For The First Time (1959)(dvd)

Synopsis: Actually, for the last time, since this was chubby tenor Mario Lanza's final movie. He had decided not to fulfil a concert commitment for mobster Lucky Luciano, and tragically was discovered dead in a hospital bed soon afterwards. The incidents apparently, were not connected.

Still, Lanza's relatively slimline here, and this is the one where he falls for a deaf girl and belts out Ave Maria to her, to test whether she can actually hear. He also performs Vesti La Giubba among others, while the Technirama camera follows him to attractive effect throughout Europe's key musical cities.

Cast: Mario Lanza, Johanna von Koczian
Runtime: 97 min