Cinema: Carusos v. Caruso

In Rome, the heirs of the late great Enrico Caruso were deeply offended by one of the more successful types of U.S. advertising—the tie-in ad. The offending tie-in involved MGM's The Great Caruso, starring Mario Lanza (TIME, Aug. 6), and the Coca-Cola Co., sponsors of Tenor Lanza's U.S. radio show. Caruso's son Enrico Jr., 48,* and 28-year-old Grandsons Enrico and Roberto, were "disgusted" with Coke billboard and poster ads ballyhooing the picture. Not that they had anything in particular against Cokes, explained the younger Enrico, but "we Europeans look upon commercial advertising from...

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