Holiday for Lovers

Robert Dean, Clifton Webb, is an old-fashioned psychologist who reluctantly allows his eldest daughter Meg Dean, Jill St. John, to join a four-week tour in South America before returning to college. When he learns she plans to extend her stay in São Paulo, he travels to Brazil with his wife Mary Dean, Jane Wyman, and their younger daughter Betsy Dean, Carol Lynley, hoping to keep Meg on a more conventional path.

Upon arrival, he is unsettled by Meg’s changes, including smoking, which clash with his expectations. He mistakenly thinks she is drawn to her older mentor Eduardo Barroso, Paul Henreid, yet she is actually engaged to Barroso’s bohemian son Carlos Barroso, Nico Minardos.

Meanwhile, Betsy is flattered by attention from the U.S. Air Force and falls for Paul Gattling, Gary Crosby.

Carlos is wary about meeting the Dean parents, fearing disapproval of his lifestyle. He makes a poor impression on Robert Dean, Clifton Webb, and, in an effort to steer Meg away from trouble, Robert arranges a travel plan that takes the family from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and then to Lima.

Meg calls Carlos to say goodbye, but he accuses her of following in her father’s footsteps. Carlos and Eduardo trail her to Lima, where a bullfight becomes a backdrop for their reunion, and Paul, who has also come to Lima, proposes to Betsy. She declines, explaining she is not ready for marriage. Later that night, Eduardo and Carlos announce they will return to São Paulo the next day, and Robert reluctantly allows Meg to accompany Carlos.

After the farewell, Robert wanders into a bar, gets drunk, and wakes up on a plane bound for Madrid, eventually ending up in Trinidad. He phones Meg to offer his blessing for her to marry Carlos, but she reveals that she no longer loves him. Betsy then asks for her father’s blessing to marry Paul, and he acknowledges that she is old enough to decide for herself, leaving Betsy officially engaged to him.

Last Updated: October 05, 2025 at 12:14