"Singing to the Gods" BBC TV special on Mario

[jora...@comcast.net]

This bio was shown on public TV in this PA area last weekend, in fact
I taped it for Muriel who wanted to see Mario's cousin who appeared
live to help promote the program. What I didn't know was it was also
shown again in the NJ area this weekend...I did catch the last few
minutes of the show. Unfortunately, THIS was even a better one to tape
because daughter Ellisa was at the studio ( also Derek Mannering). She
had many nice things to say about her famous Dad, and
she ..herself...looked very good. Maybe some others taped this show?
Well, at any rate, I thought the docu was quite well done: very
blanced and fair. I don't imagine it was endorsed in some quarters
because it did mention ( not dwell on) Mario's drinking problem.

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: Overall, it's a pretty good documentary, and better than the
1983 American Caruso effort, which now seems dated and disjointed by
comparison. But where the latest doco is decidedly inferior to the
earlier effort is in its lack of musical analysis. The American Caruso
featured firsthand accounts of Mario's singing from conductor Peter
Herman Adler and sopranos Dorothy Kirsten and Frances Yeend - people
who had actually worked extensively with him. I realize that most of
these people are now dead, but I'm sure Mark Kidel could still have
borrowed this now-archival footage. (In fact, originally he *was*
going to use Kirsten's comments, I recall.) Domingo's presence as
host also added a touch of prestige to the whole thing, and there were
also contributions from Anna Moffo and the delightful Rosalind Elias.

But who do we get here? Someone called Babs Diner telling us that
Lanza's "was a true Italian tenor". How's that for penetrating
analysis?! I also felt that was far too much time was wasted on people
like photographer Murray Garrett (whom I'd never heard of before this
programme), who was essentially repeating the same tiresome comments
made in the doco by Terry Robinson and Al Teitelbaum. Instead, they
should have used much more Armando, especially since he could have
countered some of the excessive womanizing comments, clarified Peter
Prichard's mistaken observation that Lanza didn't live singing live
because "he was basically a movie star", elaborated on the chief cause
of Lanza's drinking problem, and - above all - provided the musical
analysis that was so woefully lacking here.

Incidentally, it's curious that of all Mario's movie co-stars, only
Sarita Montiel was available to speak here. She was very good, though,
and a welcome relief from Kathryn Grayson in the first documentary! I
would have liked to have seen Ann Blyth and Johanna Von Koczian ("For
the First Time") as well. Or Joan Fontaine for that matter!
(Interesting, isn't it, that all of Mario's leading ladies - aside
from Doretta Morrow - are still alive, whereas only a single one of
his male co-stars, James Whitmore, is still with us.)

For me, the best thing about this documentary was its professional
look. Mark Kidel has a wonderfully visual eye, and the editing was
often brilliant. I must say, though, that of his two versions of the
documentary, I much prefer the BBC one (not this version for American
audiences), since two of the best moments in the original have been
spoiled here. These were the You Do Something To Me sequence of Mario
with his leading ladies (now replaced with The Song Angels Sing, which
doesn't work at all) and the moving Stopponi reminiscence of Mario's
final day, which is no longer accompanied by L'Alba Separa dalla Luce
l'Ombra, but (inappropriately) by O Paradiso - a much less effective
choice in this context.

I thought Derek Mannering's contribution was a reasonable effort,
though I was irritated by a couple of his comments. One of these was
his insistence that Lanza was not an opera singer because he only sang
opera in films and on records. Hmmn. What about the four occasions on
which he appeared on the operatic stage, not to mention singing over
150 concerts - 86 of which (with the Bel Canto Trio) were
overwhelmingly operatic in their programming? (In fact, this programme
made it seem as though Lanza almost never sang in public.) He should
have at least said that Lanza was an "operatic" singer rather than
describing him as a "popular" singer, which I think conjures up
notions of people like Bocelli.

I also thought that Derek Mannering was quite incorrect in criticising
Lanza for *not* turning to opera after the Las Vegas incident, but
instead returning to movies (Serenade). This observation made no sense
whatsoever, since Lanza was already under contract for the film months
before the Las Vegas business and could not have opted out of this
commitment even if he'd wanted to. Prerecording for Serenade took
place just two months after the Las Vegas incident. I also find it
hard to believe his claim that "friends (at this point) implored Mario
to forsake Hollywood for opera". Well, I'd like to know just who those
"friends" were! The entire problem was that with the exception of his
parents, Spadoni, & perhaps one or two others, no one around Mario was
pushing him to do opera. These "friends" either didn't understand that
he badly needed to return to the operatic world in order to fulfill
himself artistically (and as a person), or they didn't want him to do
opera because it was less lucrative than films, which for people like
Teitelbaum, in particular, would have meant making far less money out
of him!



On Dec 9, 3:51 pm, "jorain...@comcast.net" <jorain...@comcast.net>
wrote:

[Savage]

Derek, I thought the documentary was adequate, but agree with you that
there was far too little content regarding Lanza as a singer and
musician. Another documentary needs to be produced by you in a few
years with the focus on the appreciation of his musical
accomplishments. There is no better teacher than you for a "Lanza
Appreciation Course" and the next documentary needs to be said course
designed by you with lots of input by singers, including Armando.


David

> > because it did mention ( not dwell on) Mario's drinking problem.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[jora...@comcast.net]

Ok Derek, fair comments...... but I was assessing it as in the eye
( ear) of the "average" viewer who I am not sure would want to hear
technical analysis. I agree much more could have been done. Who the
heck is Babs Diner and moreover, who cares what *she* thought?...lol.
I also was taken back by DM's comment about how after the Las Vegas
incident, his "friends" begged him to him to go to opera ( ohh, if
this only were really the case, sigh!). Unfortunately, we all know
that Mario was surrounded more by money-grabbing leeches and NOT true
friends!. The money was in Hollywood!..

I think the coming PBS docu made a few months ago in Philadelphia
( both Muriel and I attended that filming) will disappoint you a
little as well, along the same lines ( it won't be shown for almost a
year from now according to WHYY). BUT Hey, it is ALL great publicity
for Mario. The current generation needs exposure to his voice. I was
blown away by the many responses I had to Mike's great montage of
Mario's soft pedal.....some from youngsters, some from people who knew
a few numbers like BML, Drink, Drink etc

On Dec 9, 2:31 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Derek McGovern]

Hi Joe: By "lack of musical analysis" I meant that more time should
have been devoted to discussing Lanza's special vocal attributes,
i.e., by identifying the very qualities that made his voice *and*
singing stand out - then and now. It's all very well to have Mannering
emphasising Mario's versatility ("he could sing Puccini and Cole
Porter with consummate ease") - or for Al Teitelbaum to be telling us
that Lanza believed every word that he sang - but these qualities that
are (to a certain extent) applicable to quite a number of other great
singers. They're not enough to establish what was special about Lanza.
"He sang with true Italian schmaltzy feeling," Babs Diner tells us.
Wrong! It was the fact that he made the "schmaltz" so believable and
fresh (in a way that will never date) that was special.

So here's what I think Kidel should have addressed rather than wasting
so much time on Mario's philandering, garlic-munching, and other sins
both real and imagined: what was the unique timbre of his voice?
(don't just let let Jeff Rense say that no description could do it
justice: that's a cop-out if ever I heard one!) How big was the voice?
(Important since cynics to this day - remember those quotes in Opera
News?! - suggest that it wasn't large enough for opera.) What was the
power and range of this instrument? What about Lanza's near-perfect
diction, coupled with the ability to make even the tritest of lyrics
come alive? And what about his communicative powers?! As it was, we
were given only a hint in this direction when Armando was permitted to
tell us (accompanied by a brief snippet of Che Gelida Manina) that
Mario could make us feel what Rodolfo was feeling.

None of the above would have needed to be too "technical". But heck: a
few specifics wouldn't have hurt! After all, if I were watching a
documentary about, say, a great ballerina, I'd expect *some*
elaboration as to the qualities that made her special; I wouldn't be
satisfied with simply being *told* that she was great.

Somehow discussion on Lanza almost always seems to get "dumbed down",
whether it be the Met Guild Tribute to him in 2005 or efforts like
this.

How would a younger person watching this doco and experiencing Lanza
for the first time have reacted? Impossible to say for sure, of
course, but I'm willing to bet that the things that would have stood
out most for him or her are the following: Lanza had a great voice,
but didn't like singing in front of audiences...he was primarily a
movie star, not a serious singer...he was a gluttonous womanizer with
a violent streak when drunk.

Let's face it: the doco would have been a lot better if its substance
had been as impressive as its style!

[Muriel]

My thoughts on the BBC Doco:

Visually beautiful and skillfully constructed, I have to compliment
Mark Kidel on his excellent film work. The blending of still photos,
film clips, and venues connected with Mario, with appropriate music
and dialogue, is splendid. It held my complete attention from
beginning to end. What struck me was how vibrant Mario looked. The
television screen seemed too small to contain him as I imagined him
bursting out at any moment to join me! On our previous forum, I
believe Lou mentioned how his "larger-than-life charisma" impressed
her. Multiply that excitement by the size of the screen in a movie
theater and you'll get an idea of how I felt when I saw him in The
Toast of New Orleans! If I had been old enough to stay out at night,
I'd have stayed there, watching it over and over, until the theater
closed down!

We hear Mario singing many arias, operatic duets, and Italian songs
throughout the film, but most of the interviewees contended that Mario
was a movie star, only playing the role of an operatic tenor. They
played down, or totally ignored, the fact that he initially trained
for an operatic career and that that was his ultimate goal in life. I
found this to be a glaring irony. Whose voice did they think they
heard on those glorious recordings? He wasn't miming to another
voice. It was genuine Lanza, all the way! Comments like:
"impersonating an opera singer", "pop singer who sang opera", "Tom
Cruise with a voice", "frightened by the fast rise to fame without
deserving it", and "didn't like to perform 'live'", make me sad. I
think Mario would be sad as well.

Of all the participants, only Armando discussed his musical
potential. They all agreed that Mario's voice was beautiful and
extraordinary, but they didn't understand Mario's goals for himself.
Armando explained how Mario approached the role of Rodolfo (as we hear
him singing Che Gelida Manina), and how he, physically and vocally,
became that character. He went on to contend that Mario could have
eclipsed Caruso with his tremendous gift if he had not gone to
Hollywood. I found his assertion interesting that the huge success
of The Great Caruso was when Mario's inner conflict began. The film
made him a star to be reckoned with, but he was not accepted as a
serious classical artist. Critics, who had always been generous in
their reviews of his concerts, were replaced with insensitive
Hollywood types who mercilessly picked him apart for his appearance or
some behavior they didn't like. It had nothing at all to do with his
singing. They had no idea that a talented and creative artist like
Mario was high-strung and extremely sensitive to such criticism.
Inside, he was Mario Lanza/Freddy Cocozza, who was going to sing great
roles on the operatic stage. He considered this movie and radio
business only a temporary hiatus from his dream. Surely he would get
back on track, but in the meantime, the money was good....

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. The beginning of the Lanza story
contained important omissions critical to Mario's musical history.
After the mention of Serge Koussevitzky's name, the story goes
practically straight to his Hollywood career. It paused to tell of
his army recruitment and marriage, but what of his operatic
performances at Tanglewood, his filling in for Jan Peerce on the Great
Moments in Music radio program, Rosati's coaching influence, and his
singing with Frances Yeend and George London in concerts? All of these
had positive musical influences on Mario. A couple of quotes by any of
them would have been welcome. I'd love to see a program from one of
those concerts, as we probably would be surprised by the amount of
operatic music Mario sang, but never recorded. Singled out by critics
for his gorgeous voice, Mario seemed to be the tenor darling of the
day! But, no, we are plunged into the movie years. I must admit it
is delightful seeing Mario playing naturally and effortlessly on the
screen. In all but Seven Hills of Rome, he sings some operatic
material, usually dressed in costume.

We are rightfully treated to many clips from The Great Caruso,
considered the pinnacle of Mario's film career. I would venture a
guess that this was also the time when Mario realized his fifty-fifty
yearly split between making films and studying for opera was not to
be. As Mannering stated: "Mario captured the essence of a romantic
operatic tenor and, thus, paid a great tribute to Caruso." My thought
is that Mario paid himself the greatest tribute as he was in excellent
voice and sang beautifully - maybe better than Caruso? Mannering
feels the comparison with Caruso put pressure on Mario. I disagree
here too. Mario was secure in his vocal ability, which was further
strengthened by the respect he received from the Met stars that
appeared with him. (An aside: did you notice that Mario was shorter
than Jarmila Novotna?)

After TGC, Al Teitelbaum asserts that, as cooperative as Mario had
been on previous films, he did a 180-degree turn for Because You're
Mine. This isn't hard to believe, as it was as different a vehicle as
one could imagine. Mario might have balked at the beginning, but,
according to Armando's book, all principals were friendly in the end.
For the most part, the music in this film is respectable.

Mario's good spirits returned with the prospect of portraying Prince
Karl in the Student Prince. As I recall, he had not gained a lot of
weight before recording the music. Mannering commented on the
marvelous ease with which these recording sessions went. Then all fell
apart when filming began. The documentary only concentrates on Mario's
conflict with director Bernhardt as the reason for its failure.
Armando tells us in his book that other problems were present in his
life at the same time: his falling out with manager Sam Weiler (no
mention of him in the doco), over financial losses, the failure of
Pasternak to back him up in his request for another director, the
lasting effects from crash dieting for BYM. All these came hurtling in
on him at once and he wasn't strong enough to stay afloat. One scene I
thought was extraordinary at this point in the doco was a photo of
Mario's walking feet, panning up to the look of anger on his face.
Mario walked off the set and never returned. Consequently he was
fired, sued, and not allowed to work until the situation was
resolved. If Mario ever became insecure, I believe it was the result
of all these overlapping catastrophes. He discovered the dark side of
fame and became despondent over being letdown by his studio, and those
who took advantage of him financially without helping his career. His
talent didn't "frighten him", and his "sudden rise to fame" didn't
cause an identity crisis.

When Mario was allowed to work again, Al Teitelbaum became his
manager. Mark Ridel suggested that this would have been a good time
for Mario to return to opera. At the very least, RCA might have
benefited by putting him back in the recording studio for some serious
work. Teitelbaum's solution was to commit Mario to a television
appearance on the Shower of Stars and a disastrous nonevent in Las
Vegas. Mannering claims, "people implored" Mario to return to opera
after the fiasco. He doesn't name the "people". He himself thought
the post Serenade period was better as Mario's voice was richer by
then.

I'm puzzled by Mannering's statement that, with the filming of
Serenade, "Mario's sense of purpose was not the same". (?) Sarita
Montiel was a breath of fresh air. Derek McGovern recently lamented
how the scene between Mario and Sarita was not one of Mario's best. I
agree, but I think it was chosen as an introduction to Sarita. I wish
they had used the Ave Maria scene instead as it shows both in a
touching situation. She remembered Mario as a "big singing actor,
always natural". I don't agree with her statement that Mario thought
his weight made him unattractive. To the contrary, I don't he worried
about that at all. The studio forced him to diet.

After the poor reception of Serenade, Mario decided to move to Italy.
Eddy Lovaglio was probably correct in thinking Mario was looking for
his roots. She further astutely observed that Mario was tired of
people seeing his face on dollar bills! (He realized he had become a
meal ticket for too many!) Armando said that Mario felt at home in
Italy where he was very warmly received by the Italian people.

The subject of Mario's supposed womanizing came up, with most of the
chatter contributed by photographer Murray Garrett and Al Teitelbaum.
(Between Teitelbaum and Robinson, you can tell where Roland Bessette
got most of his information for his Lanza bio.) A scene taken from
Seven Hills was edited to look suspicious. Mario gave Marisa Allasio
his coat to wear while her clothes dried. We see her changing and the
very next view looks like Mario is present! Actually he had left the
train compartment and wasn't there at all! Talk about selective
editing! How I loved seeing the fountains in the Piazza Navonna again
in the Arrivederci, Roma, clip. Helping the little Luisa earn a few
coins was touching (screechy voice or not).

Oh, a highlight for me was seeing an undistorted London Palladium
video, even though it was not shown in its entirety. Mario is truly
mesmerizing singing "live". His hands seem to reach out to embrace the
world. We are charmed once again by the handsome Mario on the
Christopher Show.

A case of sour grapes seems to best describe Peter Prichard's
interview. I'd swear he is still harboring resentment over being
knocked down by Mario. He certainly has a humorless manner about him.
Surely he knew of the genuine offers from the Rome Opera and La Scala,
but chose to comment instead about Mario's drinking and
unreliability.

All throughout the film we get glimpses of Mario as Canio singing
Vesti La Guibba as he appears in For The First Time. His genuine
visual sadness matches his exquisite singing of this aria. Come Prima
is warmly sung, but, what on earth is the ridiculous Pineapple Pickers
doing here? As bad as the song is, it also shows an unhealthy man -
extremely unflattering. I'd much rather see the Otello Finale - can't
get enough of Mario as Otello!

But the icing on the cake was seeing the room at the Valle Giulia
Clinic where Mario died. Senor Stopponi's account of Mario's last day
still puts a lump in my throat when I think about it. A lovely
touching few minutes that exhibit his still unresolved grief.

This documentary is a mixed bag, showing us an exciting, hugely
talented Lanza, but missing the point of Mario's true place in the
world of serious music. The majority of those interviewed seem intent
on promoting him as a popular singer. This is a disservice to Mario's
gift. In reality, where he belongs is among the association of great
operatic tenors. Perhaps there's some truth in Mannering's remark
that Mario's ability to sing Puccini and Cole Porter with consummate
ease and believability trapped him where he was. I'd prefer to think
of Mario as one of the great operatic voices who was able to do
whatever he wanted with his instrument - a feat unmatched by any other
operatic tenor. I'm sure most of us here on this forum will concur.

It's sad that he didn't have the insight to choose the best people to
help him work toward his beloved operatic goal. But we do have his
recordings to hear the phenomenal voice. Even though we don't have any
video of him appearing on the operatic stage, we do have clues as to
how he might have looked from his movies. Oh! What a magnificent and
impressive divo he'd have been!! What we do have will sustain us....

Muriel

> > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

[Aline staires]

Bravo!!!Muriel...You've done it again. Is there any way the rest of us can see this  doco???How wonderful it would be to have it where one could watch it again and again. Aline    -------Original Message-------

[Muriel]

Thanks, my dear, but I thought it was on Canadian tv before it played
here. It is also included with the DVDs of Midnight Kiss and TONO.
Have you not seen it yet? I'll take care of it for you, just give me a
little time, okay? Right now I'm swamped by the two hundred cookie
recipes you sent me!!! Ahime!! Love you anyway....M

PS: I seem to have disrupted the format of this discussion with my
overly long post....sorry.

> ...
>
> read more >>
>
> newanim.gif
> 97KViewDownload
>
> imstp_pets_brown_dog_en.gif
> 21KViewDownload- Hide quoted text -

[Derek McGovern]

Bellissima, cara Muriella! You make a lot of *excellent* points here!

Yes, visually (as I wrote earlier) I had no complaints about the doco.
Kidel's editing was very creative here (if sometimes naughty, as in
his use of the Seven Hills "undressing" scene you mentioned). He also
inserted unrelated photos quite cleverly: for example, the pic of
Mario walking away angrily with a cigarette in his hand, which was
actually from the Serenade set in 1955, not the MGM studios in 1952!
Or the pensive photo of Mario by the window, which was taken years
earlier than the incident being described by Teitelbaum.

Elsewhere, as you've noted, only half of the story was told. There
were lots of silly things: Teitelbaum's story about Mario eating
garlic to upset Doretta Morrow wasn't correct, for example. Wrong
actress! Besides, old Al wasn't even around at the time. I also
thought that some of Kidel's commentary was way off the mark, eg, "He
increasingly struggled with the rift between reality and make believe"
- or words to that effect. Says who? Babs Diner?! And like you, I was
irritated by the constant harping on that he was merely "impersonating
an opera singer" in his films.

But enough carping from me! Overall, it was a good introduction to the
magic of Lanza. I'm also grateful that Kidel didn't allow Terry to
pedal out his Mafia hit story, as he'd done back in 1982!

> All throughout the film we get glimpses of ...
>
> read more >>

[Armando]

There's been a considerable amount of discussion recently on the
Lanza BBC Documemtary by Mark Kidel. In view of this, I thought it
might be opportune to add the comments I sent Kidel at his request,
back in December 2005.
This is what I wrote:

Dear Mark,
The documentary is professional, and very well made. I particularly
like the commentary, which is delivered in impeccably clear English,
by you, I assume.

The film breezes through Lanza's life and movie career, and is
reasonably accurate.
Mannering's contribution is good, overall, and I like what Eddy
Lovaglio and Giancarlo Stopponi had to say. Sarita Montiel is
excellent.

Statements from the likes of Murray Garrett and Teitelbaum regarding
Lanza's womanising and supposed affairs have no basis whatsoever.
Teitelbaum became Lanza's manager in May 1954. Consequently, most of
the comments he makes relating to earlier years are wrong, e.g., the
garlic episode occurred with Joan Fontaine during the filming of
Serenade (1955) and not with Doretta Morrow (1951).

Robinson's contribution is better than expected, although I find his
comment on thinking the record was a Caruso laughable as, at the
time,
he wouldn't have known the difference between Caruso and Rin Tin Tin,
and probably still doesn't.

My biggest problem with the film is that it leaves a lot of questions
unanswered.

One gets the impression that after being discovered by Koussevitsky
and serving in the Army, Lanza was signed by MGM and that was it.
There's no mention of the scholarship he was given, the two
performances of the Merry Wives of Windsor that he sang in
Tanglewood,
his studies with Rosati, the 86 concerts he sang with The Bel Canto
Trio, or the offers from some of the major opera houses.

Nor does the documentary elaborate on the fact that when he signed
with MGM, he was convinced that he could continue with his operatic
career, and that the overnight fame changed all that and made it
doubly difficult for him to undergo the scrutiny of both public and
critics alike, resulting in his becoming increasingly insecure and
guilt-ridden.

The documentary also totally fails to explain why he was reluctant to
return to opera. In other words, the risk he would be taking by
making
a major debut after having become world famous, as well as the amount
of time it would require to prepare for various operatic
performances;
learning the score, rehearsing etc.

Montiel touches on this when she says there was something sad inside
him. Yes, the fact that he was not fulfilling his operatic ambition.
You also do, when you say, "But even in Italy, serious opera proved
to
be something of a dream." Correct, but there is no explanation why.

Prichard is talking nonsense when he states that he didn't like to
sing in public. He was afraid to sing in public, as would anyone who
doesn't sing regularly before an audience. In Lanza's case, the fear
was accentuated by the close scrutiny he was subjected to.

The music selections are good, overall, but what possessed you to
include Pineapple Pickers is beyond comprehension. While in the
context of the film (For the First Time) one may be able to justify
the inclusion of this ghastly number (with the last note its only
saving grace) in the documentary it will only serve to add ammunition
to the snobs by reinforcing their opinion that he was singing
rubbish.

I would have thought that if you wanted to show Lanza's lighter side,
you had already accomplished this with Because You're Mine,
Arrivederci Roma, and Come Prima.

A couple of minor errors: The date of the home recording with Colleen
is 1952, not 1954, and De Mio mispronounces Piazza Barberini as
Barberina.

All in all, given your credentials, I feel that a good opportunity to
dwell deeper into the Lanza psyche by presenting a complete picture
of
the man and singer has been lost.

Regards,
Armando



Two years later, there is little I can add except to say that it's
far
from an in depth study of Lanza. Kidel is obviously an excellent film
maker, but he has no knowledge of opera at all, as he himself
admitted
to me. In fact he wasn't even sure who Lanza was and, initially,
turned down the project. Having decided to do it, he should have
either carried out considerably more research or else consult someone
expert with some musical credentials, and I don't mean me! Derek
McGovern would have been ideal, and even Lindsay Perigo on a good
day,
would have done justice to the subject.

Instead, Kidel decided to throw his lot in with Mannering and
company.
There's no doubt that Mannering is both sincere and enthusiastic in
his admiration for Lanza but, unfortunately, he understands next to
nothing about music in general, and opera and operatic singing in
particular. Caruso started off as a baritone?!!
So apart from generalizations such as 'he had this splendid voice,
this boyish charm' and so on, he can't contribute anything of musical
substance.

Kidel should also have used clips of singers such as Dorothy Kirsten,
Frances Yeend, Patrice Munsel, Rosalind Elias and conductor Peter
Herman Adler from The American Caruso documentary ( he told me he was
going to use Kirsten) instead of the useless psychiatrist, and the
equally useless Babs Diner, and Murray Garret. There is no evidence
that Mario felt in awe of the celebrities surrounding him in
Hollywood
as he had a pretty good self image up to 1952 and the Student Prince
debacle. As for preferring to eat hamburgers, perhaps if he found
himself wondering around downtown Los Angeles in the early hours of
the morning and felt a sudden pang of hunger, otherwise it was more
likely to be caviar and French champagne. The man had expensive
taste!

I also don't agree with Montiel assertion that he felt unattractive
to
women because of his weight. He was a soul in conflict by the time he
was filming Serenade, even Joan Fontaine picked up on that.

Kidel did say that he tried to get Ann Blyth, Johanna Von Koczian as
well as one or all of the three tenors, to no avail. I asked him
whether he had approached Kathryn Grayson. He said he had but felt
that she was "Vapid." Now we are being told that she refused as she
was engaged in conducting master classes! In what? Surely not
singing!

Another who claims to have refused to participate is Damon Lanza or
more precisely the person who does the talking for him. Again, Kidel
told me he wasn't interested in having him in the documentary.
Not surprising, really. As I discovered much to my dismay, Damon
knows
next to nothing about his father's life or career, save for "He used
to sing Guardian Angel for us before we went to sleep at night."















On Dec 11 2007, 5:30 pm, Derek McGovern <derek.mcgov...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> ...
>
> read more »

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Thank you Armando, Muriel and everyone for these comments about the
documentary which is the one I believe I have seen in pieces on
YouTube. I think it is in 6 parts but I would like to see it as one
complete film. I agree with all the points made and wish that more
work will be done stressing his musicality.

There is a new one being prepared at this moment in Pennsylvania by a
university professor that I have been in contact with. The title will
be "Meteor" and is scheduled to come out some time in 2008. Those of
you in the US please keep your eyes open for it and let us know if you
have any data on when it will come out. I am sure it will stress
Mario's "meteoric" rise to fame and since he was from Philadelphia I
think it may stress this part of his life. I just hope it does not
dwell on the nonsense that we all detest and know is just tabloid
journalism at its worst.

All the best

Emilio

> ...
>
> read more »

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Muriel, thank you for this extensive analysis. You made an
interesting point about Mario's operatic talent that was often times
overlooked by the critics as was his overall musical ability but the
facts and results speak for themselves. Mario was popular because he
could sing Puccini and Porter, as Derek says, and he was highly paid
for this.

If I am not mistaken, Armando makes this point close to the end of his
great book. It deals with an interview with a reporter from, I
believe, the New York Times. Mario notes that he made millions of
dollars in a few years, most of which he gave to the IRS, and that he
would have had to have been a ventriloquist if he did not have the
talent that people would pay to hear and see. Perhaps Armando can
send us this excerpt from his book that illustrates this.

We should also note that, again as Armando points out in his bio,
Mario was in the process of starting new and more ambitious projects
in 1960 including more television appearances and a debut with a major
Italian opera company. If he would have lived longer I am certain
that he would have proven that he could sing on the stage like any
great tenor and conquer the world of opera as he had done in other
fields.

You are so right Muriel in noting that we are at least fortunate to
have his recordings and movies that still give us immense pleasure and
help us dream as to what could have been.

Regards from Rome, Emilio

> All throughout the film we get glimpses of ...
>
> read more »

[Muriel]

Hi Emilio: Are you referring to the documentary called: "The Meteor -
The Rise And Fall of Mario Lanza" that Professor Moylan Mills has put
together? If so, it has already been taped on October 10, 2007, in
Philadelphia, and both Joe and I were present for it. He was most
complimentary in all his remarks about Mario and his talent.
Obviously, he did his homework, but nothing he said was new to me. He
took his facts from various sources, I would guess.

I think this program will be good for those who are not very familiar
with Mario's career. The fact that it will bring more exposure and
more interest in Mario is a good thing. I believe it will be shown
either later this year or early next. Hopefully, they will inform us
of the exact date.

One point Professor Mills repeated during the course of his remarks
was that Mario was a crossover artist and mentioned Josh Groban's
name. I have a problem when people associate Mario's name with that
of a popular singer. A critic in the Washington Post once put Mario's
name in the same sentence with Julio Iglesius!! Richard Troxell, a
tenor also appearing on the show, thankfully spoke up and stated that
Mario was not a crossover singer, but an operatic artist first, who
could also sing songs!! (Thank you, Mr. Troxell!)

As the taping was not done in one sequence, it's difficult to say how
long the final show will be. Mr. Troxell sang Che Gelida Manina and Be
My Love. Each was sung twice through and then parts were redone. If
anyone wants to hear Mr. Troxell's work, he has his own website:
richardtroxell.com and Joe tells me he also can be found on Youtube.
He is from Maryland, not far from my home, but now lives in the Philly
area. He says he became a fan of Mario's when he heard him sing
Guardian Angels on his Christmas album.

They showed a few film clips as well. One, from Because You're Mine,
the Addio Alla Madre, had Spanish surtitles!!! Ahime! Mario looked
splendid though, so I'll forgive them for that.

All in all, the show was tastefully prepared and will show Mario in a
favorable light. There should be no controversy from any side. For me,
however, I'd have liked to have had someone like Armando, with his
knowledge of Mario's life and musical expertise , interpreting
specific reasons why Mario's career went in the direction it did. But
- let's hope we'll see more films made about him. Young fans are
needed and this might entice many to listen and love him as we do....

Ciao, Muriel

> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -

[Lover of Grand Voices]

Thank you Mureil. I am happy you were in touch with Moylan. It would
be wonderful to see this for those of us outside the US. Perhaps you
can tape it when it is finally shown.

Best wishes for the weekend,

Emilio

> ...
>
> read more »

[Muriel]

Hi Emilio: Yes, I'll probably not see it in my Washington, DC, area,
but I'll keep in touch with some people in Philadelphia and make sure
a tape is made of it. I'm hoping WHYY will e-mail me with the dates as
I seem to be on their mailing list. If it is necessary, I'll come up
there and make a tape myself! As I stated before, there should be no
concerns that it shows anything negative about Mario. The addition of
Richard Troxell, who is an operatic tenor, rounds out the program
quite nicely. I know Mario's Philadelphia fans will enjoy seeing it.

I hope all is well in bella Roma? My mother-in-law was born there and
I have the fondest memories of my two visits there, once on mio
compleanno (my birthday)!!!

Ciao, Muriel

[Derek McGovern]

While watching part of Singing to the Gods recently, I was once again
irritated by film writer Gavin Lambert's comment - presumably in
reference to Lanza - that, "This whole idea that MGM ruined people is
*wrong*. There were people who were destined to be ruined [chuckles!],
and there were people who were destined to survive. It was a question
of character."

I don't buy this. Lanza wasn't "destined to be ruined" any more than
any other highly sensitive artist is pre-ordained as being "doomed".
Nor do I think his career at MGM would have ended with dismissal if
Schary hadn't replaced Mayer. I'm not suggesting that Schary was a
monster, but obviously he was either unable or unwilling to accept
that exceptionally gifted artists are invariably highly sensitive
individuals, who, as Barry Nelson put it to Armando, "need their
hands held an awful lot." In other words, they're extraordinary people
with different needs from the rest of us. Barry Nelson again: "To be a
great artist you have to have the vulnerability." Mayer, at least, seems to
have understood that (or grasped it well enough to play along with it).

So, with all due respect to Mr Lambert (who, incidentally, died within
weeks of that interview), a little more empathy on his part wouldn't
have gone amiss here. In fact, the more I learn about the lives and
inner conflicts of so many other exceptional artists - singers,
actors, composers, etc - the more I've come to appreciate the torment
that they often suffer while at the same time enriching our lives. We
owe it to them to cut them a little slack now and then. As Joan
Plowright recently said of her late husband, the great actor Laurence
Olivier:

"If a man is touched by genius, he is not an ordinary person. He
doesn't lead an ordinary life. He has extremes of behaviour which you
understand and you just find a way not to be swept overboard by his
demons."

Couldn't agree more.