gridoon2018 The same year (1936) he played Philo Vance in MGM's "The Garden Murder Case", Edmund Lowe starred in this witty spoof of the entire "debonair super sleuth" genre, which is co-written by a woman, Florence Ryerson (the same woman who wrote another MGM Philo Vance entry, "The Casino Murder Case", one year earlier), and co-stars the obscure today Elissa Landi as a female writer of popular mystery books. Lowe and Landi seem perfectly in tune with each other and with the irreverent spirit of the film - they make a good pair. The film has an unusually strong supporting cast, however you might say it feels a bit overcrowded at times, as neither Zasu Pitts not Ted Healy have roles that are a) essential to the plot (even as red herrings), and b) particularly funny (Healy's sidekick does have the funniest scene in the film, though: the one with the wristwatches). Also, although most of the film is set on a ship, it never really creates the illusion that the ship is actually travelling. But the ending is very surprising - perhaps it can also be taken as a clever satire on one of the oldest clichés in the mystery genre. **1/2 out of 4.

Michael_Elliott Mad Holiday (1936) ** 1/2 (out of 4) MGM crime-mystery about actor Philip Trent (Edmund Lowe) who grows tired of playing a mystery solver so he decides to quit the film business and go on a trip. On board a ship he runs into Peter Dean (Elissa Landi) who just happens to be the writer of his story. It doesn't take long for the two to find a dead body and now they're got a real mystery to solve. It's clear that this "B" picture was trying to recapture the magic of THE THIN MAN and while it doesn't reach the levels of that classic, the fun cast makes the film worth viewing. There's no question that Lowe was an expert at playing this type of character. The character is rather full of himself, charming and has a way with words so Lowe is perfect at this. He's especially good early on once he finally cracks and realizes that he doesn't want to act in these type of pictures. Landi makes for a good partner in crime as the two manage to have some nice chemistry. The supporting cast has some very familiar faces with Edgar Kennedy stealing the picture as a detective who just happens to be on board the ship. Zasu Pitts plays a rather dimwitted fan of the actor and Ted Healy can be seen playing a stooge promotional man for the studio. The actual mystery itself is a pretty good one as you'll certainly be left in the dark as to who the killer is and what the exact motive was. Director George B. Seitz does a nice job at keeping the film moving at a nice pace and the screenplay also has some good touches and especially when it gives the viewer a few winks about what happens behind the scenes of one of these films. MAD HOLIDAY is far from perfect but it's a nice little time killer.

boblipton Edmund Lowe and Elissa Landi are terrific in this comedy-drama directed by sure comedy hand George Seitz. They are supported by the always hilarious Edgar Kennedy and Zasu Pitts, as well as the annoying Ted Healy, with Edmund Gwenn in a small but well-performed role.The movie looks like it was originally intended for William Powell and Myrna Loy as a spoof on THE THIN MAN, but the lead pair -- Lowe plays a movie actor trapped in a series of successful murder movies written by hack Landi -- manage their own chemistry. Lowe times his wisecracks like Groucho Marx and Landi's timing and character reminds me of Greer Garson, still three years from being noticed by Louis Mayer.Seitz had had a sure hand for comedy, both as a writer for Broadway and for the movies since silent days. He would direct a couple more great comedies for Metro, including the amazing MY DEAR MISS ALDRICH and then spend the remainder of his life directing the lively Andy Hardy series. If you get a chance to see what he could do with a good script and adult actors, take it.

robinj22 For those of you familiar with The Thin Man starring William Powell and Myrna Loy, you will see many similarities but I believe this is not nearly as good as Powell and Loy together. Edmund Lowe is an actor who plays a detective but is tired of doing the same thing so he wants to take a vacation to get away from what he considers poor detective stories. On the ship he meets up with his co star for the movie, Peter Dean played by Ellisa Landi. They accidentally get involved in a real murder and can't seem to get out of several "scrapes" together. They do all right as a couple but again, I believe this movie tried to copy The Thin Man style and didn't do too well. There's a lot of slapstick in this movie so if you enjoy that from the '30's you will enjoy this movie. All in all it isn't too bad so I gave it a 5 but no higher. If you enjoyed this movie you will love The Thin Man series so I highly recommend any of those.