Turn-of-the-century New Orleans is the setting of this operatic, musical romance starring Mario Lanza and his powerful voice and the porcelain Kathryn Grayson. Lanza plays a bayou, shrimp fisherman who lives with his nagging uncle, J. Carrol Naish. He is a brash and verile lout until an opera director, David Niven, sees him singing and believes he is the tenor that his opera has been needing. Lanza's voice is ironed out through the company's training as are his brutish manners, with the help of opera star Grayson, whom Lanza has fallen for. The humor is typical, but opera lovers may enjoy the inclusion of arias from "Mignon," "Carmen," and "La Traviata," along with duets from "Madam Butterfly." A young Rita Moreno appears as a waterfront girl.
Review of The Toast of New Orleans
