''Holiday in Havana'' is a 1949 American musical comedy directed by

Jean Yarbrough Jean Yarbrough (August 22, 1901 – August 2, 1975) was an American film director. Biography Jean Yarbrough was born in Marianna, Arkansas on August 22, 1901. He attended the University of the South located in Sewanee, Tennessee. In 1922 ...

, and starring

Desi Arnaz Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (March 2, 1917 – December 2, 1986) was a Cuban-born American actor, bandleader, and film and television producer. He played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, Ricky Ricardo on the American television sitcom ''I Lov ...

Mary Hatcher Mary Hatcher (June 6, 1929 – April 3, 2018) was an American coloratura soprano and actress whose screen career spanned the years from 1946-51. During that time she appeared in eight films, mostly in credited roles and several times as le ...

and

Ann Doran Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as the mother of Jim Stark ( James Dean) in ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Screen Actors Guild and ser ...

. 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. His music, with songs such as "Holiday in Havana" and the "Arnaz Jam" featured in the film.

Plot summary

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.

Cast

as Carlos Estrada *

as Lolita Valdez (Dolores) *

as Marge Henley *

Steven Geray Steven Geray (born István Gyergyai, 10 November 190426 December 1973) was a Hungarian-born American film actor who appeared in over 100 films and dozens of television programs. Geray appeared in numerous famed A-pictures, including Alfred H ...

as Lopez *

Minerva Urecal Minerva Urecal (born Florence Minerva Dunnuck; September 22, 1894 – February 26, 1966) was an American stage and radio performer as well as a character actress in Hollywood films and on various television series from the early 1950s to 1 ...

as Mama Valdez *

Sig Arno Sig Arno (born Siegfried Aron, 27 December 1895 – 17 August 1975) was a German-Jewish film actor who appeared in such films as ''Pardon My Sarong'' and ''The Mummy's Hand''. He may be best remembered from ''The Palm Beach Story'' (1942) as Toto ...

as Pepe * Ray Walker as Sam Keegan * Nacho Galindo as Police Sergeant

References

External links

* * * * American musical comedy films 1949 musical comedy films 1949 films Columbia Pictures films Films directed by Jean Yarbrough Films set in Havana American black-and-white films 1940s American films {{musical-comedy-film-stub