WEEKEND IN HAVANA
US, 1941, 81 minutes, Colour.
Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, John Payne, Cesar Romero, Cobina Wright Jr, George Barbier, Sheldon Leonard, Leonard Kinskey, Billy Gilbert.
Directed by Walter Lang.
Weekend in Havana is one of the many musical comedies made by 20th Century Fox at the beginning of the 1940s. Alice Faye appeared in quite a number of them, That Night in Rio, Hello Frisco, Hello. Carmen Miranda also appeared in quite a number, with her characteristic accent, flamboyant dresses and hats, patter singing. John Payne was one of the heroes in several of the films and Cesar Romero played a villain with charm. Many of the character actors appeared in several of the films as well.
The film was directed by Walter Lang, director of many small-budget films in the 20s and 30s, moving into 20th Century Fox musicals like this one and Moon Over Miami, Tinpan Alley and Coney Island. He began to make bigger-budget films, quite a number of musicals like Mother Wore Tights and State Fair and then moved into comedies like Sitting Pretty and Cheaper by the Dozen. During the 1950s he made even bigger-budget films including With a Song in My Heart, Call Me Madam, There’s No Business Like Show Business, The King and I and Can- Can.
The film recreates Cuba in the pre-Castro years, a haven for American tourists and gamblers. While remnants of the old city are seen, the emphasis is on the glamour, the big hotels, and nightclubs.
The plot is slight. John Payne portrays a shipping company executive who is about to marry the boss’s daughter. However, a ship goes on a reef outside Florida and he is asked to get waivers from the passengers so that the company is not liable. However, one young woman, a salesgirl in the hosiery department at Macy’s (Alice Faye) refuses to sign, offering to do so after she has had an enjoyable holiday. Payne is then required to accompany her to ensure that she has a holiday – the best room in the hotel, the sights of Cuba (at which she is bored), accompanying her to nightclubs where orchestras play and Carmen Miranda sings. However, Cesar Romero imagines that she is a rich girl (with a hint from the bellhop, Leonard Kinskey, from the hotel). He is in debt to the boss (Sheldon Leonard) and is under the thumb of Carmen Miranda.
Needless to say this leads to frothy complications, an attraction between Alice Faye and John Payne, especially after the haughty fiancée comes to Havana and tries to buy Alice Faye off. There are also complications about money, winnings at the casino, double dates...
The film is a frothy entertainment – typical of the brightly Technicolored musicals of this period, with songs from Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda.
