Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince" and Other Great Musical Comedies, or simply The Student Prince, is an album by tenor Mario Lanza containing songs from the 1954 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Student Prince that was originally going to feature him in the title role.
Recording The songs from The Student Prince were recorded by Lanza with an orchestra conducted by Constantine Callinicos. The recording sessions took place at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Hollywood in July–August 1952. After Lanza walked off the film and refused to work under the direction of director Curtis Bernhardt, Lanza was eventually fired by MGM and replaced by actor Edmund Purdom, who lip-synched to Lanza's recordings. (One song, "Beloved", had to be re-recorded for use in the film; Lanza returned to MGM to re-record the song on 20 May 1953.)
Release and reception The album was released by RCA Victor in 1954 in both LP and EP formats (catalog nos. LM-1837 and ERB 1837, respectively). The LP version contained one side of songs not included in the film and was titled Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince" and Other Great Musical Comedies. The EP version (two records in a gatefold cover) contained only songs from the film and was titled Mario Lanza Sings the Hit Songs from "The Student Prince".
The LP album was listed on Billboards charts as either just Student Prince (originally) or as Student Prince & Other Great Musical Comedy Hits (in 1959–1960). In 1971, RCA reissued the album in reprocessed stereo sound with new cover art and revised title Mario Lanza Sings Hit Songs From The Student Prince and Other Great Musicals catalog no. LSC-3216(e).
The LP and EP spent several weeks at number one on Billboards Best Selling Popular Albums chart – on the "LPs" and "EPs" halves of the chart, respectively.
Track listing 12-inch LP (RCA Victor LM 1837; LSC-3216(e))
Album of two EPs (RCA Victor ERB 1837)
Charts Chart (1954–1955) Peakposition US Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums – LPs 1 US Billboard Best Selling Popular Albums – EPs 1 Chart (1959–1960) Peakposition US Billboard Top LPs – Best Selling Monophonic LPs 11
Certifications
References