Week-End in Havana

1941 "The Gayest...Fastest...FOUR STAR MUSICAL OF 1941!"
6.5| 1h21m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 17 October 1941 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A ship company employee, Jay Williams, is sent to Florida where one of the company cruise ships is stuck on a reef off of the coast. He obtains waivers from all of the passengers with the exception of Nan Spencer, a department store salesgirl who wants her vacation now, not later. Jay is instructed to take Nan to Havana, set her up in the best hotel, and keep her entertained. She visits a nightclub where the star attraction is Rosita Rivas and meets Rosita's worthless manager, Monte Blanca, who makes a play for her. Trouble also comes in the form of Jay's fiancée, Terry McCracken, when a romance develops between Nan and Jay.

Genre

Comedy, Music, Romance

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Director

Walter Lang

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

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Week-End in Havana Audience Reviews

Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.
ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.
MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant
Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity
JLRMovieReviews Alice Faye is on a vacation to Havana by cruise ship that she saved up for and had eager expectations for a good time, when the ship encountered problems. Everyone else on board signed a waiver saying this wasn't an inconvenience and that they could get on another cruise ship! But Alice Faye had to be back to work in a short time and could not take a vacation any other time, despite all the courteous cooperativeness of John Payne, the agent of the company. He finally offers her the Havana vacation and her expenses to be paid by the company. The catch is she won't sign the waiver (to not sue) until after she had the good time promised. John Payne is ordered to be at her side at all times, despite the fact he is engaged to be married and the wedding will have to be postponed due to Alice's vacation. What movie musical problems! Enter Cesar Romero, who thinks she's rich! John does not like him, but Alice keeps thinking, where's this good time you've been promising me? She's taking it with Cesar. Then, there's Carmen Miranda who likes Cesar, or does she? He was her manager, but he kept borrowing her money for gambling. With Ms. Miranda's colorful musical numbers, this to-do over Alice's good time and complications to boot, this makes for an upbeat and fun film for a weekend in Havana!
dougdoepke Splashy TCF musical with an imaginative plot, but also with an unfortunate lineup of undistinguished musical numbers. Payne's supposed to keep Faye happy on her Havanna vacation so she won't sue his cruise ship line. That might be okay if Payne didn't have an impatient fiancée, Wright Jr., waiting back home. Worse, Faye wants romance and thinks she's found it with handsome gold-digger Romero. But what happens when the greedy Romero doesn't pan out. Payne's got a big juggling act to do. And through it all, Miranda rhumbas her way, sporting a permanent smile and a half dozen top-heavy hats. The mystery is how she gets them to stay on.Faye's her usual winning self, while Payne gets to go Tarzan-like shirtless. But together they do make a compelling couple, as a dozen of these TCF musicals show. Meanwhile, Romero and Wright get to model some impressive high fashion, as compensation, I guess. Fortunately, director Lang keeps the circus running smoothly, but don't let all that splashy Technicolor overwhelm you. Nothing special here, just a truckload of eye-catching Hollywood escapism.
dougandwin I know this is going to offend a lot of fans, but "Weekend in Havana" does not come anywhere near "Down Argentine Way" or "That Night in Rio" both of which were made around the same time. Certainly, Carmen Miranda (the main attraction of the movie) has more to do in this, bus the talent of Alice Faye is wasted, and I felt it needed someone like Charlotte Greenwood to really lift the tempo and interest. No need to recap the story as it is one that has been done before many times, but I do give full marks for the Technicolor which was absolutely brilliant (in more ways than one!). John Payne and Caesar Romero were adequate, and it was good fortune to have some of the standard actors in Leonid Kinsky, Billy Gilbert and Sheldon Leonard to help move it along.
Neil Doyle Fox makes ample use of their stock company players--ALICE FAYE, JOHN PAYNE, CARMEN MIRANDA, CESAR ROMERO, as well as a bevy of dependable supporting actors to make sure that their technicolor investment in WEEKEND IN HAVANA pays off. Unfortunately, it's a routine assignment for all concerned. The script is light, even for a Fox musical.Faye had better musicals at the studio and is saddled with playing a rather pushy department store clerk who expects to get the royal treatment in Havana after her cruise is interrupted by a shipwreck. Naturally, a handsome corporate man (Payne) is assigned to take care of her "vacation" in Havana, and therein lies the nub of the plot. Everything that follows is quite predictable, including misunderstood romantic complications, but the end result is nevertheless entertaining.Both Alice and Carmen Miranda have opportunities to demonstrate their prowess with a song and John Payne makes an attractive partner for Faye. Cesar Romero plays a Latin charmer with his usual confident air. It's all very pretty in Fox's typically garish technicolor but fails to stay in the memory as some of Faye's other films do since there's nothing especially memorable about either the plot or the music.