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Carole Shea vividly recalls when she first met Mario Lanza at the Philadelphia premiere of "That Midnight Kiss," the singing legend’s film debut with Kathryn Grayson. Shea wasn’t an awestruck fan; she was Lanza’s first cousin.
"Of course I was young, but I do remember meeting him," Shea said, noting her mother, Agnes Lanza, and Mario’s mother, Maria Lanza, were sisters. "He gave me some photos to hand out to my classmates. Of course that was exciting."
While the much-younger Shea never heard him perform live, she would talk to him on the telephone at holiday time. The family would gather at her grandparents’ home, 636 Christian St.,, where Lanza would call and speak to each family member when she was a child.
Her favorite memory was when she was a freshman in high school and she and about 30 family members dined with Lanza at the Waldorf Astoria in New York prior to his 1957 departure for Rome, where he spent his remaining years.
"That was the last time I saw him alive and it was wonderful to be a part of that celebration," the Wallingford resident said.
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Mario Lanza died Oct. 7, 1959. To commemorate his life, as well as to raise money for the institute and its scholarship fund, the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum, 712 Montrose St., will hold a weekend of festivities with those who have worked with the singer or affected by his legacy.
The fund has already fulfilled Lanza’s dream by awarding more than 230 scholarships to aspiring opera singers since its inception after Lanza’s death 50 years ago. Auditions for the scholarship were held last week, narrowing down the 85 candidates to just five. The winner will be announced this weekend. Finalists include soprano Maria Aleida; tenor Zach Borichevsky; baritones Christopher Magiera and Michael Anthony McGee; and bass baritone Donovan Singletary.
"It was Mario Lanza’s dream to start a foundation to help young singers," Bill Ronayne, the institute’s vice president, secretary and publicity director, said. "Unfortunately, his early death at 38 prevented that."
The weekend begins 8:30 Saturday evening at the High Note Café, 13th and Tasker streets, during a tribute that will feature a four-course Italian meal, raffles and entertainment by Patric "Caranza" Hale — named so for his similar style to Lanza and fellow tenor Enrico Caruso. This will lead up to Mayor Michael Nutter’s proclamation of "Mario Lanza Day," which also was declared in 2002 by Mayor John Street when the museum and institute moved into its current home.
A 10 a.m. Mass at St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi Church, 712 Montrose, where tenor Giuseppe Taormina will perform "Ave Maria" as Lanza did at the church when he was 19, will kick off Sunday. An open house and reception follows an hour later at the institute and museum that houses photos and portraits of the singer. A tour of Lanza’s childhood home at 636 Christian St. usually would take place after the Mass, but the death of his aunt, Julia Lanza Alioto, has halted access.
"Julia Alioto would have an open house. The place would be so jammed you couldn’t move," Frese said, adding visitors always wanted to see the third-floor room where Lanza was born.
Festivities then will head to the Doubletree Hotel, 237 S. Broad St., for the 48th annual ball starting with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m. The evening will feature performances, including Taormina, judging and the announcement of the scholarship winners, as well as dinner, dancing and a video tribute.
Elaine Malbin will serve as the mistress of ceremonies. Malbin, a soprano, sang with Lanza on "Stolta Paura L’Amore" from "Madama Butterfly" and "Libiamo ne’ lieti calici" from "La Traviata" when she was 19.
Peter Nero, who conducted a tribute to Lanza with the Philly Pops 14 years ago, also will be in attendance. Quite fitting, since Nero will once again pay tribute to the tenor with four concerts at the Kimmel Center in April, where he will feature more of Lanza’s repertoire for "The Great American Tenor," he said.
"He was kind of a diamond in the rough," Nero said of the singer. "The whole opera world didn’t take him too seriously because he strayed from opera. He went into pop songs, but they failed to recognize that he had it. In other words, he had that God-given gift."
Shea and about 20 family members will be in attendance this weekend to celebrate the tenor’s short, yet successful life. The institute expects about 150 attendees and Lanza would have been grateful for the outpouring, Shea said.
"He is looking down from heaven and he’s giving a hug to everyone," she said. "He is thanking and giving a hug to every one of his fans."
Alfredo Arnold Cocozza, Mario Lanza before he took the masculine form of his mother’s maiden name, was born Jan. 31, 1921 — the same year his idol Caruso died.
When his father Antonio couldn’t work after being wounded in the Army, his mother worked two jobs to ensure Lanza received his singing lessons. As a child, Lanza frequently listened to Caruso, who he later portrayed in the ’51 film, "The Great Caruso," on the family Victrola resulting in him being well-versed in arias by his teens. He attended Edgar Allan Poe Elementary School, 2136 Ritner St., the current location of GAMP, and was classmates with future Mayor Frank Rizzo at Vare Middle School, 2100 S. 24th St.
The Southern grad gave his first public performance at the church that now hosts his celebratory Mass. Two years later, he auditioned for Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Sergei Koussevitzky, who offered him a scholarship to train with the orchestra in Tanglewood, Mass.
But, during World War II, Lanza was drafted into the Army, where he was in two military productions before being released three years later in ’45.
While performing at the Hollywood Bowl in ’47, he caught the attention of MGM head Louis B. Mayer, with Grayson, a future Lanza costar, on his arm. Mayer signed Lanza to his Hollywood studio, launching his 11-year film career that lead to starring in "Toast of New Orleans" and "Because You’re Mine." He also made his professional debut as Lt. Pinkerton in "Madam Butterfly" at the New Orleans Opera the same year Mayer discovered him.
After recording for "The Student Prince," Lanza was soon fired from MGM in ’52 and moved to Italy. He made three more films: "Serenade" in ’56 for Warner Bros. in Mexico; "Seven Hills of Rome" two years later in Italy; and his final film, "For the First Time" in ’58. He had two heart attacks and died before filming could begin on what may have been "Laugh Clown Laugh" in ’59, institute Treasurer Jeanette Frese said.
"I believe his son [Damon Lanza] found two separate titles with different stories, so people don’t know what that film would have been," she said.
Lanza died of his third heart attack at age 38 in Rome. Betty, his wife of 15 years, died five months later at age 37. In addition to Damon, the couple had three other children, Colleen, Elisa and Marc. Lanza is survived by Elisa, who resides in California.
Following his death, Lanza has been honored locally with a park in his name in ’67; inducted into the Philadelphia Walk of Fame in ’87; with a mural at Broad and Reed streets in ’97; and with a boulevard near the Philadelphia International Airport.
"I want everyone to know what a wonderful person he was," Shea said. "He was a person that was giving, caring and concerned about others more than himself … The bottom line was that’s what he wanted was to share his beautiful voice with the world."
Even though fans adored him worldwide, Lanza always had a special place in his heart for home, never forgetting his roots.
"Mario was the son of South Philly," Shea said. "It’s their favorite son. I know a lot of stars come out of South Philly. I will never diminish that fact, but Mario was one that really touched the heart of everyone."
