Pier 5, Havana

I remember seeing this film way back in 1959 when it first came out in the theater. History was moving very fast back in this time in Cuba and within days this item was quickly withdrawn from circulation. Before 1959 was out you could never have made an American film with the Castro as the good guy and the Batista counterrevolutionaries as the bad guys.

Cameron Mitchell in the immediate days after the Castro revolution in Cuba comes to Havana to find his friend Logan Field who has gone missing. What he finds is Field's wife Allison Hayes now involved with Eduardo Noriega a rich plantation owner and singing at the nightclub in hotel owner Nestor Paiva's palatial resort hotel, once the playground of touring Americans as were many such places in Batista Havana.

Michael Granger the local Havana cop and Castro supporter is taking a real interest in the comings and goings of Mitchell. And before long Mitchell up to the neck in a counterrevolutionary assassination plot that the missing Mr. Field was involved in before.

Within days of this film's release public opinion changed radically about Fidel Castro and this film was buried. Not that it should have been unearthed for art's sake. This is sloppily put together with the villains making stupid moves that would have rivaled some of the movie Nazis of World War II vintage.

If Pier 5, Havana teaches us anything it is that with help like this no wonder Batista never regained power.

Steve Daggett (Cameron Mitchell) heads to post-revolutionary Cuba to look for a missing friend. He's no more than off the plane when he's mixed-up with some baddies who may have more sinister intentions than kidnapping his friend. He's also mixed up with an old flame, Monica Gray (Allison Hayes), which is bound to lead to even more problems. Can he find his friend, not get killed, and still get the girl?

As soon as I saw Cameron MItchell's name in the credits, I knew I wanted to see Pier 5, Havana. I"ve been a fan since I was a kid watching The HIgh Chaparral. Throw in Allison Hayes and I'm definitely watching. Overall, Pier 5, Havana falls into that harmless class of wishy-washy films I rate a 5/10. It's enjoyable enough, but nothing to really get overly excited about. Some of the pro-Castro sentiments in the film are incredibly interesting. Also, some of the street scenes filmed in and around Havana and the aerial shots of downtown Havana are truly special. This is a film that could only have been made at this exact time in history.

As for the movie, like I said, it's okay. Most of the plot is interesting enough (helped by a very short 67 minute runtime), the action works, and Mitchell comes out looking fine. The movie also has a noirish quality to it that i really enjoyed. As for what didn't work quite as well, I'll start with Hayes. In a word, she's awful. Several of her scenes with Eduardo Noriega are cringe-inducing they're so bad. And even though I enjoyed the plot, I admit it is a bit uneven and predictable. Still, despite the faults, I'm glad I finally got around to watching this one.

5/10

Story-line is fresh, even after all these years. Mitchell is OK, the lady is not too good, the bad-guy 'Fernando' is well acted. Set construction is B-grade, with several goofs. Script and dialog are a little better than you would expect. Simple action scenes are on par for this kind of movie. Overall production is about what you would expect for a B-grade movie. Some real shots in/near Havana add a special touch to the film. Trying to protect Castro from pro-Baustista forces seems a bit odd these days, but probably spot-on for 1959. The cast all seemed to work together well.

Good, rainy-day film.

Well the revolutions did end in 1959 when castro took over Havana and it is sureal to see hollywood root for castro then batista in this melodrama. The film is very cliche and you get to see how cuba was like in this year because this was the last year cuba was free. I recognized some of the places in this film cause coincidentally I have been to cuba before. I recognized the nacional hotel. The plot of the film caught me off guard and thought that his soilder body was part of the bay of pigs invasion but no that wouldnt come till next year. This fillm is a skip unless ur into cuba and cuba-usa history. Viva cuba!!!!!

From 1959, Pier 5, Havana, stars Cameron Mitchell and Allison Hayes, directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Mitchell, pre-nose job, plays Steve Daggert, who comes to Havana to search for a friend, Hank Miller (Logan Field) who disappeared during the recent revolution.

No one wants him around, including his ex-girlfriend (Hayes) now divorced from Miller. Items found belonging to Miller indicate he is dead.

Upon investigation, he finds a movement afoot to overthrow Castro and put Batista back in power, perceived in the film as a bad thing. Well, that point of view changed.

Done on the cheap, though it seems to include footage from Havana. The end is exciting. Mitchell does his usual solid job.

Hayes, a B movie star in the '50s, has her own channel on YouTube. She was beautiful with a knockout figure and unfortunately died young.