NR | 1 hr 37 min | Romance, Musical | 1950
Mario Lanza was one of the most famous singers of the mid-20th century. This Italian American tenor was lauded as “The Service Caruso” and “voice of the century.” Many people were introduced to classical singing through Lanza’s recordings, some even being inspired to become singers themselves.
What many people don’t know is that Lanza was a movie star in the 1950s. At that time, Hollywood had a great appreciation for classical music, so opera singers and other musicians were recruited for movie musicals. MGM, in particular, showcased the talents of extraordinary musical legends, giving us a chance to see their amazing talent and technique from a front-row vantage point.
My favorite movie with Mario Lanza is “The Toast of New Orleans” from 1950. Also starring MGM’s most classical female singer, Kathryn Grayson, it’s an operatic delight with a unique, hilarious story.
A Southern Story
This story takes place around the turn of the 20th century. New Orleans opera diva Suzette Micheline (Grayson) and opera director Jacques Riboudeaux (David Niven) visit the rural fishing village of Bayou Minou for a special concert. Cocky local fisherman Pepe Duvalle (Lanza) impulsively joins her onstage during her song. While she is appalled by his effrontery, Riboudeaux is very impressed with his strong tenor voice. He invites Duvalle to New Orleans to become an opera singer, and after Duvalle’s fishing boat is ruined, he decides to take up the offer.Duvalle and his lovably oafish uncle, Nicky (J. Carrol Naish), resist conforming to refined New Orleans society. Riboudeaux gives him singing lessons with Maestro Trellini (Richard Hageman) and instruction in the social graces with Oscar (Clinton Sundberg), while Micheline tries to avoid the incorrigible young man. However, when Riboudeaux leaves town to arrange a tour, Micheline has to take over a lot of Duvalle’s lessons to make him behave himself.
During the process of working together, Duvalle’s playful infatuation with Micheline turns to sincere love. However, Micheline is reluctant to acknowledge her attraction to her new leading man, since she knows they are very different people. Also, she feels indebted to Riboudeaux, who wants to marry her.
Opera on the Big Screen
This was Lanza’s second movie. He made his debut the year before in “That Midnight Kiss,” which also starred Grayson. Since that film was a big hit, MGM decided to reunite the two and make them into another pair of “The Singing Sweethearts,” like the studio had with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy in the 1930s. “The Toast of New Orleans” was another success with critics and at the box office, but it was the end of the partnership. Lanza’s persistent flirtation with Grayson annoyed his leading lady in real life as much as in the story, and she found him intolerable by the end of filming.This film’s score is a blend of opera music and songs written for the movie. This technique not only kept the story moving along and kept the audience entertained, but it also made the film eligible for an Academy Award nomination in the Original Song category with the duet that the two leads sing in their first scene together, “Be My Love.” Two other compositions written for this film were Lanza’s solo “I’ll Never Love You” and the folksy group number “Tina-Lina.”
Besides these, several famous opera pieces are heard throughout. Grayson sings coloratura arias like “O luce di quest’anima,” “Je suis Titania,” and “Regnava nel silenzio,” and Lanza sings the dramatic tenor aria from “Carmen.” They sing the famous drinking song from “La Traviata” as a duet. The movie’s climax is a performance of the Act I finale from “Madame Butterfly.” The story here is threefold: You have the opera’s plot, fueled by the movie characters’ passion but with the underlying tension between the performers in real life.
This movie is lots of fun to watch, whether you’re an opera fan or not. MGM had a brilliant way of presenting classical music, which made it enjoyable and appealing to all. The costumes are spectacular, particularly Grayson’s gowns, and they beautifully evoke the period. The sets are magnificent as well, including an elaborate New Orleans street scene, which was one of the largest sets built on the MGM soundstage at that time.
“The Toast of New Orleans” is captivating because it’s believable. Duvalle is a lot like Lanza in real life: a ladies’ man with an athletic, uncultured background, who catapulted to fame because of his magnificent natural voice. If you aren’t a Lanza fan already, you will be after watching this movie.
