Holiday in Mexico *** (1946, Walter Pidgeon, Jose Iturbi, Roddy McDowall, Jane Powell, Ilona Massey, Xavier Cugat) – Classic Movie Review 11,588

After Song of the Open Road (1944) and Delightfully Dangerous (1945), Jane Powell appeared in the 1946 Technicolor musical Holiday in Mexico, directed by George Sidney and also starring Walter Pidgeon, Ilona Massey and Roddy McDowall, who became a life-long friend. It is Powell’s first film for her studio MGM. And Fidel Castro appears as an extra, mostly in crowd scenes, one of several of his film appearances.

Walter Pidgeon plays the US ambassador to Mexico, and Jane Powell (aged sweet 17) plays his daughter who wants to find a new wife for daddy and herself swoons over famous Spanish pianist-conductor José Iturbi.

Pidgeon and Powell are an appealing double act in this pretty, colourful travelogue with some nice musical numbers, and a lot of people to like – Ilona Massey, Xavier Cugat and Roddy McDowall (then 18).

The cast are Walter Pidgeon, Ilona Massey, Jane Powell, José Iturbi, Roddy McDowall, Xavier Cugat, Hugo Haas, Mikhail Rasumny, Helene Stanley and William Phipps.

It was a hit, earning $5,723,000, leading to a profit of $910,000.

RIP the MGM soprano girl-next-door star Jane Powell.

Jane Powell (born Suzanne Lorraine Burce; April 1, 1929 – September 16, 2021) was notable for her performances in A Date with Judy (1948), Royal Wedding (1951), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), and Hit the Deck (1955).

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,588

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