Trivia

Announcer for Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts for 43 years.

Co-author of several books on music, "Milton Cross' Stories of the Great Operas" and "Milton Cross' More Stories of the Great Operas", both with Karl Kohrs, and "The Milton Cross Encyclopedia of the Great Composers and Their Music" with David Ewen. Both books were perennially popular, going through several editions over the years, but are out of print today.

In the just over 43 years that Milton Cross served as announcer for the Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, he only missed a broadcast twice, this right after his beloved wife Lillian's death in March of 1973. Their only child, a daughter, died in infancy.

He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Radio at 1623 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

Would recall that the first Metropolitan Opera performance he had ever attended was Verdi's "Aida" in 1910, with Enrico Caruso singing the tenor lead and Arturo Toscanini conducting.

Died quite suddenly, only a month after the 1974-1975 Metropolitan Opera season had begun. He was immediately replaced by Peter Allen who held the post for nearly as long as Milton Cross had.