In 1942, America, like most of its allies, was in trouble. You can't very well expect people to die for the economic interests of large corporations like General Motors, and after all, Nazi Germany and Fascist America basically shared the same ideology. In other ways, of course, the war was a gift, with a need to step up production, strikes being unpatriotic. GM, having been rather buddy-buddy with the Nazis, had a special interest in waving the flag, consequently hiring Oboler to make this propaganda piece. The result being a little too libertarian for their taste, it was shelved until 1945, when the war was just about over. It was now a warning against fifth columnists like the spy movies of the late thirties. Even without the shadow of the swastika on the wall, the presence of the German actor and typecast Nazi heavy Martin Kosleck, best known to horror fans as the mad scientist in FLESH EATERS (1964), would have served to get the none too subtle message across. Not surprisingly, it was reedited in 1950, replacing the Germans with America's former Russian allies. Ah well, as Adolf so adeptly put it: "The receptivity of the masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous." The reason why this switch could be made so smoothly is of course that this kind of propaganda is a lot of hooey. All governments exploit and enslave their citizens, playing on the fear of their neighbors, who may just turn you in, if you don't beat them to it. The idyllic existence seen in flashbacks with the well-behaved children and self-effacing wife (the holiday of the title obviously designed to get away from them for a few weeks) might just as well have been Nazi propaganda, showing what we are fighting to protect from the barbaric Jewish Bolshevist hordes, the other ingredient being fear of the power of the almighty state - any state. It was adapted from a radio play, and it shows, being mostly soliloquies and stock footage. Today, of course, we once again have to arm ourselves against evil Semites - and yes, the Russians! When will they ever learn?

Radio legend Arch Obler wrote and directed this film about a man (Claude Rains in a great performance) who returns home from a vacation in the woods to discover his country has been overtaken by fascists. It's a fascinating picture that serves as a cautionary tale for war-weary Americans to be vigilant about protecting their democracy and not become complacent. I've read that this was financed by General Motors for their employees to see and later it was released by poverty row studio PRC. It does look cheap, to be fair, but the cast is great and Obler creates a moody atmosphere and keeps the tension high throughout. It's definitely worth a look for fans of Rains or Obler or just anyone who wants to see an interesting off-the-beaten-path picture from Hollywood's heyday.

I'm a great fan of Claude Rains so I enjoyed viewing this new (for me) film by such a fine actor who brings a dire warning message home to us. His perplexity and inability to comprehend what has transpired in the everyday world around him when he returns from a fishing holiday reveals a straight-line kind of thinking that sadly is quickly overturned when disaster has occurred. The progress of the story, of complete alienation from routine life as he'd known it, made me realize how fortunate we are in N. America not to have experienced the oppression of an invading army such as what many small countries in Europe suffered in WW2 under the Nazis.I don't know all the dates but it seems this film could have more logically fit into the period of wartime efforts to support 'the cause', as it has a propaganda ring to it which is ineffectual if coming after the war had already ended.The Orwellian film "Nineteen Eighty Four" also has a similar message of individual oppression although there it's in the form of Big Brother.Mention in the movie of Friday the 13th made me notice on my calendar that this week has a Friday 13th upcoming (December 2013). Small world at times!"Strange Holiday" is a reality-check story with a message and there's nothing weird about it when properly understood. Just be thankful in the West that you've never been invaded by an oppressor.This is a worthwhile film to add to one's collection particularly for Claude Rains fans.

As one of 42 people on the face of the Earth who have seen this "badfilm" all the way through I must say it is more poignant and accurate today than it was in 1945. Difficult not to mention it in the same breath as "Plan 9 From Outer Space". I cannot think anyone put it out on DVD unless it is in one of those $1 movie jubilees you find near the checkout at Wal*Mart, but if it is, remember to watch it with the lights out. Now, how the devil I am supposed to get 10 lines of text out a movie this bad is beyond me. The first time I saw it was at a 1am showing of old Republic Films on ABC late night in the early 1990s, we sought it for years afterward in the TV listings hoping to program the VCR to record it but alas, it never came on again. My...wife...my...children. Joe...Joe was there...