Because You're Mine
| Because You're Mine | |
|---|---|
 Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Alexander Hall |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | |
| Produced by | Joe Pasternak |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Joseph Ruttenberg |
| Edited by | Albert Akst |
| Music by | Johnny Green |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,870,000[1] |
| Box office | $4,571,000[1] |
Because You're Mine is a 1952 musical comedy film starring Mario Lanza. Directed by Alexander Hall, the film also stars Doretta Morrow, James Whitmore, and Dean Miller.
Plot
Opera singer superstar Renato Rossano (Mario Lanza) is drafted into the U.S. Army. His Sergeant, "Bat" Batterson (James Whitmore), is an opera fan who admires Rossano and wishes Rossano to appraise his sister's (Doretta Morrow) singing voice. The rest of his platoon as well as the company commander disapproves of Batterson's showing favoritism to Rossano by excusing him from normal training. Rossano also schemes to have Batterson allow him to go to New York, supposedly to have his manager appraise Batterson's sister Brigit's singing voice but in reality allowing him to do a performance.
Cast
- Mario Lanza as Renaldo Rossano
- Doretta Morrow as Bridget Batterson
- James Whitmore as Sergeant 'Bat' Batterson
- Dean Miller as Ben Jones
- Rita Corday as Francesca Landers (as Paula Corday)
- Jeff Donnell as Patty Ware
- Spring Byington as Mrs. Edna Montville
- Curtis Cooksey as General Louis Montville
- Don Porter as Captain Burton Nordell Loring
- Eduard Franz as Albert Parkson Foster
- Bobby Van as Artie Pilcer
- Ralph Reed as Horsey Jackson
- Celia Lovsky as Mrs. Rossano
- Alexander Steinert as Maestro Paradoni
Production
Principal photography of the film was interrupted and during the hiatus Lanza put on a considerable amount of weight. According to his manager, Lanza then began to lose weight and ended filming at less than 160 pounds. This resulted in some challenges for both the wardrobe artists and the film editors who had to deal with Lanza's substantial fluctuations in weight over the course of production. In one scene, Lanza's character enters a church. In the exterior, shot late in the filming schedule, he looks trim and slim in his military uniform. But, when he steps inside, in a scene filmed earlier, he is noticeably heavier. Dore Schary, MGM studio head at the time, has recounted Lanza's petulant and boorish behavior on the set, including sexually harassing costar Doretta Morrow.
The soldiers in the film wear a shoulder sleeve insignia that resembles the 28th Infantry Division that is worn by actual soldiers in footage of a military parade used in the movie.
Music
The title song, "Because You're Mine", earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. Written by Sammy Cahn and Nicholas Brodszky, it became Lanza's third and final million-selling effort.[2]
Musical highlights in the film included "Granada", "The Lord's Prayer", and "Addio, Addio" from Rigoletto.
Release
Because You're Mine premiered September 25, 1952 in New York City, going into wide release October 3. According to MGM records, it earned $2,267,000 in the US and Canada and $2,304,000 elsewhere, resulting in profits of $735,000.[1] It was the fifth most popular movie at the British box office in 1953,[3] and was chosen for the inaugural Royal Command Film Performance of Queen Elizabeth II's reign.[4][5]
Though popular at the box office, it was not a critical success.[4][5] Bosley Crowther of the New York Times voiced a common opinion, finding the film's plot "banal" and observing, "It's really Mario Lanza's singing that should and will attract attention to this technicolored film."[6]
References
- ^ a b c The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^ Mannering, Derek. Mario Lanza: Singing to the Gods. Univ. Press of Mississippi. pp. 97, 248. ISBN 978-1-61703-425-1.
- ^ "'Hunted' boy has big role". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 9 January 1954. p. 50. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ a b Bessette, Roland L. (1999). Mario Lanza: Tenor in Exile. Amadeus Press. pp. 131–132. ISBN 978-1-57467-044-8.
- ^ a b Cesari, Armando (2004). Mario Lanza: An American Tragedy. Baskerville. pp. 146–155. ISBN 978-1-880909-66-9.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (September 26, 1952). "Mario Lanza's New Film Seen". The Screen. New York Times. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
