Holiday in Havana is a 1949 American [1] musical comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough, and starring Desi Arnaz, Mary Hatcher and Ann Doran. The film is about a Cuban hotel busboy (Arnaz) who dreams of becoming a composer. According to author Mary Beltrán, in his portrayal of Carlos Estrada, Arnaz "established a successful negotiation of tensions inherent in playing a Latin romantic lead in this period, a negotiation that set the stage for what would make Ricky Ricardo so popular with American viewers.[2] His music, with songs such as "Holiday in Havana" and the "Arnaz Jam" featured in the film.
| Holiday in Havana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jean Yarbrough |
| Written by | Karen DeWolf Robert Lees Frederic I. Rinaldo |
| Story by | Morton Grant |
| Produced by | Ted Richmond |
| Starring | Desi Arnaz Mary Hatcher Ann Doran |
| Cinematography | Vincent J. Farrar |
| Edited by | Henry Batista |
| Music by | Paul Mertz |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot
The story about the difficult role of a Cuban bandleader Carlos Estrada. His romantic vis-a-vis is a peppery dancer named Lolita Valdez. Just before the lovers participate in a gala Havana festival, Carlos has a lot of explaining to do when Lolita catches him in the arms of another.[3]
Cast
- Desi Arnaz as Carlos Estrada
- Mary Hatcher as Lolita Valdez (Dolores)
- Ann Doran as Marge Henley
- Steven Geray as Lopez
- Minerva Urecal as Mama Valdez
- Sig Arno as Pepe
- Ray Walker as Sam Keegan
- Nacho Galindo as Police Sergeant
References
External links
- Holiday in Havana at IMDb
- Holiday in Havana at AllMovie
- Holiday in Havana at the TCM Movie Database
- Holiday in Havana at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
