Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man ** (1951, Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Arthur Franz, Nancy Guild, Adele Jergens) – Classic Movie Review 5587

Director Charles Lamont’s 1951 comedy is a fairly lively Bud Abbott and Lou Costello movie series episode, with the expected plot (‘suggested by H G Wells’) and decent effects, particularly in the vivacious and pacy climactic boxing-ring sequence.

In this follow-up to Universal monsters parody Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), Arthur Franz also stars as a prizefighter called Tommy Nelson who is falsely accused of killing his manager. So he turns himself invisible by drinking vanishing-serum and hires bumbling private eyes Bud Alexander and Lou Francis (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) to make the fixed murder rap disappear. Next thing is, they decide to try to trap gangster Morgan (Sheldon Leonard) by getting Lou to fight the champion Rocky Hanlon (John Daheim) with Tommy’s invisible help.

Also in the cast are Nancy Guild, Adele Jergens, William Frawley, Gavin Muir, Sam Balter and Sid Saylor.

It is written by the same writers as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Robert Lees, Frederic I Rinaldo and John Grant.

Vincent Price voices the Invisible Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) followed.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5587

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