Week-End in Havana (also known as A Week-End in Havana and That
Week-End in Havana) is a 1941 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical
film directed by Walter Lang and starring Alice Faye and Carmen
Miranda. It was the second of three pictures the two stars made
together and the second Faye film to have a Latin-American theme,
typical of Fox musicals of the early 1940s. Faye was pregnant during
filming.When his cruise ship, the Cuban Queen, runs aground near
Florida on its way to Havana, New York ocean liner magnate Walter
McCracken (George Barbier) sends his vice-president, Jay Williams
(John Payne), to the site to forestall any legal action. Jay gets the
passengers to sign claim waivers in exchange for future passage on
another McCracken ocean liner. One passenger, Macy's salesclerk Nan
Spencer (Alice Faye), refuses to sign, because she has saved for years
for the vacation and cannot take it at any other time. When Nan hints
that she is aware of the captain's negligence in the accident, Jay
accedes to her demand that the company ensure her an enjoyable
vacation in Havana. Nan refuses to sign the waiver until after her
vacation is completed, so McCracken orders Jay to accompany her, even
though he is soon to be married to McCracken's snobbish daughter
Terry. Upon reaching Havana, Nan is delighted with the scenery but
bored with Jay, who is too stodgy to provide the romance she craves.
When charming fortune hunter Monte Blanca (Cesar Romero) comes across
Nan, he believes that she will be the solution to his gambling
debts.Monte takes Nan to a casino run by Boris, who threatens Monte
upon discovering that Nan is a simple salesclerk who cannot make good
on the losses she believed Monte himself was going to pay. Jay, who
has followed the couple, offers to pay off Monte's debts if he will
romance Nan, thereby making sure she has a good time and will sign the
waiver. Monte readily agrees, despite the jealousy of his tempestuous
girl friend, Rosita Rivas (Carmen Miranda), a singer whom Monte
manages. In order to forestall Rosita's tantrums, Jay agrees to be her
new manager, but regrets his decision when it becomes apparent that
she wants romance as well as advice.One evening, Rosita meets Jay at a
secluded inn, but Monte and Nan are already there, and during an
ensuing argument, Monte reveals that he accepted Jay's proposition in
order to repay Rosita money he owes her. Nan is furious at both men
for the deception, and when Jay tries to follow her after she leaves,
his car is accidentally wrecked. While walking back to town, Jay and
Nan discover that they are genuinely attracted to each other. The next
morning, happy that her vacation is going well, Nan gives Jay a signed
waiver, but tears it up when Terry appears and intimates that Jay's
behavior has been strictly business. Heartbroken, Nan signs another
waiver and accepts from Terry a check for $1,000, which Terry says
came from Jay. When Jay sends her a check for $150, however, Nan
realizes that Terry was trying to bribe her without Jay's knowledge.
Terry's scheming soon becomes apparent to Jay as well, and after he
angrily sends her back to New York, he finds Nan in the nightclub
where Rosita is performing. As Rosita and Monte dance together, Jay
and Nan are reconciled, and everyone sings the praises of their
weekend in Havana.
Week-End in Havana) is a 1941 20th Century Fox Technicolor musical
film directed by Walter Lang and starring Alice Faye and Carmen
Miranda. It was the second of three pictures the two stars made
together and the second Faye film to have a Latin-American theme,
typical of Fox musicals of the early 1940s. Faye was pregnant during
filming.When his cruise ship, the Cuban Queen, runs aground near
Florida on its way to Havana, New York ocean liner magnate Walter
McCracken (George Barbier) sends his vice-president, Jay Williams
(John Payne), to the site to forestall any legal action. Jay gets the
passengers to sign claim waivers in exchange for future passage on
another McCracken ocean liner. One passenger, Macy's salesclerk Nan
Spencer (Alice Faye), refuses to sign, because she has saved for years
for the vacation and cannot take it at any other time. When Nan hints
that she is aware of the captain's negligence in the accident, Jay
accedes to her demand that the company ensure her an enjoyable
vacation in Havana. Nan refuses to sign the waiver until after her
vacation is completed, so McCracken orders Jay to accompany her, even
though he is soon to be married to McCracken's snobbish daughter
Terry. Upon reaching Havana, Nan is delighted with the scenery but
bored with Jay, who is too stodgy to provide the romance she craves.
When charming fortune hunter Monte Blanca (Cesar Romero) comes across
Nan, he believes that she will be the solution to his gambling
debts.Monte takes Nan to a casino run by Boris, who threatens Monte
upon discovering that Nan is a simple salesclerk who cannot make good
on the losses she believed Monte himself was going to pay. Jay, who
has followed the couple, offers to pay off Monte's debts if he will
romance Nan, thereby making sure she has a good time and will sign the
waiver. Monte readily agrees, despite the jealousy of his tempestuous
girl friend, Rosita Rivas (Carmen Miranda), a singer whom Monte
manages. In order to forestall Rosita's tantrums, Jay agrees to be her
new manager, but regrets his decision when it becomes apparent that
she wants romance as well as advice.One evening, Rosita meets Jay at a
secluded inn, but Monte and Nan are already there, and during an
ensuing argument, Monte reveals that he accepted Jay's proposition in
order to repay Rosita money he owes her. Nan is furious at both men
for the deception, and when Jay tries to follow her after she leaves,
his car is accidentally wrecked. While walking back to town, Jay and
Nan discover that they are genuinely attracted to each other. The next
morning, happy that her vacation is going well, Nan gives Jay a signed
waiver, but tears it up when Terry appears and intimates that Jay's
behavior has been strictly business. Heartbroken, Nan signs another
waiver and accepts from Terry a check for $1,000, which Terry says
came from Jay. When Jay sends her a check for $150, however, Nan
realizes that Terry was trying to bribe her without Jay's knowledge.
Terry's scheming soon becomes apparent to Jay as well, and after he
angrily sends her back to New York, he finds Nan in the nightclub
where Rosita is performing. As Rosita and Monte dance together, Jay
and Nan are reconciled, and everyone sings the praises of their
weekend in Havana.
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