He kept on, right down to his shorts.

"I must say I was on his side. He proved his point. We got the air conditioner."

Ha!

Ms. Castle also discusses Lanza's "fantastic ability" to both gain and lose huge amounts of weight within days -- "He does it almost before your eyes" -- as well as a liquid retention problem (something I've always assumed he had). She quotes his doctor saying that, "Mario was a rare case. His tissues retain moisture. So he can swell up like a balloon overnight and deflate just as rapidly."

We get a good indication of that from comparing photos of Lanza in London in November 1957. Look at the difference in Mario's appearance between the pic on the left and the one on the right. Only nine days separate the two:

 

 

[Derek McGovern]

A P.S. to the above: Peggie Castle had always been a "shadowy" figure to me, so it was nice to stumble upon that article. I'd wondered if she and Lanza got on -- and from the sounds of things, they did.

Castle, like Doretta Morrow, died young -- at 45, reportedly from cirrhosis of the liver. 

[Armando]

Here's a rare photo of Lanza and Castle taken on the set of SHOR.

[Derek McGovern]

Thanks for the pic, Armando. It's a curious photo of the two of them! They both look a little jaded; perhaps (given that they were keen drinkers) they'd been overindulging the night before? :)

Incidentally, I've always felt that poor old Peggie's role in Seven Hills was entirely thankless. Unlike, say, Zsa Zsa Gabor, who at least gets a couple of good lines as the routine "secondary" female figure in a Lanza film, Castle's completely self-centered character merely serves to irritate! She twice takes off with different men, causes Lanza's character to miss his opening night, and has absolutely nothing of substance to say. The screenwriters should at least have tried to make us understand why Lanza's Marc Revere might be attracted to her! As it stands, there's no contest (and therefore no dramatic tension) in the film as to whom Lanza/Revere will ultimately choose between Castle and the appealing Marisa Allasio.

Cheers
Derek

[Joseph Fagan]

You know, that is a very good point Doctor! ( does anything ever escape you....lol). There was never any indication during the film that Marc had the hots for Marisa. I recently pulled out this movie to clean off the cobwebs and viewed it. It is still the poorest of his films ( IMO) but I guess it did fairly well in Europe. Some of the singing I loved but many of the selections were grating to me  e.g. ( There's going to be a party tonight etc). One of the songs I truly loved was his Aye, Aye, Aye but unfortunately the film track ruined it with that sudden "stop", done for "plot" reasons. I just loved the way he hummed into that song.

[JimT]

Another most interesting topic which has brought out an incredible amount of thoughtful chatter from Mario's people. My belief is Mario and I could have had a very happy and, at times, raucous, friendship. He would have known from me how much his voice awed me but it would have been a matter for interesting discussion. I felt real interest and friendliness from people I have interviewed such as Richard Leech and Sergio Franchi, as two examples, when discussing their voices and their approach to a song or aria. Not in any critical sense but in an admiring sense.

 I think our friendship would have allowed me to say something like ,"Now as a baritone I'd have to do such and such but you, on the other hand..."

Having lived briefly in Italy and loving all things Italian, Mario and I could have spoken of family, our similar faith, his four children, two boys and two girls, and my four, two boys and two girls and my eldest girl named Colleen!

A little wine (maybe more than a little) good food and music either playing or being performed for fun and relaxation. Oh yes, I believe Mario and I could have been friends because he would have felt from me honest admiration and care of him as a person. If only....

[Derek McGovern]

Joe: You've gone all nautical on us! :) It's actually Ay, Ay, Ay, my friend. But I agree that it would have been nice to have the whole song in Seven Hills, even with a vocally below-par Mario.

You're right that there was really nothing in the film to suggest that Lanza's character was attracted to Marisa Allasio's Raphaela. Of course, who knows what was in the actual (marathon-length) script, given that so much of it was discarded during filming.

Just to bring this conversation back to "Lanza the person," wasn't it sweet of him to have Allasio's character named after little Raphaela Fasano -- the dying girl he'd befriended in 1951? Raphaela died the day before Lanza's 32nd birthday, and there's a brief but touching account of Mario's grief here.  

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

That's a lovely post, Jim.

I often think of one of George London's reminiscences about his friendship with Lanza: "We used to have passionate discussions until all hours of the night about the relative merits of the [musical] masters. . . .[Mario] loved to talk about and discuss anything even remotely connected with music and singing. His enthusiasm was contagious."

Like you, Jim, I would have loved discussing singing with Mario. Especially his singing. I would have given anything to be able to tell him what his renditions of this song or that aria had meant to me. (After a few drinks, I might have dared to tell him what I thought of the 'clunkers' in his recorded legacy as well!) Had he lived to a decent age, it also would have been fascinating to know his candid opinions on singers such as Pavarotti, Carreras, Domingo and Wunderlich.

By the way, reading back through this thread today, I noticed I'd criticized the veteran Associated Press writer Bob Thomas for his snipe at Lanza in an obituary for Kathryn Grayson. It was actually the same Bob Thomas who wrote some pretty decent articles about Lanza -- both during and after his lifetime -- so all is forgiven :)

Here are a couple of articles by Thomas that touch on Lanza the person. I especially like the first:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hwQdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=t4oEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6249,4798090&dq

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ILJOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7AAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7511,4133745&dq=mario+lanza&hl=en

Cheers
Derek

[Barnabas Nemeth]

I agree, this is by far the poorest Lanza movie at any aspect. However, it was not nor his fault.

Barnabas

[Steff]

Derek,

Now that you mentioned Bob Thomas I remembered having an article written by him in my archives about Howard Keel with the following comment on Mario Lanza:

I [Bob Thomas] asked why he [Howard Keel] didn't try concerts, which Mario Lanza found so lucrative.
"Actually, I started out to train as a concert singer and I've studied a great deal in the last five years," he said. "But Lanza was established as a concert singer,
and it would take me two years to make my own place in the field. That would mean a lot of travelling, and I've got three kids who are at ages when I think I should spend as much time with them as possible.

It surprises me that a Hollywood colleague regarded Lanza an "established concert singer" and not primarily a film star. That's a very esteeming comment. Note that Howard Keel made this comment only about one year before Lanza died in Rome ....

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v7xUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6jsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7074,3385795&dq=bob+thomas+mario+lanza&hl=en

BTW, thank you to you and Lee-Ann for including John Masters' review to the article section.

Steff

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: Perhaps Keel knew that Lanza had concertized extensively as part of the Bel Canto Trio before he made his first film. After all, he'd once known George London (and, if Wikipedia is to be believed, he'd even sung with London  in a 1941 performance of Handel's oratorio Saul). As for whether he saw Mario primarily as a concert singer, who knows? But he must have recognized that they were poles apart, musically and vocally. Keel had a good voice, but not a great one, and his forte was musicals, not opera. He was never going to command the kind of adulation that Lanza received on his 1951 tour, and I'm sure he knew it.

Incidentally, he had this to say about Lanza in his autobiography:

[When] I heard on the radio that Mario Lanza had died in Italy, I wasn't surprised. He had been under tremendous pressure. What he went through, no one could survive. I had many wonderful memories with Mario at MGM. To know him was to love him. But to watch what he went through to control his appetite and weight was both mind boggling and depressing.

I've always wondered, by the way, if that story mentioned in Terry Robinson's book about Keel criticizing (?) Lanza's singing of the Act III Otello duet was true. According to Robinson, Keel -- unaware that Lanza was sitting right behind him -- said while listening to the Lanza/Albanese recording, "Only a mad man can sing like that." Mario was not amused :)

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

I know I've mentioned this before, but I've always found it curious how often Lanza fibbed about his age. I was recently reading an article by Art Buchwald from the Los Angeles Times of May 26, 1959, and in it Buchwald recounts his visit that month to the Villa Badoglio. He quotes the then-38-year-old Lanza as saying, "A tenor reaches full maturity at 35. I'm 34.

"MGM had me born in 1921, the year Caruso died. They were trying to say on the day he died another star was born. But that's for the birds. I wasn't born in the year Caruso died, and now that I'm no longer under contract, I don't mind saying it."

Why the fibbing? Was it because he wanted not only to distance himself from the Caruso association, but also to reassure his public (or himself) that there was still time for him to achieve his operatic dreams? Whatever the truth, I find it equally curious -- if not bizarre! -- that Lanza's mother also lied about her age, insisting that she'd been 16 at the time of her son's birth. Why on earth did she feel compelled to shave three years off her age, especially when she had a husband who was eight years older?

[Steff]

Hi Derek,

Since you put a question mark behind the word "criticizing" I pressume that you are not sure if Keel's remark "mad man" actually was meant in a negative sense? I cannot help but somehow this sounds like an acknowledgment of Lanza's interpretation of Otello, of a singer who becomes completely caught up in this role of Otello, a character that slowly but surely is losing his mind out of provoked jealousy.  Am I wrong? And Lanza not being amused? Hard to believe .... such a spontaneous remark even could have come from himself. 

As for Keel knowing George London, there's an article of opera singer Brian Sullivan and its says "He sang in 'La Bohème' in 1954 in Los Angeles. Recalling that company which included Howard Keel, George London ....."  Don't know if that means that they sang together in an opera performance or just were members of the L.A.opera company the same season.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=WekVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dBAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7090,1187842&dq=howard+keel+george+london&hl=en

Steff

[Steff]

Hi Derek,

I know both comments of Lanza's but honestly never noticed him fibbing about his age. Seems that I didn't read the articles carefully enough.
As for Maria Cocozza-Lanza, you are right, and in the interview which she gave after her son had died (I don't remember the name of the interviewer) she mentioned: "At the age of 16 I got married, and a little over a year, Mario was born." (means, that she was 17 when her son was born). According to the plaque at Holy Cross she was born 1905, but of course 1902 must be the correct year of birth, according to the documents from Ellis Island. Strange indeed ... But as I already told you, not even the story about Antonio Cocozza being the first soldier to capture a German in the Meuse-Argonne battle in WW I seems to be true.

I wonder, was it common use to create "faked biographies" (maybe this term is to harsh, but I can't find a more appropriate word right now!) for Hollywood stars?

Steff

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: It's certainly possible that Keel intended the comment as praise for Lanza's complete immersion into the role of Otello. (In fact, I remember Linz Perigo interpreting it that way when the book came out in 1980.) But my own reaction at the time was that Keel meant it as a criticism -- that Lanza wasn't the "full quid,” as we say where I come from :)

However Keel intended his comment, Mario certainly took offence! According to Robinson, Lanza's response was: "Howard, let me give you a piece of advice. Get mad, f☆☆☆ up, and you'll be a better singer."

The fact that Keel was still very much alive when Robinson's book came out does lends the anecdote credibility, I'd have to say.

By the way, I'm sure Keel wasn't involved in opera in the 1950s -- and especially not in 1954, which was arguably his peak year as a movie star.

It'd be interesting to know how other members interpreted his "madman" comments!

Cheers
Derek

On Jun 13, 2011 12:48 AM, "Steff" <Stefanie....@t-online.de> wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: "Faked biographies" were most certainly the norm in Hollywood during Mario's time there (and in the decades before his arrival). As David Niven points out in one of his books, Errol Flynn, for example, was built up by his studio as being "as Irish as the potato" and fresh from a run with the Abbey Players -- when, in fact, he was from Tasmania!

In Lanza's case, as we know, there was all manner of nonsense: a Spanish mother, his supposed discovery while driving a truck, etc. Mario must have chuckled over much of it -- especially the nonsense about his height, which sometimes reached six feet in his socks :) As we now know, he was, in reality, five feet seven and a half inches (172cm). But that didn't stop him telling Jinx Falkenburg in 1949 that he was five feet eleven inches tall, and Etude magazine that same year that he was six foot. No doubt MGM's Publicity Department was delighted!

By the way, I've always liked this little reminiscence of Lanza the person:

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

P.S. I'm pretty sure that Mario's mother claimed on at least one other occasion to have been just 16 when her son was born. Certainly, that's what narrator Domingo asserts in Mario Lanza: The American Caruso. An article by a friend of hers and RCA liner notes writer (whose name escapes me right now) just after she died also stated that she was 16 at Lanza's birth -- and almost "a generation" younger than her husband!

[Steff]

Hi Derek,

Now, I am quite surprised to see that in Lanza' case some stories were already fabricated before he had his Hollywood contract in 1947.

 The concert announcement "Mario Lanza Singing his Lucky Aria at Philharmonic Concert Next Week"  from Nov. 1946  mentions for example Lanza being born at the N.Y. East Side, his father being born in Naples and being unable to walk, his mother being Spanish born from Madrid.


http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6fouAAAAIBAJ&sjid=JdwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4863,2128126&dq=singing+like+mad+mario+lanza&hl=en

Steff

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: I guess it's possible that either Lanza's manager Sam Weiler or Columbia Concerts decided that it would make him an easier "sell" if he were promoted as New York-born and of Spanish and Italian parents. Mario himself in his 1949 interview with Jinx Falkenburg (and elsewhere) greatly exaggerates the amount of time that he'd lived in New York -- it was eight years one minute and ten years the next! :)

The other great Lanza fib, and one that Time magazine gave him a hard time about, was the business about sticking his name over a Caruso record for Peter Lind Hayes in 1943. Now there's no way on earth that Hayes would have been fooled by a Caruso record! Frederick Jagel, on the other hand, I can believe. Hayes himself said that Mario had told him it was a Gigli recording! And there's yet another person -- Jerry Adler -- who claims the entire story of Mario being unable to sing in Marfa because of the dust (and therefore having to produce a bogus record) is a myth. So who knows! My money is on the Jagel story, though.

There's no doubt that Mario was a wonderful weaver of tales -- a great romancer -- but there was usually a core of truth to his stories. For example, he once caused a bit of fuss in his hometown when he described the Philadelphia of his upbringing as a hotbed of crime, but, as an initially skeptical Callinicos discovered (and acknowledged in his book), a six-year-old Mario had indeed witnessed his father's brother -- Vincent Cocozza -- being gunned down (by mistake) in a gangland hit.

Whatever one may think of Lanza's fondness to bend the truth a little about his age, height -- whatever -- his fibs pale into comparison with the malicious rubbish so often printed about him. (Just today, for example, I've been battling a twit on YouTube who's out to prove to the world that Lanza and Albanese never recorded their Otello duet together.)

That Ottawa article, by the way, that you linked to just reminded me that it would be wonderful if we could find a review of Lanza's Toronto concert of March 5, 1948.

Cheers
Derek

[leeann]

Dear Jim, I imagine that a bit of your sense about Mario Lanza as someone you'd sit down and talk to as you would with a friend might come from your your experience as a journalist and as an interviewer--especially because of the other examples you cite. And likely from how you relate to people in general as well. And it seems you point to something deeper about the "real" Mario Lanza.  Maybe that this man's exuberance and vitality encompassed and embraced the world around him and those in it--until experience proved otherwise, painfully proved otherwise. It's extraordinarily difficult and dangerous to project the nuances and shadows and depths of another person, but Lanza's music would seem to tell us of a man who grasped a range of human experience intuitively, yet still experienced a divide between daily life and the depths of that intuitive awareness.

And besides the conversations you point too, I'd expect a great deal of laughter.  Best, Lee Ann

[Derek McGovern]

In my last post, I mentioned that it would be great if we could get hold of a review of Lanza's 1948 Toronto appearance. Well, Lee Ann, bless her, came up with something almost straightaway:
  

Mario Lanza Thrills 'Pop' Concert Crowd (Toronto Daily Star, 6 March 1948)

A 26-year-old ex-truck driver from New York's lower East Side stole the show at the Toronto Symphony orchestra's 'Pop' concert last night.

Mario Lanza, tenor, who studied under a Frank Sinatra scholarship, won the hearts of the audience from the first song. He was called back for curtain call after curtain call, and toward the conclusion of the concert had to give two encores, so insistent was the applause.

He sang Lamento di Federico from L'Arlesiana by Cilea, the old favorite, La Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto by Verdi, and Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci by Leoncavallo.

The article goes on to mention that the concert was competently conducted by Paul Scherman, the Toronto Symphony's assistant conductor. Here's a bit about Scherman.

Great stuff about the audience reaction, though not surprising given how wonderfully Lanza sang that evening. The fact that it was a 'pop' concert was almost certainly the reason it was broadcast on the radio (and thus saved for posterity) -- something that I'm eternally grateful for. 

Notice the various inaccuracies: "26-year-old" (Lanza was 27), the "ex-truck driver" from New York. The "Frank Sinatra scholarship" was news to me too! :) (It was true, though, that Sinatra had been a staunch Lanza supporter since first hearing him sing in 1944.) 

Thanks again, Lee Ann!

[Thelma]

I am certainly learning things. I did not know about Mario's
scholarship from Frank Sinatra! Frank was a wonderful singer and
worked hard. I am so glad to know this about Frank and helping
Mario! Thank you,

On Jun 14, 1:20 am, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> In my last post, I mentioned that it would be great if we could get hold of
> a review of Lanza's 1948 Toronto appearance. Well, Lee Ann, bless her, came
> up with something almost straightaway:
>

> > *Mario Lanza Thrills 'Pop' Concert Crowd* (*Toronto Daily Star*, 6 March

> > 1948)
>
> > A 26-year-old ex-truck driver from New York's lower East Side stole the
> > show at the Toronto Symphony orchestra's 'Pop' concert last night.
>
> > Mario Lanza, tenor, who studied under a Frank Sinatra scholarship, won the
> > hearts of the audience from the first song. He was called back for curtain
> > call after curtain call, and toward the conclusion of the concert had to
> > give two encores, so insistent was the applause.
>
> > He sang Lamento di Federico from L'Arlesiana by Cilea, the old favorite, La
> > Donna e Mobile from Rigoletto by Verdi, and Vesti la Giubba from Pagliacci
> > by Leoncavallo.
>
> The article goes on to mention that the concert was competently conducted by
> Paul Scherman, the Toronto Symphony's assistant conductor. Here's a bit

> about Scherman<http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1AR...>
> .

[Steff]

Hi Derek,

Just in addition ....
Another article which gives a wrong age of Lanza is one about the Belcanto Trio, from January 27, 1948. It speaks about the " 24 year old recording tenor for RCA Victor." Actually, only four days later, Lanza already turned 27.

Steff

[Steff]

Derek,

Sorry, I forgot to give the link to the article about the 'Belcanto Trio,'  so here it is:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ng8sAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ysYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1088,1228577&dq=mario+lanza+belcanto+trio&hl=en

Steff

[Steff]

Hi Thelma,

I don't think that Derek claimed/confirmed in his post that the Sinatra scholarship for Lanza really did exist (Derek, please correct me if I am wrong). I think Derek meant to say that this was just another invented story.

Incidentally, in 1944, Hedda Hopper wrote: "Well, he [Lanza] was so good Frank Sinatra asked his manager, Al Levy, to put Lanza under contract. And between them they were going to take care of the boy with expense money, coaching, and not ask any commission until he was earning $ 100,000 a year (Chicago Daily Tribune, Oct 10, 1944).

Maybe this kind of support was considered a "scholarship" by some people ....

Steff

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Steff: Quite right -- I certainly wasn't claiming the Sinatra
"scholarship" as a fact. Quite the opposite! To the best of my
knowledge, Sinatra's help was limited to moral support; he saw to it
that the "right" people knew about Lanza. In 1944, he urged Columbia
Records to sign Lanza up -- but, of course, RCA got in first. The plan
that Hopper outlined in the 1944 article you mentioned never became a
reality.

Cheers
Derek

[Derek McGovern]

Since Myths about Mario Lanza the Man is consistently one of the most-read essays on our main site, I thought I'd revive this most interesting thread.