The Coolidge examiner., 1934-12-07
Farm Boy Wins Battle for Fame and Success

/ lurry driver who was suddenly
| placed behind the wheel OF a fne.
expensive automobile that be had
! admired from distance for a long
t!me." Joe says -The feeling was
comparable TO that OF a boy In his
hrst pair OF long pants. II gave
me the confidence OF a young man
after his hrst shave"
Playing two difficult selections
and singing a familiar church hymn
tbecause any other music was So
hard 10 procure In the wllds OF
western oklahoma just then). hr
won the contest. and with Il n
teachers college scholarship which
be never used. He was Just pas,
sixteen.
After that came dark days. but
they were days which had more.
perhaps. to do with shaping Joe's
career than all Of his study so far.
lie fell sick with typhoid fever. For
forty-slx days and nights he bat
tied with the fever.
The fever left him weak and
wasted. But II was In that sick.
bed that Joe Benton. the farm boy.
really became Giuseppe Bentonelli.
the lyric tenor OF America and Con
tinental opera when be had recov-
cred he entered the University Of
Oklahoma aud tried out for the
glee club. II was amazedly dlscov.
cred that his baritone voice. which
be had not tried since the typhoid
got him. had become a ane. rich
tenor. lie sang as II in a dream
while Professor Schmidt struck
notes high. higher. higher stIll. ali
the way un 10 high u fiat
The glamor Of the war attracted
Joe Benton while be was AZ the
university and he tried to Join the
army. bot was too young. He
Joined the ROTC. and vas commits
stoned n lieutenant In the infantry
just after the war closed. tie was
graduated with a bachelor % arts
degree and won Phi Beta Kappa
key. He made Phi Mu Alpha mu-
dcal fraternity.
Joe didn't need the army 20 get
20 Europe. on a shoestrlng he
crossed the Atlantic to study with
the masters He didn't always eat
be said. but be studied night and
day. At Nice. be studied under the
distinguished Polish tenor. Jean de
Reske.
when his teachers pronounced
him ready. young Benton made his
debut as the FIRST tenor IN the title
role q, Andrea Cheuler" In the
Tcairo Realle del ropera At Rome
II was the beginning of a European
career that vas 20 take him through
All performances la thirty-four dlf
ferent operas
He Becomes "Bentoneill"
II was In his Rome debut that.
upon the advice OF bis teacher IN
Milan. be assumed the name %
Bentoneln. Ills reason was y good
one.
TO the Italians ms name sounds
French" be explained. They pro
uounce II 'Bon.Ton'. No matter n
you are better than caruso. II you
make your debut In italy bearing a
French name. you are likely 10 ge'
grapefruit thrown al you. Martin
became Martinelli. so I could see 20
reason why Benton should not be
Bentonelll In a Milan court II cost
me three hundred dollars In Law
fees 10 have the new name legal
ized. can DOW use II Ia perfect
security: II is good even on pass
ports"
when be returned home this year
II was the first time In Eve years
But you viii never find a more ar.
dent patriot than Giuseppe Benton
ELI.
And be Is silll a regular guy"
success hasn't spoiled him.
Bentonelli has been much inter
essed In a career somewhat parallel
To his own. IL is that OF a fellow
tenor OF the Chicago Grand Opera
company. Myron Duncan. a logger
OF the North woods who was dis
covered singing TO the trees up In
north Wisconsin. and made his Amer
lean debut a week later In the same
role as did Bentonelll. Like the lat.