Getting Silly Without Her Clothes On

It’s fun, but not THAT kind of fun.

The Invisible Woman (1940) – A department store model finds a way to get revenge on her miserable boss when she answers an ad for test subjects. An eccentric scientist has found the way to make people invisible. There are a few problems still to be overcome!

Directed by A. Edward Sutherland

Starring – Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Margaret Hamilton

Why I Liked It – Just some old fashioned silly fun!

If you’ve ever read H. G. Wells’ “The Invisible Man”, you know it’s a terrifying look at a man’s descent into madness. Well, this movie is nothing like the book.

At all.

Universal Studios made a string of movies involving invisible people. This one was given a hefty for the times budget, even though it’s a classic “B Movie”. The result is typical for its day. There is a lot of tongue-in-cheek dialogue here. The process of making someone invisible requires them (no explanation ever offered) to be naked. That was a concept that the censors held a dim view. So, most of the words you might use to describe that condition are avoided. That the leading lady is prancing around on screen without a stitch on is never directly addressed, but everyone in the audience would have gotten the “wink-wink-nudge-nudge” intended. Today, it’s all very tame.

Kitty Carroll (Bruce) is a department store model, working for a tyrant of a boss, aptly named Mr. Growley (Growley is played by the long time character actor Charles Lane. If you’re of a certain age, or love old TV and movies, you’ll know him instantly). When she’s fired, Kitty follows up on an ad in the paper for someone to test an invisibility machine. It turns out it works, which gives her the chance for some revenge. The man supplying the cash for this experiment is playboy Richard Russell (John Howard). To further mess up a budding romance, a criminal is trying to steal the machine. Watch for Three Stooges veteran Shemp Howard as one of the bumbling bad guys. Margaret Hamilton has a small role as the professor’s housekeeper.

The whole thing is a light-hearted romance with just that bit of 1940s salacious silliness.

You can stream “The Invisible Woman” on PlutoTV, Roku, and Plex.

Rating – *** Worth A Look

Sadly, this is the best quality trailer I can find. You’ll get the idea.