Fox channel aired this film right after "Sun Valley Serenade", both released in 1941. This emphasized to me that both musical romances had basically the same plot, but in very different settings and with different lead actors, except for John Payne. In both films, Payne is engaged to be married to a society knockout, but gradually comes to realize he really prefers a newcomer "nobody", Alice Faye , in the present film. Whereas in SVS, Payne spends most of the film trying to deny that he is falling in love with Sonja Henje's character, who keeps popping up unexpectedly, in the present film, it's Payne who keeps popping up unexpectedly in the life of Alice Faye, who initially shows no interest in him. Both films are blessed with multiple stars with complementary and overlapping talents. As usual, Payne is the straight man for a series of embarrassing and comedic situations, can sing, and eventually winds up with the leading lady. Cesar Romero functions as the primary male comedian as well as something for the ladies to swoon over. Carmen Miranda is her usual effervescent flirtatious self, as different in personality and looks from prim dreamy-eyed Alice Faye, as one can imagine. She is the centerpiece of occasional lavish costume musical numbers, whereas Alice renders her ballads in quite a different style. While Romero makes a play for Alice, whom he thinks is filthy rich,and Carmen flirts with Payne, savvy viewers sense that Carmen will return to Romero, while Payne and Alice will return together to NYC. Like SVS, this film is just a fun time, with a vaudevillian mix of song and dance, comedy, drama and romance.
Review of Week-End in Havana
