Holiday in Mexico
MGM, 1946, Color, 127 minutes, ***½
One of my favorite Jane Powell movies! Jane is simply adorable as the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Walter Pidgeon. Jane goes about organizing a ball for the Ambassador, convincing Cugat and Iturbi to provide entertainment. With Cugie's band is an old flame of Daddy's - Ilona Massey. When Pidgeon finds out about that, he sets his sites on rekindling the flame. Darling daughter Jane is miffed at Daddy's preocupation, so she dumps boyfriend Roddy McDowall and begins persuing "old grandpa" Iturbi. It isn't long before things really get out of hand! Musical highlights include Janie's rendition of the "Italian Street Song," Jane and Girls Chorus singing "Les Filles de Cadiz," Massey's "You, So It's You," and Jane's finale number, "Ave Maria."
"The Gaiety and color of Mexico enliven this delightful musical comedy about a mild-mannered American diplomat and his irresponsible young daughter.
Ambasador Jeffrey Evens (Walter Pidgeon), a widower living in Mexico, has his hands full with his teenage daughter Christine (Jane Powell). Christine runs the entire household and tries to manage her father's private life as well. But love threatens to wreck all her carefully made plans: an earnest young classmate (Roddy MacDowall) is hopelessly in love with her... Ambassador Evans is smitten with a beautiful singer... and poor Christine isn't sure where she fits anymore! To top it all off, Christine develops a crush on famed pianist Jose Iturbi, who is much older than she.
Fabulous Latin American music featuring Xavier Cugat and his orchestra and Jose Iturbi, in addition to the soaring soprano of Jane Powell, help fill Holiday in Mexico with "enough entertainment to fill two separate features" (Film Daily)."
(from back of videotape sleeve)
Crew:
Produced by: Joe Pasternak
Directed by: George Sidney
Screen Play by: Isobel Lennart
Original Story by: William Kozlenko
Musical Direction: Georgie Stoll
Song Score: various
Choreography: Stanley Donen
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith
Set Decorations: Edwin B. Willis, Arthur A. Krams
Costume Supervision: Irene
Men's Costumes by: Valles
Make-Up Created by: Jack Dawn
Recording Director: Douglas Shearer
Director of Photography: Harry Stradling
Special Effects: Warren Newcombe
Photographed in Technicolor
Technicolor Color Director: Natalie Kalmus
Associate: Henri Jaffa
Film Editor: Adrienne Fazan
Cast:
Walter Pidgeon ... Jeffrey Evans
Jose Iturbi ... Himself
Roddy McDowall ... Stanley Owen
Ilona Massey ... Toni Karpathy
Xavier Cugat ... Himself
Jane Powell ... Christine Evans
Hugo Haas ... Angus
Mikhail Rasumny ... Baranga
Helene Stanley ... Yvette Baranga
William "Bill" Phillips ... Sam
Amparo Iturbi ... Herself
Tonia Hero ... Herself
Teresa Hero ... Herself
Marina Koshetz ... Señora Baranga
Linda Christian ... Angel
Ann Codee ... Margaret
Paul Stanton ... Sir Edward Owen
Doris Lloyd ... Cady Millicent Owen
Rosita Marstini ... Maria, Iturbi's cook
Grady Sutton ... Tom (Iturbi's Assistant)
Fidel Castro ... Bit
Music:
[0:00] Main Title (overture) Holiday in Mexico (played and sung by Orchestra and Chorus behind titles, includes vocal excerpts of some of the song score)
[0:03] Italian Street Song (sung by Jane Powell)
[0:08] Happy Birthday to You (sung by Jane Powell and Walter Pidgeon)
[0:15] Goodnight Sweetheart (excerpt sung by Walter Pidgeon and Jane Powell)
[0:20] Someone to Love (sung by Ilona Massey with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra)
[0:25] Les Filles de Cadiz (sung by Girls Chorus with Jose Iturbi at the piano)
[0:28] Les Filles de Cadiz (sung by Jane Powell with Jose Iturbi at the piano)
[0:35] Yo te Amo Mucho (And That's That) (sung by Xavier Cugat and Chorus with Xavier Cuagat Orchestra)
[0:40] Gypsy Lullaby (Csak egy szep lany can a vilagon) (sung by Ilona Massey)
[0:44] The Music Goes 'Round and Around (sung by Ilona Massey and Mens Chorus)
[0:47] You, So It's You (sung by Ilona Massey)
[0:56] Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff) (excerpt played by Jose Iturbi at the piano with Xavier Cugat's Orchestra)
[1:05] Polonaise in A Flat (played by Jose Iturbi at the piano)
[1:27] I Think of You (sung by Jane Powell with Jose Iturbi at the piano)
[1:36] Liebestod (played by Jose and Amparo Iturbi at the piano)
[1:38] Three Blind Mice (sung and played by Jose Iturbi)
[1:39] Three Blind Mice "Boogie Woogie" arrangement (played by Jose and Amparo Iturbi at the piano, joined by Orchestra)
[2:03] Ave Maria (sung by Jane Powell and Chorus)
"Walter Winchell Rhumba" (sheet music only, not used)
"Impatient Years" (not used); "These Patient Years" (not used)
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Holiday in Mexico
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Holiday in Mexico
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