Mario Lanza at 100

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Transcript

These days, when we think of stars who have had success in music and in film and television, you, maybe, think of Will Smith or Justin Timberlake, but these are in the main singers who act, and their two skills rarely intersect. But almost a century ago, from the 1930s on, there emerged a special breed of performer, the singing actor.

Bing Crosby, Sammy Davis Jr., Julie Andrews, Elvis Presley, and Barbara Streisand were both big draws at the box office and at the jukebox. But in their midst was an anomaly, a global superstar who was also one of the greatest operatic voices of all time.

Be my love

For no one else can end this yearning

On this episode of “Articulate,” we commemorate the 100th birthday of Mario Lanza, his centenary, in the company of Met Opera tenor, Lanza’s fellow Philadelphian Stephen Costello, and Lanza’s daughter, Ellisa Lanza Bregman.

Mario Lanza was born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia on January 31st, 1921 to Maria and Antonio, both immigrants from Southern Italy. Growing up in a row home in South Philadelphia, the young Mario became obsessed with the recordings of one of the greatest singers of all time, Enrico Caruso. The young Mario was constantly trying out arias around the house, and his opera-loving family were impressed with what they heard.

Ellisa Lanza Bregman: When they discovered that he could sing, my grandmother went and she had two jobs to support his singing lessons.

Now, a century later, Lanza continues to be an inspiration for both aspiring and for highly accomplished singers, among them, Met Opera tenor Stephen Costello, who to this day sees his fellow Philadelphian as something of a trailblazer.

Stephen Costello: The first time I heard Mario Lanza, it was the voice that attracted me to him, and it was unbelievable. It’s unbelievable to have, to be a tenor, aspiring to be an operatic tenor, and then have such an incredible operatic tenor come from your hometown, you know? It’s not every day you have a connection like that.

Excerpt “With a Song in My Heart”

With a song in my heart

I behold your adorable face

Just a song at the start

But it soon is a hymn to your grace

When the music swells

I’m touching your hand

It tells that you’re standing near and

At the sound of your voice

Heaven opens its portals to me

Nothing to but rejoice

That a song such as ours came to be

And I always knew

I would live life through

With a song in my heart for you

When the music swells

I’m touching your hand

It tells that you’re standing near and

At the sound of your voice

Heaven opens its portals to me

Nothing to help but rejoice

That a song such as ours came to be

And I always knew

I would live life through

With a song in my heart for you

Costello: Oh, the voice was completely unique. To me, It’s like what you would hear from all the old like Italian lounge singers, for instance, right? But it also had this operatic sound, this big, robust sound, but it was just smooth, and it’s just, it’s so gorgeous. It’s so unbelievable, and it’s distinct, it’s like when you hear it, you can, it’s, that’s Mario Lanza.

Bregman: I believe people love my father because he exuded honesty, truth, a love of what he was doing. When he sang, he believed every word of that song, and he gave it his all. People even today love his voice. They marvel and they, if only, you know, what might’ve been. Who knows? But in 10 years of his short career, he’s still enduring, you know, he’s still here.

Excerpt from “Be My Love”

Be my love

For no one else can end this yearning

This need that you and you alone create

Just fill my arms

The way you fill my dreams

The dreams that you inspire

With every sweet desire

Be my love

And with your kisses set me burning

One kiss is all I need to seal my fate

And hand in hand

We’ll find love’s promised land

There’ll be no one but you for me

Eternally

If you will be my love

And hand in hand

We’ll find love’s promised land

There’ll be no one but you for me

Eternally

If you will be my love

“Be My Love” was Mario Lanza’s first big hit. He sang it in a duet with Kathryn Grayson in the MGM film The Toast of New Orleans in 1950, and his solo recording of the song got to number one on the Billboard charts, selling more than two million copies later that year. The song was instrumental in making Lanza a worldwide star on television, radio, and the silver screen.

Costello: He was a film star to most people. And when you associate, in that time, like, who were the other film singers? Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, people like that. So it was, he was probably the first crossover star, if you think about it. He was the first one to bridge the gap between pop culture and classical music.

Excerpt from “Serenade”

Overhead the moon is beaming

White as blossoms on the bough

Nothing is heard

But the song of a bird

Filling all the air with dreaming

Could my heart but still it’s beating

Only you can tell it how

Beloved

From your window give me greetings

Hear my eternal vow

Soft in the trees lie the echo of my longing

While all around you my dreams of rapture throng

My hope, my joy, my soul, my dear

Your heart must tell you that I am near

Lean from above while I pour out my love

For you know to my life you are dear

Costello: The one thing I have to say about singing different genres of music is you never sing it in anything less than your voice, right? So you wouldn’t change your technique, you wouldn’t change your style to sing MGM standards to classical music, right? And that’s the one thing that he didn’t do, which I liked about Mario Lanza, was he never sang anything with less than his voice. So it may seem too operatic to people, but, to me, I thought it was just beautiful.

Mario Lanza Singing “I’ll Walk with God”

I’ll walk with God

From this day on

His helping hand

I lean upon

Costello: I was a cantor in church for the four years I was there, two masses every Sunday, and “I’ll Walk With God” was one of the songs that I sang all the time.

Excerpt from “I’ll Walk With God”

I’ll walk with God

From this day on

His helping hand

I lean upon

This is my prayer

My humble plea

May the lord be ever with me

There is no death, though eyes grow dim

There is no fear when I’m near to him

I’ll lean on him forever

And he’ll forsake me never

He will not fail me

As long as my faith is strong

Whatever road I may walk along

I’ll walk with God

I’ll take his hand

I’ll talk with God

He’ll understand

I’ll pray to him each day to him

And he’ll hear the words

That I say

His hand will guide

My throne and rod

And I’ll never walk alone

While I walk with God

Today within the opera world, Mario Lanza is still hailed as one of the greatest voices ever. Two of The Three Tenors, the late Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras, are on record as saying that seeing a Mario Lanza film was what prompted them to dedicate their lives to singing. Yet Lanza would become such a huge global star, that he himself rarely set foot on an opera stage.

Costello: You know, he’s a wild card, because he did so much. He didn’t do operas, but he did arias. He sang, even in his 30s, he sang some of the Verdi arias as well as some of the greats, you know? Yeah, we did, we lost him too early, for sure. But, did we lose the voice too early? I’m not so sure. I think that yes, it would have gotten better, it would’ve been neat to see if the voice had gotten darker, if the voice had gotten heavier, but he covered such a plethora of music. He covered so many genres, covered so many arias that he left us with such a great catalog of music.

Mario Lanza could make any song his own. Take for example “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” from 1945’s Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Carousel.” The song would become a standard, and be recorded by the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and more recently, Marcus Mumford and Lana Del Ray. It’s also become an anthem for many soccer fans, especially those of Liverpool F.C.

Liverpool crowd cheering

Walk alone

You’ll never walk

 But, says Stephen Costello, no one has ever sung it like Mario.

Costello: There’s something about the way Mario Lanza sings “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” it’s just the way that they sing it full, operatically, and with a lot of heart and a lot of passion, and it just really is moving.

Excerpt from “You’ll Never Walk Alone”

When you walk through a storm

Hold your head up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of a storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

When you walk through the storm

Hold your head up high

And don’t be afraid of the dark

At the end of the storm

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of a lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and blown

 Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

And you’ll never walk alone

You’ll never walk alone

Bregman: My father today would probably be very surprised about his continuing legacy. I don’t know if he ever expected the fame that he still, or that is still continuing today. Quite honestly, I’m surprised, as a family, we of course love our father and we love his music, but I am just thrilled, and so happy that it is continuing, and my feeling is that it will continue.

Costello: I think it’s important to keep a legacy like that alive, because the voice is just so unique. I mean, it’s one of those voices that’s like one in a million.

Excerpt from “Without a Song”

Without a song

The day would never end

Without a song

The road would never bend

When things go wrong

A man ain’t got a friend

Without a song

That field of corn

Would never see a plow

That field of corn

Would be deserted now

A man is born

But he’s no good no how

Without a song

I’ve got my trouble and woe

But sure as I know

The Jordan will roll

I’ll get along as long as a song

Is strong in my soul

I’ll never know

What makes the rain to fall

I’ll never know

What makes the grass grow tall

I only know there ain’t no love at all

Without a song

I got my trouble and woe

But sure as I know

The Jordan will roll

I’ll get along as long as a song

 Is strong in my soul

I’ll never know

What makes the rain to fall

I’ll never know

What makes the grass grow tall

I only know

There ain’t no love at all

Without a song