Mario Lanza "Confounding the Enemy" - The story of the "Shower of Stars" scandal & triumph.

[@belindawilliams3728]

I so love to hear Maestro Mario Lanza. He is the Patron Saint of the art of opera. Thank God for the beautiful Mario Lanza and his lovely tenor voice.

[@LMLISSEK]

Mario Lanza is my favorite singer . He inspired me to become a Cantor. I did sing at many concerts always including Marechiare or Avuchela and also singing opera. I am now 85 years old and their is not one day that passes without hearing his glorious, magnificent voice. Thank you for keeping Mario Lanza alive for future generations to enjoy. I was 14 years old when a dear friend (Larry)and I saw the Great Caruso “ 21 times. My present music library contains all his Proffessional recordings. Thank you so much for including personal insight of this unique great Artist.

[@dorothyslater2656]

I was about 12 or 13 when Lanza was at his most famous.I listened to a New York radio station which in those days played music from the Student Prince and Desert Song and because it was easy for me to learn lyrics, I learned them all. But at that young age, i wasnt interested in the voice that sang them. Years went by and I forgot Mario in favor of Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra and Ella. A few months ago, at the age of 87, I somehow thought of Lanza and thanks to You Tube I found him and listened with increduality . I now listen to him daily. I still know every word of the student Prince. and Desert Song.and often wonder if his name and glorious voice will be forgotten when those of us who were around in the beginning are gone.

[@jennygray7032]

Was, and still is, THE most stunning tenor voice of all time. Thank you Mario Lanza for all the years of absolute joy you've given the world.

[@komivesgabor8340]

Sok .

[@aetion]

I'll never forget that Mario Lanza brought me to the opera 60 years ago and I'll always be thankful to him. R.I.P. Mario, you are living on in our hearts. Thank you, dear Vincent, for these interesting videos.

[@remocaminada]

Great work done, dear Vincent. Thank you very much for sharing. Looking forward to get more such great documentaries.

[@paulabowen7906]

Absolutely loved this; very sympathetically told ........depicting this great man’s vulnerability and heroic bravery........ the one and only magnificent Mario Lanza.

[@tomyang5844]

Thank you Vincent...for putting the record straight! Bravo for your special touch, your carefully selected comments, and your own voice...emanating from your dear heart.

[@hallets1956]

Oh how I wish I was had been born 2 years earlier. he has been my favourite singer since I was 5 years old.

[@ТатьянаКалашникова-ю2ю]

С чарующим голосом Марио Ланца начинается каждый мой день! Спасибо вам за такую возможность!

[@suelybenicia7226]

Um grande artista 🤩, uma grande voz . Pena ter nos deixado tão cedo. I was born in 1968 , but I love him forever. Brasil 2021

[@margaretchoffel6898]

In his movies, in his eyes and in his hands, his nerves and fear of letting people down was evident.

[@КаринаМаргунова-п8б]

Спасибо большое🙏💕 Вам дорогой Винсент❤🎉🎉🎉

[@DiPlacido71]

You’re very welcome! 👍🏻☺️

[@richardburton3141]

Have watched this before but may I just say it is so wonderful you make amazing videos for our dear mario ....just a big thankyou thats all.......

[@DiPlacido71]

Thank you Richard, I really appreciate that. 👍🏻☺️

[@carmelacesari3409]

Excellent Vince! You have done justice to Derek McGovern’s wonderful essay. You are an outstanding storyteller!! Looking forward to your next project ;)

[@DiPlacido71]

Thanks a million, Carmel! 👍🏻☺️

[@JohnCzarnecki-l4c]

As I have said before . Very enlightening. Ijust wish I had recall, in order to learn lyrics.

[@moorfan1]

Vince, thank you so much for all that you do to keep the memory of the great Lanza's voice alive.

[@armandocesari6612]

The combination of Vince’s skills and knowledge combined with the brilliant prose of Derek Mc Govern has produced another outstanding film. This one deals with the uproar caused by Lanza’s lip-synched TV debut in 1954, followed by his triumphant second appearance which proved to the doubting Thomases and the gutter press that his magnificent voice was intact. Speaking of gutter press, the photo of Lanza singing for a number of reporters shows James Bacon sitting in the first row. Bacon was the very one responsible for leaking the story that Lanza had lip-synched to old recordings on his first TV show. Confounding the enemy, indeed! Well done guys!

[@nancyhalvorsen3271]

Che Bella voce! Che Bella lip sync!

[@sherom]

Bacon deserved to be slapped, he was nothing but a jealous prick. The media are the devil's advocate.!

[@davidhenrywall8619]

Mario lanza was a brilliant singer one of the best voices ever

[@buddytrabucco2684]

Mario Lanza was the king of Tenors no Tenor has come close to this man's voice ever to this Day 61 years to the Day Mario Lanza Died of a Heart Attack at the young Age of 38 years old He Had a Beautiful God Gifted Voice You are my Number one Favorite Tenor Forever

[@newmoon54]

Very well, and accurately said! All it takes is ONE listen.... especially when he hits the ~High -note(s)~ and holds it longer than anybody!!! Mario Lanza was the Sinatra of Opera!!!!!!

[@louisvaccaro5865]

Hi Buddy, as we all know, freddie cocoza. aka mario lanza was the greatest tenor, with the most beautiful voice, any one could possess. when mario lanza made the movie the great caruso it was a box office smash. enrico caruso jr sent mario a letter thanking him for portraying his father, he said not only was he as good as his father, but in some cases he excelled. that letter is on display at the mario lanza institute in philadelphia. Buddy all the best to you, member mario lanza institute, phil, and the new york society of mario lanza, for more than 30 years. Louie Vaccaro tenor Las Vegas.

[@armandtroiano6203]

Absolutely grateful for all these great concerts my Mario Lonza

[@sdi1111]

Every truly great tenor must perform the golden 'Top C' which everyone expects of him - or at least a Bb! The end of his second song was therefore a real anticlimax to a very good performance. This man had a special talent, but he was his worst enemy and sadly, he never did reach his true potential.

[@josiepecjo6088]

Thanks Vincent for showing the triumph of Mario oh! I miss him so much my one and only fav singer and actor.

[@Annamaria-iq1wy]

Che Mario canti magnificamente, ormai lo sappiamo tutti. Ora dico che l'immagine che apre questo bel post di Vincent con il volto di Mario sorridente rappresenta uno dei motivi per cui questo giovane tenore ebbe tanto successo nella sua pur breve vita artistica.I suoi occhi ed il suo sorriso oltre che il suo canto!

[@MieBlues]

Magnifacent Mario Lanza A Ki g Of He's Opretic Songs Sensational, Ferlisamo A Woonderfull Voice Then Prince An Became King Whom Sang From He's Heart ❤️ Soul & Spirit As Got Graced Mario An Blessed Him With the Beautiful Voice❤😇🤗😃🥰🤩😍😘🤭🧡💛💜💛❤️💛🩵🧡💜💛💜💋💋💋💋

[@zeailtonmattos500]

Obrigado por postar a história desse grande artista

[@Etnalleb]

Hedda Hopper the Gossip columnist of that era said that she invited Mario to her home for a interview and upon entering her home there was a large gilt framed mirror and Mario laughingly said to her " You Know I could crack this mirror with just one high note" Hedda said she laughed back at him and then she said " Like the fool I was , I said I'd like to see you try" and then she said "Mario took the stance of a prize fighter and let loose with a ear splitting sound , and Yes I was picking up glass for days". I talked with Damon (Mario's oldest son) just 4 months before he like his dad would die of a heart attack at 56yrs old and Damon told me when his dad would get angry he would hit these incredibly high pitched sounds and actually make the lights in the table lamps go out and the sound of his voice would reverberate around the entire house. So much for those purists who said Lanza's voice was to small for Opera and that he just had a studio voice pumped up by technics and sound modulators. As for the press it was James Bacon who was quick to report than Mario was lip syncing in that 1st Showers of Stars and that evil person spread all kinds of false stories degrading Mario's character including a disgusting scenario with Katheryn Grayson to which she publicly came out and denied it ever happened . I hope James Bacon is now sitting at Satan's dinner table roasting.

[@petergroverd6626]

I really don't know why TIME magazine had such an obsessive hatred for the man. Lanza for me was hurt too many times in his career. I wish he a much longer career and eventually got to his biggest wish... The Opera House stage.

[@rosannarisi622]

GRAZIE!

[@giorgiojvladiqt6060]

I Am a TENOR Because of Mario. And I named my son Mario. One of of MOST beautiful VOICE OF ALL time.

[@GuonMr]

Hi brought opera to the world with Luciano Pavarotti doing the same. Somehow I thin he would of been a great Otello, singing & acting passion. Viva Lanza!

[@saltorino4369]

Finally, the inside complete information,,,,,imagine,they didn't say much info in the press hearing of such fine singing,,, flawlessly beautiful,, but Lana won over it all,,,,and you have the actual recoring of him singing at the press concert ,,thanks for all thst you do Pacido. ,impressed,,,there needs to be more clarity,, and hidden info, ,keep searching. Fine info ,,thank you. Sal

[@saltorino4369]

Lanza

[@DavidThomas-xf8ms]

Just great

[@DiPlacido71]

Thanks David! One of my early videos, but I think it’s a compelling wee story and Derek McGovern’s essay is fantastic.

[@kathleenhartman3718]

OMG Vince! I've listened to both songs so many times and believed I understood most of the phraseology. Boy was I wrong. You have helped me so much! I am very grateful for the time and effort you and Derek McGovern put into this. I have been a subscriber for awhile but now that you and your dad are also my friends, I am convinced that I will be learning much more in the future. Hugs to you both, Kat 😏

[@DiPlacido71]

Thanks, Kathleen! Derek’s essay (the second half of this film) is beautifully written.

[@rouman7]

He was the best imo , there are many that are good , and I like a few but he was the best

[@rouman7]

Also love Alfredo kraus , di Stefano..but Lanza is imo no 1

[@jeovamtenorio661]

O melhor e mais vibrante tenores de todos os tempos

[@davegiacon3976]

Just beautiful Vincent

[@ИринаМалафеева-ы6ш]

Нет слов ! Спасибо . Винсент за любовь к Марио и память о нём!

[@Annamaria-iq1wy]

Gli occhi sognanti di chi sta ascoltando Mario dicono tutto!

[@gilliansherlock7211]

My god he was amazing

[@ToniMorrell]

Bless his beautiful, sweet soul. Having been in show business all my life, I know the cruelty of this business... in a much more infinitesimal manner, of course! However, when you are at the top of the world, and you fall from grace because of the nasty, backstabbing, cruel-beyond-words actions of Louis B. Mayer's "successor" at MGM. And why? For "The Student Prince", he sided with some nasty old director (who had the audacity to "instruct " Mario Lanza how to sing) over the greatest voice and male star in the world in 1952, fired Mario, then tied him up in red tape for nearly 3 years! How this was legal is beyond me. To deny any artiste the ability to earn a living was beyond a cruel, heartless disgrace. And to have seen Edmund Purdom lip-synching to some of the most beautiful recordings ever heard on a screen, must have broken Mario's heart! I truly believe the serious self-destruction in Lanza began at that time. Nevertheless, he came through so magnificently. The tabloid press can be a sub-human species. Thank you for telling the story behind this awful, depressing period in Mario Lanza's life. I just can't help think that - should he have had a much stronger management team, something should and could have been done to help him. Loving you always, Mario!

[@ronaldo190172]

Beautiful words

[@marisaantonini4618]

Hhhhhhgh

[@ToniMorrell]

@@marisaantonini4618 ???????

[@ronaldo190172]

Thanks, as always, Vince. Stunning. Are these the recordings from the press meeting? They sound like his home rehearsal tapes from 1952

[@DiPlacido71]

There is an on screen caption/disclaimer Ron stating that it’s a reconstruction using home rehearsal audio but those 2 songs were part of the mini concert for the press.

[@charlesfisk2435]

excelent!

[@DiPlacido71]

Thanks Charles, one of my favourite wee films of mine, a great essay by Derek McGovern in the second half.

[@davidcraig9938]

You had me spellbound with this one...awesome delivery!

[@DiPlacido71]

Aw! Thanks so much, David! 👍🏻

[@maysusanbedural9960]

I am so grateful to you for painstakingly piecing together all these facts in defense of my forever best singer Mario Lanza. I live you for that...,

[@DiPlacido71]

Thanks May! 👍🏻☺️

[@bikerbisht110]

Thanks for sharing Vincent

[@mymthegreyful]

Excellent ; i did not know any of this and i'm so grateful to learn it. Thank you.

[@DiPlacido71]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 👍🏻

[@DiPlacido71]

You might also enjoy this story: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmWlYn9_m6ykodksi=s2c3zzqCI8pCpO34

[@mymthegreyful]

@@DiPlacido71 Your delivery is also perfection . I've been listening to him my entire life . I've never liked how his movies portray him as a bumblin baffoon sort of ? So wonderful to see him perform with full confidence . Thank you again.

[@maysusanbedural9960]

Thank you so much..esp for the defense on his voice regarding that scandal.. His voice is so majestic... 💖 💖 Is

[@janethu9169]

Bravo

[@vincentdiplacido4005]

Beautiful Job vincent Love ,it ,love you ,XXXXXX

[@margaretchoffel6898]

I wish you hadn't talked over his aria.. I understand why, but I would have liked to savor it with analysis after.

[@DiPlacido71]

Margaret it was an essay about the performance, I added the link to the full performance at the end, here it is again… kzbin.info/www/bejne/p6TNmZ15oaxmrtE

[@ronaldgoff7499]

BEST TOSCA ARIA IV EVER HEARD

[@ronaldgoff7499]

59 movie i sole mio best including carusos version

[@truthhitman7473]

The greatest tenor of all time Mario Lanza 👑

[@davidp2837]

God bless Vincent

[@gabryc.3004]

Ciao Vincent, vorrei si potesse in simultanea tradurre in italiano i links sulla vita di Mario Lanza. L'inglese lo parlo e lo capisco.... però perdo alcune parole.... Comunqueti ringrazio per tutto quello che fai

[@Annamaria-iq1wy]

Gli occhi sognanti di chi lo ascolta da vicino sono la prova del fascino della voce di Lanza! Fascino a cui nessuno è mai sfuggito, neanche la Regina Elisabetta...

[@markjob6354]

There's absolutely no question in my, or many other's minds that Mario Lanza was one of the greatest Operetec tenors (Minus the actual career on the stage in the opera, of course) of all time. No one, except Enrico Caruso of Italy could equal Lanza for bringing the sheer pathos of emotion that opera composers, like Gisepe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini must have wanted to communicate to their audiences. I thought your running narration and characterizations of the Lanza live singing scandal on "Shower of Stars" to be a little overwrought. It is unclear from the historical account as to what degree Lanza's singing to pre-recorded tracks actually was a real "Scandal," as you try to make it out as being. Hollywood has used, and still uses to this day, a singing to pre-recorded studio tracks on live camera takes to capture assured quality lip sync takes ( Some call it "Lip Syncing.") Big Movie Musicals for MGM, like "Showboat 1936,1951, The Great Caruso 1951, and Hello Dolly, 1969, Paint your Wagon, from Paramount in 1969, Godspell 1973, The Greatest Showman, 2017, all used what Lanza used to make his movie and TV live performances. If you do a youtube search you can bring up the behind the scenes making of most of the movies I listed, and you can watch the sound technicians bringing in the Swiss made Nagra Sync sound recorder for playback and one for live recording. You can really see this in the making of the Movie Godspell behind the scenes on youtube. Here's how this works: 1. A playback tape recorder plays back the studio pre-recorded track, and this is what the talent sings to when the camera is rolled on set. 2. A second (Live Recording Nagra Tape Recorder) is rolling in sync with the camera's motor on 60Hz # 24 fps in North America (50 Hz 25 fps in Europe), and a live mic on set records the actual talent singing to the playback. 3. When the director yells "cut !" the mic is lowered in front of the camera and an assistant brings in the Clap bord slate (Usually held upside down) and the assistant yells out "Tail Slate," and the name of the song and setup, then they cut the camera and second recording synch sound tape recorder. 4. In the editing room, the editor cuts the picture by synching the various shots to the (Live) recordings made on the second Nagra recording live on set, then, once completed this audio is discarded and is replaced with the playback pre-recorded track, and this is what you hear in the Cinema. Presto ! That's how it is done. Most music review shows did not use live recordings until Ed Sullivan pioneered it at CBS, but that was done in a specially re-built studio in downtown New York, and even his talent would sing to a Pre-recorded track until around the time Elvis started appearing live on the show. The producers wanted to get the screaming and swooning reactions from the live audience, so they went open mike.

[@dr.warfe-operationtabanghe6901]

I adored Mario. I am a wide range Baritone. I learned several songs. I'm in KZbin. You can hear my version of The Lord's Prayer and I'll Walk With God. I am trying to recover Turna Surriento, O Sole Mio, Because you're mine, Granada and Be My Love.

[@saltorino4369]

Vincent di.Placido,,, excuse me

[@vincentdiplacido4005]

My Dear Vincent ,I Cannot Add Anything To what has been said her Except ,I love your work God bless you my dear Son ,Keep up the good work , Mario Is Looking down from above , And Blessing you , Your heart say"s it all xxxxxxx

[@santosperez8472]

Voz irrepetible. Jamás será igualada.su voz tenía embrujo

[@nancyhalvorsen3271]

Mi fa male. He is cheating. Damn!

[@vos8390]

❤🙏🌷🌈