Need a vacation? Then head south of the border for a Holiday in Mexico and say hola to love, comedy, brilliant color and glorious music. This tale of an ambassador's teenage daughter smitten with a world-renowned and much older musician features couples young (Jane Powell and Roddy McDowall) and not so young (Walter Pidgeon and Ilona Massey), music hot (Xavier Cugat and his orchestra) and haute (Jose Iturbi) and a cascade of romantic complications as everyone is confused by exactly who loves whom. A box-office hit, Holiday in Mexico is an exuberant vehicle for 16-year-old Powell's sparkling soprano and marks another musical success for director George Sidney (Anchors Aweigh, Show Boat).

In this lavish musical coming-of-age story, Jane Powell stars as Christine Evans, the teenage daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. Christine throws herself into planning a huge party for her father, Jeffrey (Walter Pidgeon), securing bandleader Jose Iturbi (playing himself) as one of the entertainers. But her father's growing involvement with an old flame makes Christine feel neglected, and she convinces herself she's fallen in love with the much older Iturbi while ignoring the affections of her young friend Stanley (Roddy McDowall). Powell's beautiful voice is showcased in a number of songs, including "Ave Maria," Iturbi gets ample opportunity to demonstrate his mastery of the piano, Xavier Cugat and his band set fire to several high-energy Latin numbers, and future Cuban leader Fidel Castro shows up as a teenager in a crowd scene. Director George Sidney (VIVA LAS VEGAS) orchestrates HOLIDAY IN MEXICO with characteristic flair, adding another sparkling, fun-filled production to his canon of colorful musical extravaganzas.