# 1950s CUBA & ISLAND OF MARGARITA CARIBBEAN ST. PETERSBURG TRAVELOGUE FILM 53084

World Acquaintance Films presents “Cuban Holiday” — the first of three short travel films that once aired on ABC TV. Filmed in cooperation with the Cuban Tourism Commission, "Cuban Holiday" is a late 1940s black-and-white travelogue that touts Cuba as a popular vacation spot, particularly for US residents, as tranquil scenes from the island are shown. Remains of the Convent of San Francisco in Trinidad in central Cuba (mark 01:28 ) and other structures including modern hotels are shown as the narrator briefly delves into the town’s history, including the recruitment of men by Hernando Cortes. The film visits cathedrals and homes along the southern coastline, as well as a Atkins Garden, a botanical center maintained by Harvard University (mark 04:20 ) in Cienfuegos, before heading to the capital city of Havana (mark 05:12 ). We visit Havana Cathedral (which once held the remains of Christopher Columbus) and a monument in honor of the USS Maine (ACR-1), which sank in Havana Harbor in 1898. There are scenes from luxury hotels and apartment buildings along with roads designed with the idea that “motoring should be a form of recreation” (mark 07:27 ). Dancers perform a rumba (mark 08:08 ) and we see celebratory Cuban nightlife and parades before the film ends. At mark 12:34 , this picture continues with “Margarita,” another 1940s-era travel film produced for the the government of Venezuela by the Hamilton Wright Organization. The film opens with beach scenes (mark 13:18 ) on…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: Travel, Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/53084CubanHoliday)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/53084CubanHoliday?play=1)