World Tour: Cuban Pete

Jim Carrey: Cuban Pete

[purchase]

Keep in mind that, in 1946, Cuba had not yet been taken over by Fidel Castro. There was no US embargo, and so artists of various sorts traveled freely between the two countries. So it is not surprising that a Hollywood studio would have made a movie that year to promote the newest Cuban musical sensation. The movie was Cuban Pete, and the star was Desi Arnaz. The song was a smash, with Louis Armstrong among others doing his own version.

Almost fifty years would pass. The song disappeared during my childhood in the 60s and 70s. In fact, I never heard it at all until 1994, when it was in a hilarious scene in the movie The Mask. Remember this?