I just saw the Movie, "We Were Strangers" on Get TV this morning. Loved it. I am sure it will be on re-runs again. My Grandfather was very good friends of Gilbert Roland. My Grandfather looked very similar to Gilbert Roland and when they used to walk the streets in California, they turned heads. I still have a few pictures with my grandfather and Gilbert together. I loved that song, I was humming it all morning long. Hehe. I play guitar and the Uke and going to learn it. I should have recorded the Movie for reference. The shooting scene was classic. All in all they did their part in putting this movie together. Great Acting. Remember the poor cubanos and their plight of corrupt governments. Thx John Huston

Made between Key Largo and The Asphalt Jungle John Huston's We Were Strangers is a pre mature anti Batista tract a decade ahead of Castro's rebel overthrow. Similar to both, especially Asphalt, it fails to build in suspense and intensity as its bookends with it's comparatively uninspired mise en scene and poor balance of cause and romance ala For Whom the Bells Toll. Tony Fenner enlists some dissidents in a bomb plot to eliminate a large part of the corrupt ruling government of Cuba epitomized by ruthless Police Investigator Armando Ariete (Pedro Armendiaz) whose keeping an eye on Fenner and accomplice China Valdes (Jennifer Jones). In addition to eluding the authorities they must contend with the internal conflict regarding the moral implications of collateral damage .Clearly the heir apparent to Bogart (never Bogie but with more energy) Garfield does a decent job here as the terse ex-patriot. Jones is surprisingly good displaying a stoic and dignified courage in making the tough call. Armendiaz is chillingly snake like his exit gruesome historical reference.Director Huston however never gets things moving from the outset with scenes lacking the vitality and and passion one would expect from a film about a peoples revolution. Huston's scenes evolve slowly and with no energy, much of it drenched in a formless darkness. Other moments look rushed and unconvincing leading to a far fetched finale that is just as tired and sloppy as the rest of the film. This said We Were Strangers is a well ahead of its time call to arms against the military mob alliance of Cuba after the war; albeit a lifeless one but bearing early witness with dignity.

Cuban-accented Jennifer Jones (as China Valdes) watches as her 19-year-old brother is shot protesting the island's tyrannical government. Vengeful, she joins the revolutionary underground. Accepted in the resistance, Ms. Jones finds romance with Havana-born John Garfield (as Tony Fenner), who returns from the US to becomes a partner. On her first assignment, Jones re-encounters Pedro Armendariz (as Armando Ariete), who shot her brother. They meet organizer Ramon Novarro (the Chief), who plots government overthrow, with a plan developed by Mr. Garfield. Also in the group is Gilbert Roland (as Guillermo), a "silent" movie star along with Mr. Novarro. "We Were Strangers" is tense and involving at times, but it doesn't always seem authentic.****** We Were Strangers (4/27/39) John Huston ~ Jennifer Jones, John Garfield, Pedro Armendariz, Ramon Novarro

Every once in awhile, I find a film on Turner Classic Movies with a lot of A-list talent that I've never heard of. Usually there's a good reason why I'd never heard of it: it's bad. And when it's a film directed by John Huston, which he co-wrote with Peter Viertel (who collaborated with Huston 2 years later on "African Queen"), and with a cast as good as this...well, it seems even worse because of heightened expectations. There are maybe fifteen good minutes in this film, most of which include the great Pedro Armendariz as a sleazy, scary Cuban Cop. The rest ranges from mediocre to dismal. Heavy handed, didactic dialog is presented in static, stagy tableaux. Characterization -- other than by Armendariz -- is non-existent. One clever plot reversal leads to an unbelievable ending that comes out of nowhere. Story points are suddenly dropped, things happen completely out of convenience or because the director decides they should happen that way, and there is absolutely no sense of tension. Garfield is totally miscast, Jones tries her best, and Roland is a cartoon character. You can read the other positive reviews posted here and think that I must be way off base...but just ask yourself why you've never heard of this movie. If it was any good, you would have.