Because You're Mine (1952)

Synopsis: Amazingly selected as the 1953 Royal Command Film, this Mario Lanza vehicle is memorable today as the feeble follow-up to his biggest success, The Great Caruso, in which the tubby tenor was perfectly cast. This is a thankless affair, with Lanza as an opera star conscripted into the army who falls for his sergeant's sister, less than winningly played by Broadway Kismet star Doretta Morrow.

Lanza's big hit song from 1950's Toast of New Orleans, Be My Love, makes a welcome reappearance, and the rest of the film is peppered with opera extracts, as beloved by schmaltz-loving producer Joe Pasternak. However, apart from the rich period Technicolor, there's little to sing about in this lacklustre MGM minor musical.

Cast: Mario Lanza, Doretta Morrow.
Runtime: 103 min