Mario Lanza did more to bring classical music and opera to the masses through the popular art of movies than anyone else. His unique tenor voice was known to millions through such hit films as
The Great Caruso and
The Toast of New Orleans, and on such chart-topping records as
Be My Love and
Arrividerci Roma.
The chubby "Singing Truck Driver" from Philadelphia became a Hollywood legend, only to be destroyed through his own excess. In a brief twelve years, Lanza went from being a top box office star to a has-been whose overeating, womanizing and erratic behavior destroyed his career. In the end, at the tragically young age of 38, he died alone and near-penniless in a diet clinic under mysterious circumstances.
Through clips of his most popular films and recordings, and from interviews with co-workers Zsa Zsa Gabor, Anna Moffo, Kathryn Grayson and Joe Pasternak, Mario Lanza's turbulent life is frankly presented. This revealing video profile presents the highs and lows of the remarkable all-American talent that was Mario Lanza.
"...his story is fascinating, and this program, written and produced by Jo Ann Young, does it full justice."
- John J. O'Connor, New York Times
