The Invisible Woman *** (1940, Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charles Ruggles) – Classic Movie Review 5624

Director A Edward Sutherland’s amusingly silly, quite ingratiating 1941 Universal Studios sci-fi horror comedy stars John Barrymore as the mad professor Gibbs, who invents an invisibility machine and makes a model girl Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce) invisible so she can settle a few scores.

Barrymore is at his most amusingly outrageous and Charles [Charlie] Ruggles is the other hit turn as George, the butler of playboy Richard Russell (John Howard), just one of the many trying to grab hold of Kitty.

Unfortunately Maria Montez hasn’t enough to do as one of the models, Marie. Indeed, a remarkably fine cast is lavishly squandered on this daft item, which is the main reason why it is so entertaining.

Written by Robert Lees, Frederic I Rinaldo and Gertrude Purcell, it is not exactly high quality material but it is enjoyable. Perhaps it is a shame they don’t take it seriously, but again it is enjoyable. The original story is by Curt Siodmak and Joe May.

The cast also includes Oskar [Oscar] Homolka, Donald MacBride, Edward Brophy, Margaret Hamilton, Shemp Howard, Charles Lane, Anne Nagel, Kathryn Adams, Mary Gordon and Thurston Hall.

Kathryn Adams, who plays Peggy, died on 14 October 2016, aged 96.

It runs 72 minutes, is shot in black and white by Elwood Bredell, is produced by Burt Kelly and scored by Charles Previn.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5624

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