The Ezio Pinza Show

As a kind of private joke, whenever I listen to the old Searchers’ tune “Needles and Pins”, I like to change the titular refrain “Needles and Pins-uh” into “Ezio Pinz-a”. To those young ‘uns who are completely lost, The Searchers were a Liverpool band who rode The Beatles’ coat tails to modest fame in the mid ’60s. Their name came from the John Ford masterpiece. And Ezio Pinza (1892-1957) was a great 20th century opera star, a basso of rare talent who expanded his fame by moving on to recordings, radio, Broadway, Hollywood movies, and television.

Among those who remember him, Pinza is best known for his moving performance of “Some Enchanted Evening” in the original production of South Pacific, a fact I learned as a kid because Alan Alda did an impression of him on M*A*S*H. Pop culture Cuisinart, do your thing! Anyway, it’s not our primary focus on this blog, but we have written about opera singers from time to time; the Travalanche opera section features over 50. Today we add another.

Born in Rome, raised in Ravenna, Pinza studied at the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini. He began his professional career in 1914, although service in World War One took him offstage almost immediately. He picked up where he left off in 1919, and was singing at La Scala under Toscanini by 1922. His move to the Metropolitan Opera in New York came four years later. From 1926 through 1947, it was his home base, though he also took engagements at the San Francisco Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Salzburg Festival. Throughout these years he amplified his fame as a recording artist and a guest star on network radio programs.

In 1942 another World War intruded upon his life, far though he was from the fighting. A rival opera singer denounced him to the FBI as a Fascist sympathizer, and he was imprisoned for three months on Ellis Island. He obviously loved Italy, but he was an essentially apolitical guy, and was in fact in the middle of the process of obtaining his U.S. citizenship at the time. His granddaughter Sarah Goodyear wrote this terrific article about the ordeal for the Village Voice in 2000. Note especially the timely quote that caps off the piece.

For some, this nightmare might have been a career ender, but Pinza went on to his greatest fame during the last decade of his life. Two years after the war ended, he pivoted in a big way. He appeared in the 1947 movie Carnegie Hall, and retired from the opera. In 1949 came Broadway fame and a Tony Award for his performance in South Pacific. (Surely this show helped burnish his credentials as a patriotic American!) South Pacific ran for four years but Pinza dropped out after a year to pursue other opportunities — and there were tons of them.

1951 was a particularly big year. He co-starred in the second screen version of Preston Sturges’s Strictly Dishonorable opposite Janet Leigh, and played the title character in the film Mr. Imperium, with Lana Turner. That year, he hosted his own TV variety program The Ezio Pinza Show which ran for two seasons in alternating weeks with The Dennis Day Show. His guests included the impressive likes of Harpo Marx, Bert Lahr, Beatrice Lillie, Eddie Foy Jr, Jane Froman, Lew Parker, Monty Woolley,Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rosemary Clooney, Hal March, and Janis Paige.

In 1953 he starred in his own short-lived sit com Bonino, in which he played a widower who must give up his opera career in order to care for his eight children, with the aid of nanny Mary Wickes! In 1954 he returned to Broadway to star in the musical Fanny with Florence Henderson and Walter Slezak. He also did lots of television guest shots on live dramatic shows like Robert Montgomery Presents and G.E. Theatre, and variety programs likeThe Ed Sullivan Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, The Milton Berle Show, The All Star Revue, The Dave Garroway Show,The Kate Smith Hour,The Martha Raye Show,The Arthur Murray Party, and Kraft Music Hall. He was also both a panelist and a mystery guest on What’s My Line?

In May, 1957 Pinza suffered a stroke, followed by a fatal heart attack a week later. A year later, the screen version of South Pacific was released. His role was played by Rossano Brazzi with Giorgio Tozzi providing his character’s singing voice. This likely would have been the case even if Pinza had lived. He was an ailing 64 years old at the time of his death, past his prime as a romantic leading man.

Pinza’s oldest daughter was Claudia Pinza Bozzolla (1925-2017), who became a world famous soprano and vocal instructor. This July marks the centennial of her birth!

Also born of a May 18: Frank Capra; Perry Como; Robert Morse; Dwayne Hickman; Candice Azzara; vaudeville vets George E. Stone, Frank Crumit, and Eddie White; sideshow attraction Franceso Lentini; blues man Big Joe Turner; and early NYC benefactor John Pintard.

For more about show business historyconsult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, And please stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.