| Holiday in Havana | |
| Director: | Jean Yarbrough |
| Producer: | Ted Richmond |
| Story: | Morton Grant |
| Starring: | Desi Arnaz Mary Hatcher Ann Doran |
| Music: | Paul Mertz |
| Cinematography: | Vincent J. Farrar |
| Editing: | Henry Batista |
| Studio: | Columbia Pictures |
| Distributor: | Columbia Pictures |
| Runtime: | 73 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
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.
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]