The Toast of New Orleans

1950
U
1h 37m

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

789

YOUR RATING

David Niven, Kathryn Grayson, and Mario Lanza in The Toast of New Orleans (1950)

Snooty opera singer meets a rough-and-tumble fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, but this fisherman can sing! Her agent lures him away to New Orleans to teach him to sing opera, but comes to regret this rash decision when the singers fall in love.

Play trailer3:06

1 Video

3 Photos

Musical

A snooty opera singer meets a rough-and-tumble fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, but this fisherman can sing. Her agent lures him away to New Orleans to teach him how to sing opera, but com... Read allA snooty opera singer meets a rough-and-tumble fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, but this fisherman can sing. Her agent lures him away to New Orleans to teach him how to sing opera, but comes to regret this rash decision when the singers fall in love.A snooty opera singer meets a rough-and-tumble fisherman in the Louisiana bayous, but this fisherman can sing. Her agent lures him away to New Orleans to teach him how to sing opera, but comes to regret this rash decision when the singers fall in love.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

789

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

Videos1

Trailer 3:06

Trailer

Photos2

Top cast99+

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Kathryn Grayson

Suzette Micheline

Mario Lanza

Pepe Abellard Duvalle

David Niven

Jacques Riboudeaux

J. Carrol Naish

Nicky Duvalle

James Mitchell

Pierre

Richard Hageman

Maestro P. Trellini

Clinton Sundberg

Oscar

Sig Arno

Mayor

Rita Moreno

Tina

Romo Vincent

Manuelo

Al Bain

Bar Patron
(uncredited)

John Barton

Fisherman
(uncredited)

Louise Bates

Dowager
(uncredited)

Mary Bayless

Restaurant Patron
(uncredited)

Leon Belasco

Dominiques' Orchestra Leader
(uncredited)

Hal Bell

Dancing Villager
(uncredited)

Mary Benoit

Bit Part
(uncredited)

Arthur Berkeley

Fisherman
(uncredited)

Director
- Norman Taurog
Writers
- Sy Gomberg
- George Wells
All cast & crew
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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Although they had previously appeared together in That Midnight Kiss (1949), Kathryn Grayson and Mario Lanza did not get along while making this film. While shooting the love duet scene from "Madame Butterfly," Grayson recalled that Lanza kept trying to French kiss her, which was made even more unpleasant by the fact that he kept eating garlic before shooting. To counter this, Grayson had costume designer Helen Rose sew pieces of brass inside her glove. Each time Lanza attempted to French kiss her, Grayson would smack him in the face with her brass-loaded glove. One of these smacks was included in the movie.

Goofs
Three-quarters of the way through the "Tina-Lina," Pierre's trousers develop a tear at the seam near the hip, which magically repairs itself in the next shot.

Quotes
Oscar: Since society began there's been a way of doing things right and a way of doing them wrong.

Connections
Featured in That's Entertainment! (1974)

Soundtracks
Be My Love
(uncredited)
by Nicholas Brodszky and Sammy Cahn
Sung by Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson

User reviews22

Featured review

Worth seeing for the music alone...Lanza and Grayson in fine voice...

David Niven discovers Mario Lanza, a Cajun fisherman who leaves the Bayou and falls in love with opera singer, Kathryn Grayson. Lushly photographed in the usual grand MGM manner of gaudy costumes and lots of background color, the simple storyline serves as an excuse to have Lanza belt out some ringing tenor numbers and blend his voice with Grayson for some tuneful arias. Opera fans will love it--others beware!

The humor gets a bit overdone with J. Carrol Naish straining for laughs and there's only a glimpse of Rita Moreno in a dance number. But brimming over with arias from "Carmen", "La Traviata" and "Martha", music lovers should have no complaints. Lanza and Grayson are both in fine voice and one would never suspect that she soon tired of his boorish antics on the set and would later refuse to co-star with him when MGM wanted her to do one more film with Lanza.