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A small Castilian town, Villar del Río is alerted to an upcoming visit of American diplomats; the town begins preparations to impress the American visitors, in the hopes of benefiting under the Marshall Plan. Hoping to demonstrate the side of Spanish culture with which the visiting American officials will be most accustomed, the citizens don unfamiliar Andalusian costumes, hire a renowned flamenco performer, and re-decorate their town in Andalusian style. A flamenco impresario (Manolo Morán) who spent time in Boston advises the locals to think of what they will ask from the Americans.

On the eve of the Americans' visit, three of the central characters dream of stereotypical American culture and history, based uniquely on their lives and experiences. The mayor dreams of a Western-like bar brawl, the hidalgo dreams of the arrival of a conquistador on New World shores, and the priest sees the hoods of a Holy Week procession turn into Klansmen dragging him before the Committee on Un-American Activities accompanied by jazz music. Also, a poorer man dreams that the Americans, shown as the Three Kings, fly over his field and parachute a new tractor into his field.

The day of the Americans' visit arrives - and the whole town is prepared to put on a show. However, the American motorcade speeds through the village without stopping. The locals are left to remove the decorations and pay for the expenses with their personal belongings - including the flamenco impresario, who gives up a gold ring given to him by the Americans in Boston.

Initially, it was intended as a comic vehicle for the flamenco singer Lolita Sevilla, but Berlanga decided to give it a deeper meaning.

The title is often mentioned in discussions of American investment in Spain as a caveat against delusion. An example is the 2012-2013 Eurovegas project.[2][3]

• Fernando Rey as Narrator (voice)
• José Isbert as Don Pablo, the mayor, a hearing-impaired old man
• Lolita Sevilla as Carmen Vargas, a flamenco artist from Andalusia
• Alberto Romea as Don Luis, the hidalgo
• Manolo Morán as Manolo, the scheming agent for Carmen Vargas
• Luis Pérez de León as Don Cosme, the priest, concerned about the American heretics
• Elvira Quintillá as Miss Eloísa, the teacher
• Félix Fernández as Don Emiliano, the doctor
• Nicolás D. Perchicot as the pharmacist (as Nicolás Perchicot)
• Joaquín Roa as the town crier
• Fernando Aguirre as the secretary
• José Franco as the general delegate
• Rafael Alonso as the enviado
• José María Rodríguez as José
• Elisa Méndez as Doña Raquel
• Matilde López Roldán as Doña Matilde

• Bienvenido Mister Marshall at IMDb