Coffee House (1955)

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A special coffee house named "El Cubano" in London, offers a variety cultures, people and most important coffee. The coffee house is an upcoming trend in the London of 1955.

"El Cubano" Coffee House, Brompton Road, Kensington, London.



Over various shots of the interior of the El Cubano, the narrator states that Coffee Houses are having a new vogue throughout the country. He tells of the cosmopolitan staffing of these new cafes and the modern decor. Nice "samba" style music on the soundtrack.



M/S of two glamorous girls sitting at a counter in the cafe. In the foreground is a large plate of cakes. C/U of sugar being spooned out of an odd shaped sugar bowl into a cup of coffee. Good C/U of 1950s chick drinking her coffee - nice glass cups. She wears a bright orange jersey and has red hair. She chats to her friend and licks her lips.



"Imagination is the keynote" states the narrator as he points out a hole in the wall which is part of the modern design. Two brightly coloured tropical birds (of the toucan type) live in a cage that has wire shaped to represent Chinese lettering. The bar is lined with Lynx skin.



L/S of a woman laying out knives and forks on a table. A Trinidadian waiter grates some lemon peel into two espresso coffees. He has a monkey sitting on his shoulder. C/U of the coffee with lemon peel floating in it. They serve nine different varieties of flavoured coffee at El Cubano. The waitress picks up the coffees and takes them to two women who sit together gossiping. "The art of conversation too is sharing in the revival of the coffee house" states the narrator "a new type of cafe society is growing up in Britain". C/U of one of the women sipping her coffee. At another table an older group sit together - two men and a woman. Narrator notes that all sorts of people come to coffee houses. A waitress serves them cakes. C/U of the "sweet trolley" - marvellous array of goodies!



L/S of a woman sitting at a counter as a waiter serves her a coffee and an "open sandwich in the Swedish style." Narrator describes the unusual combinations on offer which include "cream cheese and fresh fruit". C/U of bizarre looking food. High angle shot of a woman dressed in a gypsy style being handed one of the open sandwiches. She tucks in. C/U of a little monkey sitting on a table. He eats nuts. C/U of the photographer "Baron" and his friend Eunice Melville (sp?), a dancer from Sydney, smiling at the monkey. L/S of the three of them as Baron feeds the monkey. The monkey climbs over Baron's shoulder.



M/S and C/U of a couple drinking a special drink - Grenadilla Juice - from the shell of a coconut. C/U of the drink which actually looks quite revolting - it has green bits floating in it. M/S of a waitress approaching a shelf where large trays of sandwiches are stacked up. She takes one of the trays over to a table. A couple sit at a corner table and the woman is handed an open sandwich. She picks up a coconut shell and drinks from it (no straw?!). Film ends with a shot of some of the ornaments in the cafe.



Note: fab and groovy man! I'd rather go here than Starbucks!



The decor in El Cubano is by Douglas Fisher.



Newspaper clipping about the El Cubano on file - also drinks and food menu - excellent!
FILM ID:25.21

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