Product Details

• Actors: Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charles Ruggles, Oskar Homolka
• Directors: A. Edward Sutherland
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: September 16, 1997
• Run Time: 73 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302843197
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,881 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  Video > Classics > Classic Horror & Monsters > The Invisible Man

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Claude Rains may have meddled in things that Man must leave alone, but that doesn't mean Woman shouldn't get in on the act. Hence, The Invisible Woman, entry number two in Universal's series of '40s takes on the idea of making people too transparent for their own good. Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce) answers an ad in the paper to be an experimental subject for John Barrymore's dauntingly daffy Professor Gibbs, whose invisibility serum, if successful, promises to replenish the dwindling fortune of his benefactor, Dick Russell (John Howard)--if only he can get a human subject. Kitty's aim, however, is to wreak havoc on the draconian boss of her modeling job, the aptly named Mr. Growley (Charles Lane). Early on, she gazes hopefully into the distance, her face rhapsodized by a fog filter, as if to say: Oh, if only I were invisible! Then I could really kick some backside--which she does, literally. Complicating matters is gangster Blackie Cole (Oskar Homolka), who schemes to steal the professor's formula because he yearns to visit his native land again, where he can't show his face. Bright and entertaining, swift and silly, The Invisible Woman sports a first-class array of supporting roles. Quite visible are Charles Ruggles (Ruggles of Red Gap), hilarious as the much-put-upon butler, Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz), all too opaque as the professor's housekeeper, and a brief appearance by Cobra Woman herself, Maria Montez, as one of the cruelly subjugated models. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A KOOKY PROFESSOR AN INVISIBLE WOMAN AND SHEMP! A VERY GOOD COMEDY!, January 30, 2008

By	! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA) - See all my reviews

With so many Invisible Man films in Universal's stable, I'm glad they played this one for laughs. I really don't remember seeing this one when I was growing up but, it is well worth seeing for fans of Universal Monsters. The cast is very good and the FX are more than fair for the time. This is available on DVD as part of the Invisible Man Legacy Collection along with 4 other great films that deal with invisiblity. The DVD transfers are very good and there are some very interesting extras. Look for Shemp Howard from the Three Stooges as one of the henchmen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940), October 10, 2000

By	Vivian Perez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) - See all my reviews

(Comedy/Science Fiction, 1 hr 12 min, Black & White)

DIRECTOR: A. Edward Sutherland

CAST: Virginia Bruce (As: Kitty Carroll), John Barrymore (As: Professor Gibbs), Charles Ruggles, Maria Montez (As: Marie)

COMMENTS: In the continuation of Universal's "Invisible" series, Barrymore stars as a crazy professor who discovers the secret of invisibility.

Bruce plays the model who becomes the subject of his scientific experiment and soon finds herself transparent. She gets involved with a wacky group of bandits who try to steal the machine for their own illegal use.

Bruce sets out on her own, with attempts at romance with John Howard, the man who financed the invention, and at evening the score with her former employer. The typical "invisible" special effects are employed, though this time with a little more humor. The film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Special Effects.

Maria Montez appears in a scene between a group of models, she only said one line.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars for a fun afternoon!, October 22, 2001

By	Christian Lehrer "Christian Lehrer" (Bay Point, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In a wonderful twist to the serial movies "Invisible man" series we have a female heroine, way ahead of its time and a real treat. You can watch all the "Invisible" movies on a Sunday afternoon one after the other and its quite a show. Don't forget the popcorn!