The Great Caruso 73 years old
The Intimate Story of a Man with a Voice as Great as His Heart!
Loosely traces the life of tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921). He loves Musetta, in his home town of Naples, and then Dorothy, the daughter of one of the Metropolitan Opera's patrons. Caruso is unacceptable to both women's fathers: to one, because he sings; to Dorothy's, because he is a peasant. To New York patricians, Caruso is short, barrel chested, loud, emotional, unrefined. Their appreciation comes slowly. The film depicts Caruso's lament that "the man does not have the voice, the voice has the man": he cannot be places he wants to be, because he must be elsewhere singing, including the day his mother dies. Throughout, Mario Lanza and stars from the Met sing.
Credits
The Great Caruso Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Bess Flowers She was 52, 85 years old when she died | as Front Row Audience Member at 'Lucia di Lammermoor' (uncredited) |
| Eduard Franz He was 48, 80 years old when he died | as Giulio Gatti-Casazza |
| Mae Clarke She was 40, 81 years old when she died | as Woman (uncredited) |
| Ann Blyth She was 22, now 96 years old | as Dorothy Benjamin |
| Carl Benton Reid He was 57, 79 years old when he died | as Park Benjamin |
| George Chakiris He was 16, now 90 years old | as Dancer (uncredited) |
| Alan Napier He was 48, 85 years old when he died | as Jean de Reszke |
| Jarmila Novotná She was 43, 86 years old when she died | as Maria Selka |
| Ludwig Donath He was 51, 67 years old when he died | as Alfredo Brazzi |
| Richard Hageman He was 69, 84 years old when he died | as Carlo Santi |
| Dorothy Kirsten She was 40, 82 years old when she died | as Louise Heggar |
| Teresa Celli She was 26, 75 years old when she died | as Vocalist - Opera Montage |
| Marina Koshetz She was 38, 88 years old when she died | as Vocalist - Opera Montage |
| Mario Lanza He was 30, 38 years old when he died | as Enrico Caruso |
| Saint Lu She was 31, now 42 years old | as Vocal Ensemble (uncredited) |
The Great Caruso Crew
| Name | Department |
|---|---|
| William Ludwig as Writer. He was 38 (86) years old when He died | Writing |
| Richard Thorpe as Director. He was 55 (95) years old when He died | Directing |
| Joe Pasternak as Producer. He was 49 (89) years old when He died | Production |
The Great Caruso (73 years)
The Intimate Story of a Man with a Voice as Great as His Heart!
- Release day: Monday, April 16, 1951
- Runtime: 109 minutes