New DVD

[BobD]

I just looked on the amazon.co.uk site and saw a DVD titled "Sunday
Night at the London Palladium" highlights to be issued on November
8th. According to the write up Mario Lanza is included among the many
names. Whether it will feature all of his performance is not known.
Best to all
Bob

[Mike McAdam]

Good news, Bob.
Let us hope that some serious ITV video "geeks" have had at it and
restored the video to something possessing sharpness and tonal range.
Mind you, they may not have a lot to work with here after the original
tape/kinescope recording was retrieved from a 'skip' in questionable
condition?
Fingers crossed.

Cheers, Mike

[zsazsa]

What a great news Bob! Very much looking forward and keeping our
fingers crossed very much!
Thanks for the happiness you`ve given with this news!
Ciao from Susan

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Bob: This is potentially exciting news *if* they're somehow managed
to improve the quality of the sound and visuals *and* they give us
more than just Loveliest Night of the Year! In fact, I could live with
just Because You're Mine and E Lucevan le Stelle.

I see that the running time is 490 minutes, so we might well get more
than one rendition.

It's a shame it's only available on PAL. My Korean TV is NTSC, and
refuses to play any of my PAL DVDs from New Zealand from my multi-
region "bisexual" (NTSC and PAL) DVD player. But I'd imagine that the
TVs (and disc players) in most other countries are designed to handle
both formats.

(PAL, for those who have no idea what we're talking about, is the
broadcast system used in most of Europe and Australasia; NTSC is the
system used in North America and most of Asia.)

Of course, I can always watch it on my computer instead...

Here's the link to Amazon, and I look forward to reading your review
of the disc next month, Bob!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunday-Night-London-Palladium-DVD/dp/B0042QWWRW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288168762&sr=1-1

Young Mike: that story about the kinescope of the Palladium concert
being discovered in a 'skip' was apparently a load of rubbish!

[BobD]

Hi Derek,
I do hope all the performance is included and I will certainly give
everyone a critique when it arrives.
Maybe you should swap your "bisexual" system for a "transexual" one -
then you will have all the options!
I did actually hear it said that the original was found in a skip.
Things do get altered, as we all know.
Best to all.

On Oct 27, 2:28 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Bob: This is potentially exciting news *if* they're somehow managed
> to improve the quality of the sound and visuals *and* they give us
> more than just Loveliest Night of the Year! In fact, I could live with
> just Because You're Mine and E Lucevan le Stelle.
>
> I see that the running time is 490 minutes, so we might well get more
> than one rendition.
>
> It's a shame it's only available on PAL. My Korean TV is NTSC, and
> refuses to play any of my PAL DVDs from New Zealand from my multi-
> region "bisexual" (NTSC and PAL) DVD player. But I'd imagine that the
> TVs (and disc players) in most other countries are designed to handle
> both formats.
>
> (PAL, for those who have no idea what we're talking about, is the
> broadcast system used in most of Europe and Australasia; NTSC is the
> system used in North America and most of Asia.)
>
> Of course, I can always watch it on my computer instead...
>
> Here's the link to Amazon, and I look forward to reading your review
> of the disc next month, Bob!
>

> http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sunday-Night-London-Palladium-DVD/dp/B0042QWW...

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Bob: I think it was Derek Mannering who said the "skip" story was
untrue.

Believe me, I'd buy a "transsexual" TV in a heartbeat if they existed
here!

[Vince Di Placido]

I've ordered this dvd & hopefully they will have Mario singing his
complete set & in better quality... Fingers crossed anyway...
Actually we are lucky to have Mario's performance at all, I read the
product description & Sunday Night at The London Palladium
performances from The Beatles & Judy Garland & others no longer
exist...

[Mike McAdam]

While it is folly to repeat conjecture from half a century ago, it
makes one wonder: did the same keen clerk tasked with studio archive
'housecleaning' back in the late '50s also toss out Garland and the
Beatles' performances? The Beatles are well-archived in a multitude of
international TV network storerooms but to lose that other singing
phenom Judy would be a real shame. Like Lanza and Piaf she was, to me,
one of only a handful of singers in the last century who could truly
move you; singing from the soles of her feet up (sic). :-)

Mike

> > being discovered in a 'skip' was apparently a load of rubbish!- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[BobD]

Hi Mike,
It is a well known fact that in the first few years of telerecording
the BBC "wiped" loads of material because the tapes were so expensive.
I suppose ITV in their early days (Commercial television started in
1955 in the UK) did the same.
Would you believe some very old surviving programmes were filmed from
a monitor TV while the programme was going out "live." by setting up a
camera in front of the screen! Thank goodness for progress!

[Derek McGovern]

Here's Bob's report on the Palladium DVD (moved here from another
thread):

Hi all,
I received my copy of "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" DVDs this
morning. Disc one features the complete show from 24 November 1957
(without commercials) hosted by Hughie Green and starring Mario Lanza.
It states on the inside of the sleeve: "This edition appears to run
shorter than a standard Palladium show, but this is the only master
known to exist."

After skating quickly through the support acts, I watched Mario's
performance. The picture is marginally better than other copies I have
seen, but the sound still appears a little shrill and has a noticeable
"wobble" on the instrumental intro to "E lucevan le stelle." I expect
Mike McAdam could work his magic powers on it and tame the treble, but
the ear soon adjusts and in the end Mario sounded acceptably good.

There is still that hair trapped in the gate on some camera shots, but
at least this IS a genuine telerecording and not something filmed from
a TV picture.

It is nice to have this in an original form and makes one wish that
the two "Shower of Stars" shows were as good as this - and even in
colour! Now, come on BBC - where's that "Saturday Spectacular?"

Best to all.

[Derek McGovern]

This is good news, Bob, as any improvement in the picture quality is a
welcome thing. And I can live with a "wobble" on the oboe at the
beginning of E Lucevan le Stelle!

I know that Vince has also ordered this DVD, and will no doubt be
analyzing it on his sophisticated hi-fi gear. Looking forward to
reading your comments too, Vince.

And just a request: I've changed the the thread title in this post to
reflect what the "New DVD" actually is. Could anyone who wishes to
post a reply please click on *this* post (or any subsequent ones in
the thread) so that the discussion title doesn't revert to the earlier
one. Thanks.

Derek

[Heidi]

Hi all
Today I´ve got my copy of the palladium show, and I am very happy that
I bought it. The pictures are clearer than I ever saw it, The sound
is better on CD, but watching at Mario, singing life, is a great
pleasure. I love it.
Cheers Heidi

> > Best to all.- Zitierten Text ausblenden -
>
> - Zitierten Text anzeigen -

[Derek McGovern]

That's good news about the picture quality, Heidi, though a shame
about the sound!

Tell me, does Mario look healthier in the face with the better picture
quality? On the kinescope version, he looks quite bloated and puffy in
some shots.

Cheers
Derek

[Vince Di Placido]

Great to hear picture is better, I will be disappointed if sound isn't
decent!
I am a bit frustrated that my copy hasn't arrived yet... :-(

[Heidi]

Hi Derek
I did´nt see that Mario is looking puffy, but I think there is a
shadow of a beard in his face, I never noticed this before. The sound
is not bad at all, I noticed the same faults as Bob described it in
his post.E lucevan le stelle is marvellous to my ears, exept the very
beginning of this piece. I would love to have the 2 Chrysler shows in
this quality
Cheers Heidi.

> > > - Zitierten Text anzeigen -- Zitierten Text ausblenden -

[Derek McGovern]

A message from Susan (moved from another thread):

Hi All,
I`ve just received and listened to the London Palladium Show and I`m
very very happy with it. The picture quality is just wonderful, much
better than I have ever seen before and although the sound is not
perfect, the magic of Mario`s unique sound comes through! What a
weekend! I and my husband Helmut, we are more that happy with this
treasure! Wish you all the same!

Cheers
Susan

[Vince Di Placido]

Hello everybody!
I received my Palladium dvds today (my day off as well great timing!)
& I am very happy with the quality, much improved visuals, I just
don't think there is much more that can be done with the audio...
I ripped the dvd at full quality, no compression & uploaded that huge
video file Youtube, it took over 2 hours to upload (& I have a fast
broadband connection) but it was worth it, at least it will be viewed
in the best quality now.
Youtube have raised their upload file size now to 2gb & up to 15
minute clips so I must upload the uncompressed 2nd Shower of Stars
show again...
By the way I way I watched the dvds some great stuff on there, I loved
Sarah Vaughan's 1958 appearance, I just adore her voice & she looked
fantastic.
So... Here is the link to the new HQ clip of Mario at The Palladium

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

[Vince Di Placido]

I just uploaded a better quality file of the 2nd Shower of Stars
show...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsjhjClG3xo

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: Many thanks for those hours of dedication you put into uploading the new version of the Palladium appearance! The picture quality is certainly a lot better, and Heidi was right: Mario does indeed look less puffy in the face now. (He still doesn't look all that healthy to me, though; he must have been indulging himself in the six days after the Royal Variety Show :)) Being able to see all that extra detail is fascinating, and it made me feel much "closer" to the performance, if you know what I mean.

The sound is a puzzle, though! It was actually better (richer and less "whistly") on the old version, and there's a lot more 'wow' or 'flutter' at the beginning of E Lucevan here. That oboe is really distorted now; in fact, it's quite distracting on Mario's opening phrases. Bob Davies was right! Maybe some technical whizz will be able to marry the new picture with the old sound...but for now I'm just thrilled to have decent picture quality at last.

Vince: just a quick question about the second Shower of Stars show (and thanks for uploading a higher-quality version of that too). Do you have a less "ghostly"-looking version of this? I've never seen it looking so washed out on the E Lucevan le Stelle, though I think the sound quality here is superior to other tapes I've seen (better than on the Palladium concert, actually).

Cheers
Derek

[Vince Di Placido]

Hi, Derek! I actually don't mind the sound on the new Palladium dvd, I
actually could here more detail than in previous copies, I think that
the previous copies had a muffling effect which covered up the over
bright, thin sound of the original, I don't think it was a case of
good remastering on previous versions just a natural dulling of bad
copying I suppose...
The picture detail on the new dvd is fascinating so maybe I am
forgiving the sound quality more than I normally would... :-)
Yes the "Shower of Stars" show is a bit too bright, especially on the
Tosca aria but it is the best sound I have of it... the other dvd I
have is slightly better but Mario's face is still washed out but the
sound isn't as good...

Oh! & I finally ripped & uploaded "The Christopher Program" to Youtube
part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K89jKsPD5zc

part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlqpTnUcIr8

[Vince Di Placido]

I have to point out that in some strange glitch in the upload to
Youtube there is a few seconds out of sync during Mario's performance
of "Because You're Mine" at the start of part 2. Sorry now...

[Mike McAdam]

Bravo Vince!
I was not expecting the quantum leap in tonal range and greyscale
restoration that I witnessed this morning when I downloaded, with
great trepidation, your HQ file of Mario's Palladium appearance. The
detail in his hair, his tux and, as I'm sure the ladies will notice,
the catchlights in his eyes I have never seen before. The ITV boffins
no doubt employed some of the finest digital restoration experts in
the business on this one. There likely wasn't much they could do with
the sound track as I think the embedded audio had suffered a bad
recording from the get-go. The previous Palladium soundtrack was
muffled, compressed and full of flutter also plus the high frequencies
were attenuated to boot, as you said. To me, this new version has the
same type of distortion but the highs are more prominent so they
perhaps grate a little more.
Derek was a little more reserved in his praise as I think he really
hoped and expected the sound to be greatly improved.

Regardless, you are going to make a lot of Forum members lumbered with
our NTSC-standard TV sets very happy with this effort, Signor
diPlacido. Head of the class for you.
Oh Vince, maybe between the two of us we may be able to import a
better soundtrack into this production (at least the 'E Lecevan'?).
I'll email you shortly with some ideas.

Somerset BobD: yes, the hair in the film gate is still there, isn't
it? ;-) Wasn't too noticeable in Vince's earlier upload of this.

Cheers, Mike

On Nov 15, 2:02 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[leeann]

Vince, thank you so much for the time and effort you put into sharing
this. It's amazing. The sharper views of Lanza's body language and
facial expressions are remarkable and, I think, help clarify the
totality of his involvement in his music. Derek mentioned that he
looks less puffy in the face now--I also think that there are some
faces and bone structures that respond amazingly and perhaps
deceptively well to black and white photography, studio lighting or
not. Others just don't. I suspect that perhaps stage and camera
lighting was not as friendly to Lanza's facial structure as other
venues were.

Anyway, this is way beyond expectations, and thank you again. Best,
Lee Ann

[Armando]

Hi Lee Ann: Frankly I think that Lanza’s bloated look had more to do
with excessive drinking during his stay in London than unflattering
lighting.

Lanza appearance in front of an audience (at the Royal Variety) had
taken place a week earlier, but even a week is a long time after an
almost seven year’s absence (if we exclude the 1954 TV appearance)
from singing on a stage. A frightening prospect for anyone, no matter
how great the talent. That Lanza was extremely edgy is obvious by his
body language, nevertheless, one thing is certain- once he started
singing he was able to control his nerves and deliver a performance
which was pretty close to his best.

[Thelma]

I would like to add my deep appreciation for the transfer to You Tube,
Vince, so we could all see it. I did find Mario's face puffy
looking, and his manner nervous. To my eyes, he looked like a sick
man, but his voice sounded better than he looked, and he was able to
deliver a very good quality voice singing. I liked how he thanked the
audience, seemed very sincere.

> > Lee Ann- Hide quoted text -

[Armando]

Oh,yes! A million thanks Vince for all you hard work!

[Derek McGovern]

Looking at the video again just now, I do think the lighting, camera
angles and the grainy black and white texture of the film are
unflattering to Mario's complexion -- and exaggerate the puffiness
somewhat. It's also interesting that he looks fine (and noticeably
slimmer) when he's talking. Different camera angles, etc, do make a
difference. But one thing's for certain: he doesn't look as well here
as he does just 24 days earlier on The Christopher Show. There he
looks better, in fact, than he had in years.

Cheers
Derek

[Vince Di Placido]

I'm really glad you are all enjoying the Palladium clip! It's great to
have & great that Youtube exists to share all these great clips :-)
I know we have talked about this before but I was watching the
Palladium & Christpher Program clips & it is amazing how different
Mario looks! As you point out, Derek its only about 3 weeks later but
Mario looks quite a bit worse for wear in London... Mario is so
relaxed in the Christopher Program, he is talking quite a bit of
nonsense most of the time but he seems quite relaxed & happy... I just
wish the conversation was more about Mario's art & singing, but you
can't have everything...

[Lou]

Compared to the Palladium, the setting of the Christopher Program is
more intimate and reassuring: no unnerving sea of faces, a fatherly
host, Betty's supportive presence. No wonder Mario looks relaxed and
happy. He probably enjoys pulling the collective leg of the good
father and the unseen audience. I myself fell for the flickering-
candles-and-prophetic-visions bit until knowledgeable forum members
set things right, to my great disappointment.

Thanks a bunch, Vince, for sharing these two clips.

Cheers,
Lou

On Nov 20, 8:44 am, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lou: Don't be too disappointed at Mario for his creative
storytelling on The Christopher programme! :) While he obviously
couldn't have foreseen his entire career (in fact, he even says in
another interview that as a child he never knew he was going to be a
singer), I can well imagine him as an altar boy being mesmerized by
the "little flame flickering" and other goings-on inside that
beautiful church. He just embroidered that fascination -- though I
doubt the good Father Keller swallowed the entire story :)

The essence of what Mario says on the programme is true in any event:
his great love for his parents, his intense feelings for Betty, etc.
While, like Vince, I wish he'd been asked about singing, at least we
get to experience the man's charisma, humour and warmth. It's also
great to see the "mysterious" Betty!

Did you notice that Mario refers to himself as "an opera singer"? Good
on him!

Cheers
Derek

[Lou]

Oh, Derek, don't get me wrong. I wasn't at all disappointed at Mario
for his "creative storytelling". I was in fact amused, having gotten
used to the endearingly playful side of his character. But I had very
much wanted that story to be true because it fitted nicely with my
theory that the reason Mario sings prayer songs (The Lord's Prayer,
Ave Maria, Agnus Dei, etc.) so convincingly and movingly is that he
taps, consciously or otherwise, into a wellspring of spirituality that
possibly comes with his Italian heritage. Mario's "embroidery" sounded
so plausible to me that I pounced on it as proof positive of the
correctness of my theory. Naturally I was greatly disappointed when my
'aha' moment turned out to be an embarrassing senior moment.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Lou: I've always found the definition of spirituality elusive, as
it seems to mean so many different things to different people. As you
know, I'm not religious at all, but I have no problem with the term
"spiritual" in the sense of someone who is completely non-superficial
-- someone who feels things deeply: a profoundly sensitive person in
the best sense of the meaning.

But however one defines it, I certainly feel that Mario's magnificent
singing of so many religious songs (I'll Walk with God" and "The
Lord's Prayer" in particular) reflects the man's inner beauty. As so
many people observed of his character, there was something very
different about him. His affinity for people...his love of life. As
I've always felt, the most meaningful piece of dialogue in any of his
films is Doretta Morrow's character's observation in Because You're
Mine that, "A man must be something pretty wonderful inside to be able
to sing like that." I believe that about Lanza.

[Jan Hodges]

Derek wrote<

I've always felt, the most meaningful piece of dialogue in any of his

Films is Doretta Morrow's character's observation in Because You're

Mine that, "A man must be something pretty wonderful inside to be able

To sing like that." I believe that about Lanza.>   I am in complete agreement here Derek. It has been said about teachers "You teach what you are," And I am convinced that Lanza " sang what he was". Jan

[Vince Di Placido]

Here is a little experiment I put together using the sound of Mario's
January 1958 Royal Albert Hall "Because You're Mine" & the visuals
from Mario's Palladium performance of the same song 2 months before in
November 1957...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W44u63HYP3U

[Vince Di Placido]

I was off work today & spent a bit of time on "Guardian Angels"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zCHq_5K9-E

Mario's vocal is so beautiful, I have to admit I got a bit emotional
working on this one...

[Mike McAdam]

Great stuff Vince!
Coincidentally, I just finished uploading a juxtaposition of your two
YouTube Palladium clips (the fuzzy, puffy original next to your sharp
detailed version). The screen capture I did occurs on the last note of
'Because You're Mine' ("...because you're MINE!"). Any one who wishes
to see this amazing contrast between that original Palladium clip and
the detailed version Vince uploaded a couple of weeks ago, check it
out in our Photos section...'Palladium x 2".
Cheers, Mike

On Nov 27, 6:46 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Mike: Yes, the difference in picture quality between the earlier
version of the Palladium appearance and the latest is startling!
Thanks for doing that juxtaposition for us.

Vince: I love the Lanza images you chose for your Guardian Angels
slideshow! Some of them are quite rare, and they certainly underline
what loving parents the Lanza kids had. I found the last image very
sad, with both Betty and Mario gone.

It's certainly a beautiful recording -- a near-perfect piece of
singing.

I've just added a link to your Guardian Angels from our new site;
can't wait until it's finished and Lee Ann and I can share it with you
all!

Cheers
Derek

[Vince Di Placido]

Mike, that side by side comparison really drives home the improvement
we have with the new Palladium release... It's funny in all my
uploading & editing I hadn't done any direct comparison, interesting
work from you, thanks!

[Vince Di Placido]

Hi, Derek! Yes! That last image is heartbreaking & when I was putting
it together & played that section back I got a bit misty... It's very
sad how the Lanza story played out... The look on their faces,
especially Maria & Ellisa, is so melancholy & sad...

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Vince: This is a very clever piece of editing that you've done here, and apart from the fact that Mario was a bit lighter when he sang at the Palladium, he probably looked much the same to the Albert Hall audience as he does here. The only difference may have been his hand gestures, which according to the late Pauline Franklin (of the BMLS), who saw Lanza perform in Leicester, were quite minimal compared with what we see in his films. (At the Palladium concert, his gestures seem straight out of Seven Hills of Rome.)

I felt a lump in the throat, though, seeing some of the shots from the film Because You're Mine and being reminded of how much healthier he'd been just six years earlier... 

[Maria Luísa]

I loved to see the big difference between the two pictures. Very good
work. Beautiful, is all I can say.

[Maria Luísa]

I cannot let go this opportunity without congratulating Vince Di
Placido for the fantastic job he did with the London Palladium video.
Finally we CAN SEE Mario's face clearly! And it was about time too.
The difference between the two images is enormous to better of course.
It's like from the night to the day!
And all this amazing work (which I never ever thought possible) is due
to Vince's skilfulness, to whom all those who love to see Mario's face
in the best possible condition when he's singing, ought to thank very
very much.

On Nov 30, 3:32 am, Mike McAdam <macadame...@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

[Mike McAdam]

Vince, another lovely piece of work with your 'Guardian Angels' (I'm
feeling like a slacker with my lack of audio finagling of late! ;-))
This lullaby is one of Mario's finest recordings for sure but does
anyone else agree that the Coke version (sans choir) has some great
moments also (especially the last note)? In the RCA version I would
have liked a bit of diminuendo on the final "para-DISE". Sounds a bit
strident I think. But, that nit-picking digression aside,
Vince....your photo dissolves are great and as has been stated, that
rare final photo of the half-grown orphans with their grandparents is
beyond sad. Very astute of you to use that closeout image for this
particular number with its significance to Mario's surviving kids
(Harpo Marx, in his autobiography, apparently stated that he completed
the piece with Mario in mind as the soloist, hence his playing at the
recording session? Derek?)


On Nov 29, 7:49 pm, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Mike: First of all, I'd say that Guardian Angels is a bloody
demanding number to pull off, with many tricky passages (eg, "They dry
my tears," with that unforgiving diphthong on "tears"). I haven't read
Harpo Marx's autobiography ("Harpo Sings!"), so I can't say whether it
was written with Mario in mind. It wouldn't surprise me, though -- I
mean, who else could have combined power with tenderness (not to
mention childlike wonder) so successfully? And Marx was the harpist on
the 1951 RCA recording, so he obviously approved of Lanza.

I like the Coke version overall; it's just that it lacks the sweetness
of the RCA recording:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYUkpGwtMKE
(Coke version)

"They dry my tears" is better on the 1951 RCA recording, and Mario
rushes "There's one with shining wings" (both times) on the Coke
version. On the other hand, he muffs the line "They rouse me *from* my
sleep" the second time round on the commercial recording. (Actually,
it's a slight shame he didn't do a retake from there to the end.) Is
the final line better on the Coke version? Here he makes me smile by
singing "PaROdise." That doesn't bother me (and I like the diminuendo
on the final syllable), but -- strident or not -- overall I still
prefer the final line on the RCA recording.

Then there's the 1959 recording! Sadly, this is entirely lacking in
sweetness, but vocally it's by no means a write-off if you listen to
the raw version (minus the choir):

http://www.4shared.com/audio/AbbeeqS6/Guardian_Angels__1959_.html

Speaking of the choir, for once I don't mind the Jeff Alexander Angels
on the RCA recording. I found I missed them on the Coke version, with
that long orchestral interlude.

Cheers
Derek

[Vince Di Placido]

I always thought Harpo wrote "Guardian Angels" for Mario but I found
this clip a few years ago,
Harpo playing an instrumental of "Guardian Angels" in 1945!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aabqmOX720

One thing I am sure of is that what Harpo found in Mario was the ideal
interpreter for his lovely song...
You are spot on Derek when you say, "who else could have combined

power with tenderness (not to
mention childlike wonder) so successfully?"

It gives me chills when Mario sings, "There's one with shining wings
who holds my hand & shows me paradise!"
there is a lovely quality in Mario's vocal on this recording, I LOVE
IT! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aabqmOX720

[Heidi]

Hi Vince, I am glad to watch at least one of your hard works, the one
with Mario and Frances in Hollywood.I enjoyed it very much, you have
done a great work.Thank you! The other clips are blocked by Sony in
Germany,Sad.
Cheers from Hheidi

On 1 Dez., 21:04, Vince Di Placido <vincent.diplac...@gmail.com>
wrote:
> I have been working on this for the last couple of nights (very late
> nights...I was practically useless at work today)
> I'm happy but also disappointed because it is spot on on my computer
> but when I convert & upload to Youtube I'm losing quite a bit of
> synchronicity... I have had to compromise & settle which is kind of
> breaking my heart because it is something I was so proud of when I
> watched the finished video back on my computer... Anyhoo! Here is
> Mario & Frances Yeend at the Hollywood Bowl, 1947...
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZn8lypgJBg

[Vince Di Placido]

Here is something I have wanted to try for quite a few years, kept me
up all night working on it...

Mario & Frances Yeend at the Hollywood Bowl, 1947...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FccefrUX8uY

[Vince Di Placido]

Heidi, my email is vin...@hotmail.com
send me your address & I will send you a dvd of the clips that have
been blocked in Germany...

[Vince Di Placido]

Google are blocking that email Heidi, it's vincedp(at)hotmail.com

[Derek McGovern]

Vince wrote:

There is a lovely quality in Mario's vocal on this recording, I LOVE
IT! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aabqmOX720

There certainly is. I remember listening to it for the first time with my youngest brother, who was just 11 then, and we both found it instantly endearing. 

My favourite moment in the recording is the repeat of the line "standing by till I rise." Lanza sings it with such delicacy and sweetness that only the most prune-faced of cynics would disapprove.

[Derek McGovern]

Vince: That's excellent! I love the mix of concert photos with snippets from Toast. In fact, I've just added it to our new site in the "Operatic Recordings" section of the Discography.