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==External links==
==External links==
http://www.jackswersie.com/webpages/perrycomo10.htm
* [http://www.kokomo.ca A Perry Como Discography & CD Companion]
* [http://www.kokomo.ca A Perry Como Discography & CD Companion]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/theperrycomoappreciationsociety The Perry Como Appreciation Society]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/theperrycomoappreciationsociety The Perry Como Appreciation Society]

Revision as of 14:16, 1 October 2010

Perry Como

Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with it in 1943.[1] "Mr. C.", as he was nicknamed, sold millions of records for Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. His combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time.[2] A popular television performer and recording artist, Perry Como produced numerous hit records with record sales so high the label literally stopped counting at Como's behest.[3] His weekly television shows and seasonal specials were broadcast throughout the world and his popularity seemingly had no geographical or language boundaries.[4][5] Como's appeal spanned generations and he was widely respected for both his professional standards and the conduct in his personal life. In the official RCA Records Billboard magazine memorial, his life was summed up in these few words: "50 years of music and a life well lived. An example to all."[6] Composer Ervin Drake said of him,"... [o]ccasionally someone like Perry comes along and won't 'go with the flow' and still prevails in spite of all the bankrupt others who surround him and importune him to yield to their values. Only occasionally."[7]

One of the many factors in his success was Como's insistence on his principles of good taste; if he considered something to be in bad or poor taste, it wasn't in the show or broadcast.[8][9][10] While his performance of "Ave Maria" was a tradition of his holiday television programs, Como refused to sing it at live performances, saying, "It's not the time or place to do it.", even though it was the number one request of his audiences.[11] Another was his naturalness; the man viewers saw on the screen was the same person who could be encountered behind a supermarket shopping cart, at a bowling alley, or in a kitchen making breakfast.[12][13][14] From his first Chesterfield Supper Club television show, if scripts were written at all, they were based on the way Como would say something.[15][10] Como was not devoid of a temper, and it could be seen at times as a result of the frustrations of daily life. His music director from 1948 – 1963, Mitchell Ayres, said, "Perry has a temper like everyone else. And he loses his temper at the normal things everyone else does. When we're driving, for instance, and somebody cuts him off, he really lets the offender have it."[16]

Como received five Emmys from 1955 to 1959,[17] a Christopher Award (1956) and shared a Peabody Award with good friend Jackie Gleason in 1956.[18][19][20] He was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 1990[21][22] and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1987.[23] Posthumously, Como received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002;[24] he was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2007.[25][26] Como has the distinction of having three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in radio, television, and music.[27] Bing Crosby once described him as, "the man who invented casual".[28]

Personal life

File:Perry and Roselle Como 1987 Kennedy Center.jpg
Perry and wife Roselle Como
at Kennedy Center Honors, 1987.

Como was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania,[29] 18 miles southwest of Pittsburgh, seventh of the 13 children of Pietro Como (1877–1945), [21] and Lucia Travaglini (1883–1961),[30] [31] who both emigrated to the US in 1910 from the Abruzzese town of Palena, Italy.[32][33] His father was an amateur baritone, and had all his children attend music lessons even if he could barely afford them. Young Perry started helping his family at age 10 by working before and after school in Steve Fragapane's barber shop for 50¢ a week.[34][35]

The family had a second-hand organ Pietro had bought for $3; as soon as Perry was able to toddle, he would head to the instrument, pump the bellows, and play music he'd heard by ear.[35] Perry showed more musical talent in his teenage years as a trombone player in the town's brass band, playing guitar, singing at weddings,[36] and as an organist at church.[37] Despite this musical ability, Como's primary ambition was to become the best barber in Canonsburg. Training on his father, young Como mastered the skills well enough to have his own shop at age 14.[21][38] He was a member of the Canonsburg Italian Band along with bandleader Stan Vinton, the father of singer Bobby Vinton. Stan was often a customer at Perry's barber shop.[39][40][41] In 1929, the 17 year old Como met Roselle Belline at a picnic on Chartiers Creek; the teenage sweethearts were married July 31, 1933.[21][42] They raised three children, Ronnie, David, and Terri, with traditional, non-show business values.[37][43] Because Perry Como believed his professional life and his personal life should be kept separate, he declined an interview request from Edward R. Murrow's Person to Person in 1954.[21][44]

In 1958, the Comos celebrated their silver wedding anniversary with a family trip to Italy. On the itinerary was an audience with Pope Pius XII.[45] Upon returning home, Como was both puzzled and upset that photos from the visit made the newspapers throughout the world. A thorough check of both the Como and National Broadcasting Company (NBC) publicity offices found that neither was responsible for the release of the photos to the media; it was done by the Vatican's press department. When Perry and Roselle became Knight Commander and Lady Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in 1952, it was a news item only after Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who had been honored at the same ceremony, made mention of it some time later.[21][37] [3][46]

Como suffered a debilitating fall from a stage platform in 1971 while taping Perry Como's Winter Show [47] in Hollywood. X-rays taken at a local hospital showed no serious injury to his knee, but by the next morning, it was twice normal size. The ailing Como chartered a jet back to his home and doctors in Florida, where a second exam showed it had been seriously broken. His knee was re-set and placed in a cast with a recuperation time of eight months.[48][49] In 1993, he was successfully treated for bladder cancer. When Roselle died suddenly on August 12, 1998 at age 84, the couple had been married for 65 years.[42] Como was reportedly devastated by her loss.[21][50][51]

Perry was an enthusiastic and accomplished golfer; there was always time to try getting in a game of golf.[5][52] "Perry Como Putters" were sold by MacGregor, each stamped with a Como facsimile autograph.[53] His colleagues held an annual Perry Como Golf Tournament to honor him and his love for the game.[54][55] In what must have been one of his favorite shows of his weekly series, Como's guests on the October 3, 1962 broadcast were Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player. The four golfers played 18 holes for the cameras at Sands Point, New York, where the Comos made their home in the television years.[21][56][12] Como also enjoyed fishing and could be found out on his boat almost every day after the family moved to Florida. Perry's "catches" would turn out to be the Como family's dinners.[5][57]

Professional singer

Freddy Carlone and Ted Weems

In 1932, Como left Canonsburg, moving about 100 miles away to Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his uncle had a barber shop in the Hotel Conneaut. About 80 miles from Cleveland, it was a stop on the itinerary for dance bands who worked up and down the Ohio Valley. Como, Roselle, and their friends had gone to nearby Cleveland; their good times took them to the Silver Slipper Ballroom where Freddy Carlone and his orchestra were playing. Carlone invited anyone who thought he might have singing talent to come up and sing with his band. Young Como was terrified, but his friends urged him onto the stage. The young man was not certain if he should accept the offer Freddy Carlone made, so he returned to Canonsburg to talk the matter over with his father. Perry expected he would tell him to stay in the barber business, but to his surprise, the senior Como told him if he did not try this, he would never know whether or not he could be a professional singer.[58] Roselle was willing to be a wife on the road, traveling with her husband and the band; they were married in Meadville in 1933.[21] The decision was also made with an eye on finances; Como earned $125 per week from his barber business while the job with Carlone paid $28 per week.[43] Como joined Freddy Carlone's band,[59][60] and three years later moved up to Ted Weems' Orchestra and his first recording dates.[1][61] Their first recording was a novelty tune called "You Can't Pull the Wool Over My Eyes", recorded for the Decca Records label.[62] Como told the Pop Chronicles about his experience with Weems' band and whistler Elmo Tanner: "A song would come out ... a singer's song, right? Elmo would whistle it. Whatever he didn't want to whistle, I would sing. Now you can imagine what I used to sing. It was frightening. Elmo was the whole band, you know?"[63][64][65]

Chesterfield Supper Club:
On the air and in the air, April 5, 1946.
File:Chesterfield Supper Club in the air.jpg
Como and Jo Stafford at the microphones
from a Trans World Airlines Lockheed Constellation.
File:Chesterfield Supper Club in the air2.jpg
Como sings at 20,000 feet.
The Lloyd Shaffer Orchestra is in background.

Como and Weems met in 1936 while the Carlone orchestra was playing in Warren, Ohio. Art Jarrett had just left Weems to start his own band. Weems was in need of a vocalist; Como got a raise (Weems paid $50 per week), and his first chance for nationwide exposure. Weems and his orchestra were based in Chicago, and were regulars on radio shows such as The Jack Benny Program and Fibber McGee and Molly;[66][67][68] the Weems band also had its own weekly radio program on the Mutual Broadcasting System from 1936 – 1937.[64][69] The weekly radio show, Beat the Band, which ran on NBC from 1940 – 1944, was a "stump the band" type musical quiz show where Weems and his orchestra were the featured band from 1940 – 1941.[64][69]

RCA Victor and radio

The Como's first child, Ronnie, was born in 1940 while the Weems band was working in Chicago. Como left the performance to be at his wife's side even though he was threatened with dismissal if he did so.[42] In 1942, Weems joined the Armed Forces and dissolved his band;[70] the erstwhile barber had decided to return to Canonsburg, his family, and his trade. He was tired of life on the road without his wife and young son.[71][72] Como received an offer to become a Frank Sinatra imitator, but chose to keep his own style.[73][74] While Perry was negotiating for a store lease to re-open a barber shop, he had a call from General Artists Corporation, offering him his own Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio show and a recording contract with RCA Victor.[75] As Perry pondered the offer, Roselle Como told him, "You can always get another barber shop if it doesn't work out!"[1][37][76] "Goodbye, Sue" in 1943 was his first record with RCA Victor; Como remained with the label over 40 years and was the artist who had been with RCA the longest.[1][38] On December 11, 1944, he moved from CBS to NBC for a new radio program, Chesterfield Supper Club.[77][78][79]

He became a very successful performer in theater and nightclub engagements. In the early 1940s, there were times when Frank Sinatra would ask Como to fill in for him at his Paramount Theater performances.[80] The crooning craze was at its height during this time and the "bobby soxer" and "swooner" teenage girls who were wild about Sinatra added Como to their list, a "swooners" club voting him "Crooner of the Year" in 1943.[81] The line for a Perry Como Paramount performance was three deep and wound around the city block. Como's popularity extended to a more mature audience as he played the Copacabana and Versailles New York night clubs, where the Copacabana management placed "SRO-Swooning Ruled Out" cards on their tables.[18][81][82]

The April 5, 1946 broadcast of the Chesterfield Supper Club took place 20,000 feet in the air; this was the first known instance of a complete radio show being presented from an airplane. Como, Jo Stafford, the Lloyd Shaffer Orchestra and the entire "Supper Club" crew made the flight for the show. This mid-air performance caused the American Federation of Musicians to consider this a new type of engagement and issue a special set of rates for it.[83][21]

File:Perry como rca album poster.JPG
Como's sweater is replaced by a tuxedo, circa 1980.

Como in concert

After 27 years of not making night club appearances, Como accepted an engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas in June 1970, which also resulted in his first "live" album, Perry Como in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas.[8] Conductor, composer, and Como associate since 1948, Ray Charles, formed a special edition of The Ray Charles Singers, (heard with Como for over 35 years), for his Las Vegas opening. Prior to this he had last appeared at New York's Copacabana in 1944.[38][84][85][86] Como continued to do periodic engagements in Las Vegas, limiting his night club appearances to that city.[87] In May 1974, Como embarked on his first concert appearance outside of the United States, a show at the London Palladium for the Variety Club of Great Britain to aid children's charities.[88][89] Perry returned to the United Kingdom (UK) in November for a Royal Performance to benefit the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund with the Queen Mother in attendance.[90][91] Soon after, he announced his first concert tour that began in the UK in the spring of 1975.[92] 1984 found Como traveling the US with his 50th Anniversary tour.[93] Even after his 80th birthday, Perry continued the concert tours.[58][94] Gone however, were the cardigan sweaters which were a staple of his weekly television shows. Como now performed in a tuxedo, saying, "It shows respect for the audience." [95][96] The return to live appearances also provided Como with an opportunity to have a little fun with his "Mister Nice Guy" image in a song Ray Charles and Nick Perito[97][98] wrote for him:[99][72][100]

It doesn't take a guy equipped with ESP, to see what's cookin' with your curiosity!

Is "Mister Nice Guy" just a press agent's pitch? his dearest friends say he's a . . .
You never thought you'd see me in Las Vegas 'live' I haven't played a "club" since 1885!
It's spelled out in dollar signs ( you better believe it! ) I can almost read your minds!

–Nick Perito and Ray Charles, "If I Could Almost Read Your Mind"


Vocal characteristics

Perry Como credited Bing Crosby for influencing his voice and style.[70][101] Perry Como's voice is widely known for its good-natured vocal acrobatics as portrayed in his highly popular novelty songs such as "Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity Boom)", but there was another side to Perry Como. Music critic Gene Lees describes it in his sleeve note to Como's 1968 album Look To Your Heart:[102]

Despite his immense popularity, Como is rarely given credit for what, once you stop and think of it, he so clearly is: one of the great singers and one of the great artists of our time.

Perhaps the reason people rarely talk about his formidable attributes as a singer is that he makes so little fuss about them. That celebrated ease of his has been too little understood. Ease in any art is the result of mastery over the details of the craft. You get them together to the point where you can forget about how you do things and concentrate on what you are doing. Como got them together so completely that the muscles don’t even show. It seems effortless, but a good deal of effort has gone into making it seem so. Como is known to be meticulous about rehearsal of the material for an album. He tries things out in different keys, gives the song thought, makes suggestions, tries it again, and again, until he is satisfied. The hidden work makes him look like Mr. Casual, and too many people are taken in by it — but happily so.

I have of necessity given a good deal of thought and study to the art of singing, and Como's work consistently astonishes me. He is a fantastic technician. Listen in this album to the perfection of his intonation, the beauty of the sound he produces, the constant comfortable breath control. And take notice of his high notes. Laymen are often impressed by the high note you can hear for five blocks. Professionals know that it is far more difficult to hit a high note quietly. Como lights on a C or D at the top of a tune as softly as a bird on a branch, not even shaking it.

And then there's his phrasing. A number of our best singers phrase well. The usual technique is to rethink the lyrics of a song to see how they would come out if you were saying them, and then approximate in singing the normal speech inflections and rhythms. This often involves altering the melody, but it is a legitimate practice and when done well can be quite striking. But Como is beyond that. He apparently does not find it necessary to change the melodic line in order to infuse a song with emotion. A great jazz trumpeter once told me, "After fifteen years of playing, I’ve come to the conclusion that the hardest thing to do is to play melody, play it straight and get feeling into it." Como has been doing this from the beginning.

Stylistically, he comes out of the Bing Crosby-Russ Colombo school. That was all a long time ago. Como has been his own man for many years now. He sounds like nobody else. And nobody sounds like him, either. He is hard to imitate precisely because his work is so free of tricks and gimmicks. There are no mannerisms for another singer to pick up from him. All one can do is try to sing as well and as honestly as Como, and any singer who does that will end up sounding like himself, not Como.

–Gene Lees-sleeve note, Look To Your Heart

From 1989 until his death in 2001, Como co-hosted a weekly syndicated radio show with John Knox, called Weekend With Perry.[103][104]


Films

Perry Como as Nicky Ricci performing "Here Comes Heaven Again" in Doll Face–1946.

Como's Hollywood type good looks earned him a seven year contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1943. He made five films: Something for the Boys (1944), Doll Face (1945),[105][106][107][108] March of Time (1945), If I'm Lucky (1946), and Words and Music (1948), but he never appeared to be truly comfortable with the medium, feeling his roles didn't match his personality.[15][109][110] In 1985, Como related the story of his first film role experience in Something for the Boys. He sat ready to work in his dressing room for two weeks without being called. Perry spent the next two weeks playing golf, still not missed by the studio.[72] At the time Como was signed, fewer musicals were being made by the studios because audiences weren't going to the box office for this type of film. He was put into a sort of stock company, where the actors or actresses worked only when the studio needed to fill out a schedule.[111] In 1948, Como asked for and received a release from the remainder of his Fox contract.[38][70][112] Quoting Como, "I was wasting their time and they were wasting mine." [72] Como received some movie offers that pleased him while he was doing the weekly television shows, but there was just never enough time to pursue the film work.[113][114]

Como's comments during a 1949 interview were prophetic, as far as his success was concerned. At the time he was doing the Chesterfield Supper Club on both radio and television, "Television is going to do me a lot more personal good than the movies ever have...The reason should be obvious. On television, I'm allowed to be myself; in pictures, I was always some other guy. I come over like just another bum in a tuxedo."[15]


Television

Photograph of Perry Como singing, superimposed on an illustration of a microphone and accompanied by advertising copy, including the slogan "Mutual makes music...".
Perry Como for Chesterfield, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Mutual Radio Network–1954

Early years

Perry Como made the move to television when NBC initially televised the Chesterfield Supper Club radio program on December 24, 1948. A very special guest on that first television show was Como's eight year old son, Ronnie, as part of a boys' choir singing "Silent Night" with his father.[115][116] The show was the usual Friday night Chesterfield Supper Club with an important exception--it was also being broadcast on television. The experimental simulcast was to continue for three Friday "Supper Club" shows, but had gone so well, NBC decided to extend the televised version through June 1949. Years later, Como admitted to being scared and feeling awkward initially, but somehow managing to just be himself.[117] Said Como, "You can't act on TV. With me, what you see is what you get." While still in its experimental phase, Como and the television show survived a "road trip" for an on location broadcast in Durham, North Carolina, on April 15, 1949.[21]

On September 8, 1949, it became a weekly half-hour offering on Sunday nights, directly opposite Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town.[118][79] In 1950, Perry moved to CBS and the show's title was changed to The Perry Como Chesterfield Show, again sponsored by Liggett & Myers' Chesterfield cigarettes.[119] Como hosted this informal 15 minute musical variety series on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, immediately following the CBS Television News. The Faye Emerson Show was initially broadcast in the same time slot on Tuesday and Thursday.[43][120] By 1952, it was evident that television would replace radio as the major entertainment medium. Gary Giddins, the biographer of Bing Crosby, said in 2001, "He (Como) came from this whole generation of crooners--Crosby and Sinatra, but he was the only one of them who figured out TV." [21]

Como and The Ray Charles Singers on the set of The Perry Como Show, circa 1950s. Como's "sweater era"
File:Perry and kirk douglas.jpg
Kirk Douglas prepares to lose his
Lust For Life beard to Como's razor
on The Perry Como Show,
December 17, 1955.
File:Hawaiian holiday advert 2.jpg
Thirty years after his radio performance on an airplane, Perry Como dons scuba gear for an underwater segment
of his TV Special,
Perry Como's Hawaiian Holiday,
aired February 22, 1976.

Sing to me, Mr. C.

Como's 15-minute television show was also simulcast on radio via the Mutual Broadcasting System beginning on August 24, 1953; while the Chesterfield Supper Club broadcasts were simulcast on radio and television, this was the first instance of a simulcast between two networks.[21] This continued until he moved back to NBC with a weekly hour long variety show featuring additional musical and production numbers, comedy sketches and guest stars called The Perry Como Show, premiering Saturday, September 17, 1955.[37] This version of his show was also so popular that in the 1956 – 1957 television season, it reached ninth in the Nielsen ratings, the only show on NBC that season to land in the top ten.[21]

Como's "Dream Along With Me" [121][122] became the show's opening theme song,[115] "Mr. C." received the first of many "stacks and stacks of letters"[34] requesting him to sing a specific song,[123][121] and it was here where he began wearing his trademark cardigan sweaters.[124] [115][125] The "Sing to me, Mr. C." segment of the Como shows with Perry seated on a stool singing viewer requested songs had its roots in the first television broadcasts of Chesterfield Supper Club. When cameras entered the "Supper Club" radio studio, they found Como and his guests sitting on stools behind music stands.[96] The show's closing theme was, "You Are Never Far Away From Me".[115][121] Perry's announcer on the broadcasts, Frank Gallop, became a foil for Como's jokes; he was an invisible "voice from the clouds" until the show's 1958 – 1959 season.[126][127] There was as much fun at rehearsals as on the show itself.[128] Perry thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing, saying in a 1989 interview, "I got a kick out of live television. The spontaneity was the fun of it." [21] Spontaneity and the ability to be himself came in handy for swimmer/actress Esther Williams' guest appearance of March 16, 1957.[129] A wardrobe malfunction meant that viewers were seeing more of Esther than 1950s television considered to be in good taste; more live show mishaps followed. At the show's end, Williams was swimming in a pool specially constructed on the set for her appearance. Como simply said, "Goodnight, folks," and leaped, fully clothed, into the swimming pool.[130]

On December 17, 1955, viewers were able to see first-hand what Perry did for a living before he was a professional singer. Actor Kirk Douglas was one of Como's television guests; Douglas had grown a beard for his Vincent Van Gogh role in Lust For Life, which finished filming that week. Como shaved Douglas' movie beard live on national television.[21][2][131] On September 15, 1956, the season premiere of The Perry Como Show was broadcast from NBC's new color television studios at the New York Ziegfeld Theatre, making it one of the first weekly color TV shows.[132] In addition to this season premiere as a color television show, there was also a royal visit from Prince Rainier of Monaco and his bride of six months, Grace Kelly.[129]

Como competed with Jackie Gleason in what was billed as the "Battle of the Giants" and won.[2] This is now rarely mentioned, in part because Como commonly downplayed his own achievements,[3] and also because the two men were friends; the weekly ratings winner would phone the loser for some mock gloating.[133][2] At the height of this television competition, Como asked Gleason a favor: to visit his home when his mother-in-law, a big Gleason fan, was there. Though Mrs. Belline spoke no English and Gleason no Italian, Roselle's mother was thrilled. Como's words to Gleason after the visit, "Anything you want, you got it. In fact, I'll even do one of your shows so the ratings will be better." [130]

An example of Como's popularity came in 1956, when Life conducted a poll of young women, asking them which man in public life most fit the concept of their ideal husband: it was Perry Como.[134] At one point, his television show was broadcast in at least 12 other countries.[4][34][37]

Another way to judge the value of the Como show to the network can be found in the following: during sound checks at rehearsals, it was often difficult to hear Como's soft voice without having a large microphone ruin a camera shot. NBC had RCA design a microphone for the show, which was known as the "Como mike"; the microphone was able to pick up Como's voice properly and was small enough not to interfere with camera shots.[135]

Kraft Music Hall

In 1959, Como moved to Wednesday nights, hosting Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall for the next eight years, the last four seasons (1963 – 1967) as monthly specials alternating with Kraft Suspense Theatre, The Andy Williams Show, and finally The Road West.[113][115] Como became the highest-paid performer in the history of television to that date, earning mention in the Guinness Book of World Records. Como himself took part in none of this; the family production company, Roncom (named for son Ronnie Como), handled the transaction along with all other Como business matters.[136] Como also had control of the show which would replace his during the summer television hiatus. While "Mr. C." was having a holiday, viewers would see Perry Presents, beginning in 1959.[137][138]

In late 1962, after the Cuban Missile Crisis had settled well enough to permit the evacuated servicemen's families to return to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara was eager to do more for morale there. He asked Perry Como to bring his television show to the Naval base.[139] Perry and his cast and crew were at Guantanamo when the loved ones began their return.[140] The first entertainers to visit the base since the crisis, the Como show filmed at the base for eight days. Some highlights of the program, which was seen in the US on December 12, 1962, included Como's shaving a serviceman with a Castro-like beard and the enthusiastic participation when Perry asked for volunteers to come on stage to do the Twist with the lovely ladies who were part of the visiting dance troupe.[141][142]

Specials

Between 1963 and 1986, Como's television appearances began tapering off, gradually becoming limited to seasonal and holiday specials with the emphasis being on Christmas.[114][143] Como had numerous Christmas television specials, beginning on Christmas Eve 1948, and continuing to 1994, when his final Christmas special was recorded in Ireland. They were recorded in many countries, including the Holy Land, Mexico, and Canada, as well as many locations throughout the United States. The 1987 Christmas special was cancelled at the behest of Como; American Broadcasting Company (ABC) was willing to offer him only a Saturday 10 PM time slot for it 3 weeks before the holiday.[144] Perry filled the yearly gap for his fans with live Christmas concerts in various locations.[58][94][145][146]

A farewell concert from Ireland

Como's final Christmas special was filmed in Dublin's Point Theater before an audience of 4,500 people, including Irish President Mary Robinson. Perry Como's Irish Christmas was a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) production. Como appeared to be in less than the best of health; though the finished version of the show is less than 90 minutes long, the taping of it took over four hours.[143][147] The performance is heartbreaking because it was evident he was not well, but at the same time, heart-warming, because despite all that, Como persevered and sang those songs for his fans this one last time. At the show's conclusion, Como apologized to his Dublin audience for a performance he felt was not up to his usual standards.[21]

During his visit to Dublin, Como visited a barber shop called "The Como" on Thomas Street. The owners, lifelong fans who named their business in his honor, had sent photographs of the shop and letters to Como inviting him to visit. Photos of Como with the barbers were framed in the shop. "The Como" closed in 2002 but it remains a household name in The Liberties.[21]

Hometown honors

Canonsburg has always been very proud to be the birthplace of Perry Como; the local newspaper of the time, Canonsburg Daily Notes, seems to be the first to write an article about him. Their edition of July 19, 1934, featured a photo and the following: "A young Canonsburg boy threatens to snatch the crown from Bing Crosby's head. Perry Como, son of Mr. and Mrs. Pietro Como of 530 Franklin street is said to have one of the grandest baritone voices in the country." [36] The borough honored him three times over the course of his life;[148] the first of these events took place September 14, 1946, when Third Street, where Perry worked in the barber shop of Steve Fragapane,[36] was renamed "Perry Como Avenue". Perry, Roselle, and Como's mother, Lucy, attended the ceremonies and banquet held at the State Armory.[21][149]

A second ceremony marking Perry Como Day took place August 24, 1977.[29][36] But their most ambitious project began in 1997 – a statue of the singer.[150] The planned statue had the blessing of Como's wife, Roselle, who died the year before it was unveiled on May 15, 1999;[42] Como was not present at the unveiling because of poor health. The inscription on the base, "To This Place God Has Brought Me", was a favorite saying of Como's; the musical feature was added in 2002.[151][29]

The Como celebration crossed the Atlantic in August 2002. Palena, Italy, the birthplace of Como's parents, had a long-standing week-long festival in honor of the singer.[152] A smaller version of the statue was taken to Palena by the mayor of Canonsburg, Anthony Colaizzo.[153] Perry's son, David, and his wife were also in attendance when the town of Palena re-named a street for Como.[151] There is a marble plaque on a Palena town wall stating that Pietro and Lucia Como, parents of Perry Como, emigrated from this village to the United States which also dates from these ceremonies.[154][155]

In 2007, the local McDonald's was totally rebuilt. The new building decor features memorabilia of Como along with that of fellow singer and Canonsburg native, Bobby Vinton.[156] A children's playground in Canonsburg on Giffin Avenue is also named for Como.[157] In downtown Canonsburg, all of the tree grates are marked with information about the records that sold a million copies and the town clock hourly plays one of the hits of Como (141), Vinton (44), or the Four Coins (7), also from Canonsburg.[158][159][160]

Perry Como never forgot Canonsburg either.[161] One of the things he did to give a helping hand to his home town was to convince RCA to open a record-pressing plant there.[162][41] Those who needed to raise funds for local projects like Boys' and Girls' Clubs found him always ready to do whatever was needed.[29][163][54]

Death

Como died in his sleep on May 12, 2001 at his home in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Florida, six days before his eighty-ninth birthday. He was reported to have suffered from symptoms of Alzheimer's disease during the final two years of his life.[164] His funeral Mass took place at St. Edward's Catholic Church in Palm Beach, Florida;[165] Perry and Roselle are buried at Riverside Memorial Park, Tequesta (Palm Beach County), Florida.[166]

See also

References

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