The Great Caruso The Great Caruso The Great Caruso is a 1951 biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Mario Lanza as the great operatic tenor Enrico Caruso. It was directed by Richard Thorpe, and produced by Joe Pasternak, with Jesse L. Lasky as associate producer, from a screenplay by Sonya Levien and William Ludwig. The original music was by Johnny Green, and the cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg. Costume design was by Helen Rose and Gile Steele. The film is a highly fictionalized biography of the life of Caruso. The film also features a large number of Metropolitan Opera stars, notably sopranos Teresa
Frank T. Caruso least 13 arrests on charges including grand larceny, illegal gambling and conspiracy. In 1956, on the death of his father-in-law, Bruno Roti, Caruso became the owner of several South Side, Chicago casinos and became the head of the 26th Street/Chinatown "crew". Caruso now became involved in illegal gambling in Chicago's First Ward. On the side, Caruso operated a legitimate business, Caruso Plumbing, in the Chicago suburb of Hillside, Illinois. In 1983, Caruso died of natural causes. Frank T. Caruso Frank T. "Skids" Caruso (December 26, 1911 – December 31, 1983) was a Chicago mobster involved in illegal gambling and racketeering