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{{about|1940 film||Invisible Woman (disambiguation)}}
{{short description|1940 film by A. Edward Sutherland}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = The Invisible Woman
| name = The Invisible Woman
| image = Inviswoman.jpg
| image = The-invisible-woman-movie-poster-md.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| alt = theatrical release poster
| caption =
| native_name = <!-- {{Infobox name module|language|title}} or {{Infobox name module|title}} -->
| caption = theatrical release poster
| director = [[A. Edward Sutherland]]
| director = [[A. Edward Sutherland]]
| producer = Burt Kelly
| producer = [[Burt Kelly (producer)|Burt Kelly]]
| writer = {{Plainlist |
| screenplay = {{plainlist|* [[Robert Lees]]
* [[Kurt Siodmak]]
* [[Joe May]]
}}
| screenplay = {{Plainlist |
* [[Robert Lees]]
* Frederic I. Rinaldo
* Frederic I. Rinaldo
* Gertrude Purcell
* [[Gertrude Purcell]]{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}}}
| story = {{plainlist|* [[Curt Siodmak]]
}}
* [[Joe May]]{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}}}
| story = [[Curt Siodmak]]<br>[[Joe May]]
| based_on = <!-- {{Based on|title of the original work|creator of the original work|additional creator(s), if necessary}} -->
| based on = {{based on|''[[The Invisible Man]]''<br>(1897 novel)|[[H.G. Wells]]}}
| starring = {{Plainlist |
| starring = {{plainlist|* [[Virginia Bruce]]
* [[Virginia Bruce]]
* [[John Barrymore]]
* [[John Barrymore]]
* [[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]]
* [[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]]
* [[Charlie Ruggles]]
* [[Charlie Ruggles]]
* [[Oscar Homolka]]
* [[Oscar Homolka]]}}
| music =
}}
| cinematography = [[Elwood Bredell]]{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}
| music = [[Frank Skinner (composer)|Frank Skinner]]
| editing = [[Frank Gross]]{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}
| cinematography = [[Elwood Bredell]]
| studio = [[Universal Pictures|Universal Pictures Co.]]<ref name="afi" />
| editing = Frank Gross
| studio = [[Universal Pictures]]
| distributor = Universal Pictures Co.
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|1940|12|27|}}
| distributor = Universal Pictures
| runtime = 72 minutes<ref name="afi" />
| released = {{Film date|1940|12|27|''US''}}
| country = United States<ref name="afi">{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/8128-THE-INVISIBLEWOMAN?sid=b4e6bab9-5f7f-455d-a38c-a70f15d391ee&sr=8.41275&cp=1&pos=0|publisher=[[American Film Institute]]|title=The Invisible Woman|access-date=May 30, 2020}}</ref>
| runtime = 72 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| language = English
| budget =
| budget = $269,062<ref name="invisible">Gregory Mank, "Production Background", ''The Invisible Man'', Bear Manor Media 2013</ref>
| gross = $659,600<ref name="invisible"/>
| gross = ≈$660,000
}}
}}
'''''The Invisible Woman''''' is a 1940 American [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[A. Edward Sutherland]].<ref name="afi"/> It is the third film in [[Universal Pictures|Universal Pictures']] [[The Invisible Man (film series)|''The Invisible Man'' film series]], following ''[[The Invisible Man (1933 film)|The Invisible Man]]'' and ''[[The Invisible Man Returns]]'', the latter which was released earlier in the year. It was more of a [[Screwball comedy film|screwball comedy]] than the others in the series.<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79377/The-Invisible-Woman/articles.html ''The Invisible Woman'' article at ''Turner Classic Movies''] accessed 10 January 2014</ref> ''Universal'' released ''The Invisible Woman'' on December 27, 1940.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}<ref name="afi" />


The film stars [[Virginia Bruce]], [[John Barrymore]], [[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]], [[Charlie Ruggles]], and [[Oscar Homolka]], and features [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]], [[Charles Lane (actor, born 1905)|Charles Lane]] and [[Shemp Howard]].
'''''The Invisible Woman''''' is an American [[science fiction film|science fiction]] [[comedy film]] that was released near the end of 1940 by Universal. It is the third ''Invisible Man'' film following ''[[The Invisible Man (film)|The Invisible Man]]'' and ''[[The Invisible Man Returns]]'', which had been released earlier in the year. It was more of a [[Screwball comedy film|screwball comedy]] than other films in the series.<ref>[http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/79377/The-Invisible-Woman/articles.html ''The Invisible Woman'' article at ''Turner Classic Movies''] accessed 10 January 2014</ref>

The film stars [[Virginia Bruce]] in the lead role, the aging [[John Barrymore]], [[John Howard]], [[Charlie Ruggles]], and [[Oscar Homolka]], and features [[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]], [[Charles Lane (actor)|Charles Lane]]. and [[Shemp Howard]]


==Plot==
==Plot==
The wealthy lawyer Dick Russell ([[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]]) funds the dotty old inventor Professor Gibbs ([[John Barrymore]]) to create an invisibility device. The first test subject for this machine is Kitty Carroll ([[Virginia Bruce]]), a department store model who had been fired from her previous job. The machine proves quite successful, and Kitty uses her invisible state to pay back her former sadistic boss, Mr. Growley ([[Charles Lane (actor)|Charles Lane]]).
Wealthy lawyer Richard Russell funds the dotty old inventor Professor Gibbs in his creation of an invisibility device. The first test subject for this machine is Kitty Carroll, a department store model who has been fired from her previous job. The machine proves quite successful, and Kitty uses her invisible state to pay back her sadistic former boss, Mr. Growley.


While the Professor and the invisible Kitty are off visiting the lodge of the millionaire Russell, the gangster Blackie Cole ([[Oscar Homolka]]) sends in his gang of moronic thugs (including [[Shemp Howard]]) to steal the device. With the machine back at their hideout, however, they cannot get it to work. By now Kitty has returned to visibility, and the thugs are sent in to kidnap her and Gibbs. However, she has learned that some alcohol will restore her to invisibility, and uses this to defeat the gang (with help from Russell).
While the Professor and the invisible Kitty are off visiting Russell's lodge, gangster Blackie Cole sends in his gang of moronic thugs—including “Hammerhead’—to steal the device. Once the machine is back at their hideout, they cannot get it to work. Kitty is now visible, and Blackie sends the gang to kidnap her and the Professor. Kitty learns that alcohol will restore her invisibility, and, with Russell's help, she exploits this to defeat the gang.


Kitty has married Richard and become a mother. After an alcohol rub, their infant son begins to fade from view. “Hmmm,” the Professor says to the audience. “Hereditary!”
At the end of the film it is revealed she has married and become a mother. To top it off, she and the professor learn that her treatment has apparently become hereditary—as her infant son vanishes upon being rubbed with an alcohol-based lotion.


==Cast==
==Cast==
Cast is sourced from the book ''Universal Horrors'':{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}}
{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
{{castlist|
*[[Virginia Bruce]] as Kitty Carroll / The Invisible Woman
*[[John Barrymore]] as Professor Gibbs
*[[Virginia Bruce]] as Kitty Carroll
*[[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]] as Richard Russell
*[[John Barrymore]] as Prof. Gibbs
*[[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]] as Dick Russell
*[[Charles Ruggles]] as George
*[[Charles Ruggles]] as George
*[[Oskar Homolka]] as Blackie
*[[Oskar Homolka]] as Blackie Cole
*[[Edward Brophy]] as Bill
*[[Edward Brophy]] as Bill
*[[Donald MacBride]] as Foghorn
*[[Donald MacBride]] as Foghorn
*[[Charles Lane (actor, born 1905)|Charles Lane]] as Growley
*[[Thurston Hall]] as Hudson
*[[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]] as Mrs. Jackson
*[[Margaret Hamilton (actress)|Margaret Hamilton]] as Mrs. Jackson
*[[Mary Gordon (actress)|Mary Gordon]] as Mrs. Bates
*[[Shemp Howard]] as Frankie
*[[Anne Nagel]] as Jean
*[[Anne Nagel]] as Jean
*[[Kathryn Adams Doty|Kathryn Adams]] as Peggy
*[[Maria Montez]] as Marie
*[[Maria Montez]] as Marie
*[[Shemp Howard]] as Hammerhead/Frankie
{{col-break|gap=4em}}
*[[Charles Lane (actor)|Charles Lane]] as Growley
*[[Kathryn Adams Doty|Kathryn Adams]] as Peggy
*[[Mary Gordon (actress)|Mary Gordon]] as Mrs. Bates
*Kitty O'Neil as Mrs. Patten
*[[Thurston Hall]] as Hudson
*Eddie Conrad as Hernandez
*Eddie Conrad as Hernandez
*Harry C. Bradley as want-ad clerk
*Kernan Cripps as postman
*[[Sarah Edwards (actress)|Sarah Edwards]] as showroom buyer
*Kay Leslie as model
*Kay Leslie as model
*[[Kay Linaker]] as showroom buyer
*[[Kay Linaker]] as showroom buyer (uncredited)
*[[Sarah Edwards (actress)|Sarah Edwards]] as Fashion Show Buyers
*Frank McClure as guest at parade of models
*Harry C. Bradley as Want-ad Man
*Kitty O'Neil as Mrs. Patten
*Kernan Cripps as postman
{{col-end}}
}}
'''Cast notes'''
*[[Margaret Sullavan]] had originally been slated for the role of the invisible woman, but the part did not appeal to her and as a result she did not report for the filming.<ref name="Hallenbeck">{{Citation |last=Hallenbeck |first=Bruce G. |author-link= |title=Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008 |place=Jefferson, NC |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2009 |pages=31–32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2AIgAef-bAcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false |isbn=978-0-7864-3332-2}}</ref> (As she was under contract with Universal for another film, she was issued a restraining order to prevent her from appearing in other films. She later satisfied her contract with a part in the 1941 film ''[[Back Street (1941 film)|Back Street]]''.)
*[[Maria Montez]] makes an appearance among some models and says one line.<ref>[http://mariamontez.org/theinvisiblewoman2.html ''The Invisible Woman''] at Maria Montez Fan Page</ref>


==Production==
==Production==
[[File:Rialto Theater ad - 7 February 1941, Tacoma, WA.png|thumb|upright|Theatrical advertisement from 1941]]
The comedy writers [[Robert Lees]] and Fred Rinaldo wrote the screenplay in slapstick style, while [[H. G. Wells]] was again credited as the original author of ''The Invisible Man''. The film was directed by [[A. Edward Sutherland]].
After the success of ''[[The Invisible Man Returns]]'', [[Universal Pictures]] began work on a followup and signed [[Curt Siodmak]] to develop the idea in 1940 with comedy writers Frederic I. Rinaldo and [[Robert Lees]].{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}} Universal gave the film a $300,000 budget.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}} [[Margaret Sullavan|Margaret Sullivan]] had originally been slated for the role of the invisible woman because she owed Universal one more film in her contract.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=237}} Director [[John Cromwell (director)|John Cromwell]] approached Sullivan about playing the lead in ''[[So Ends Our Night]],'' and she failed to report to Universal for ''The Invisible Woman''.{{sfn|Hallenbeck|2009|p=31-32}}{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}} Sullivan received a restraining order preventing her from working elsewhere.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}} Eventually, she was allowed to finish ''So Ends the Night'', as long as she continued work on two films for Universal.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}} [[Virginia Bruce]] was cast as the invisible woman and signed her contract on September 12, 1940.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}}


[[John Barrymore]] began to have trouble memorizing his dialogue.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}} According to [[John Howard (American actor)|John Howard]], Barrymore began cutting up the script and placing pieces on the set—behind vases, phones or other props—so he could read the lines.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}}
It was the first role for [[Maria Montez]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Maria Montez Puts On Best Show Without Benefit of Camera|last=Haugland|first=Vera|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=28 September 1941|page= L2}}</ref>


Howard says that "Barrymore was an ordinary fellow. He wasn't stuffy and he had no pretense whatsoever. Even in pictures that you felt weren't up to snuff, I don't think he showed any disdain. We knew perfectly well ''The Invisible Woman'' wasn't going to be an award-winning picture, but it was fun to do. No one took it seriously".{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=238}}
This film runs for 70 minutes and was filmed in black and white with mono sound. The special effects were produced by [[John P. Fulton]], who earned another nomination for an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] following his comparable effects work in ''The Invisible Man Returns''. [[John D. Hall (sound engineer)|John D. Hall]] also was nominated for the Oscar.<ref name="Oscars1942">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1942 |title=The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners |accessdate=2013-06-21 |work=oscars.org}}</ref>


[[Maria Montez]] is among the cast, in her first film role.{{sfn|Haugland|1941|p=L2}}
The John Howard who appears in the film and in several Bulldog Drummond films with Barrymore, is not the John Howard who married Barrymore's daughter, Diana, in 1947.


==Reception==
==Reception==
The film was nominated for the [[14th Academy Awards]] for Special Effects. (At the time, the category embraced photographic and sound effects.) The photographic effects were by John Fulton and the sound effects by [[John Hall (sound editor)|John Hall]].<ref name="Oscars1942">{{Cite web |title=The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1942 |access-date=2013-06-21 |work=oscars.org}}</ref> ''[[I Wanted Wings]]'' won the Oscar for Special Effects.<ref name="Oscars1942" />
Reviews from critics were mixed. Theodore Strauss of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film "silly, banal and repetitious ... The script is as creaky as a two-wheeled cart and were it not for the fact that John Barrymore is taking a ride in it we hate to think what 'The Invisible Woman' might have turned out to be."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=950CE2DD1E38E33BBC4153DFB766838A659EDE |title=Movie Review - The Invisible Woman |last=Strauss |first=Theodore |date=January 9, 1941 |website=[[The New York Times]] |publisher= |accessdate=November 26, 2015 }}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it, "Good entertainment for general audiences."<ref>{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=January 1, 1941 |title=The Invisible Woman |url= |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location=New York |publisher=Variety, Inc. |page=14 |accessdate= }}</ref> ''[[Film Daily]]'' called it "laugh-packed," "brightly dialogued" and "a lot of fun."<ref>{{cite journal |last= |first= |date=January 7, 1941 |title=Reviews of New Films |url= |journal=[[Film Daily]] |location=New York |publisher=Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. |page=7 |accessdate= }}</ref> ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' declared it "a pretty good comedy for the masses ... but it does not offer anything new to those who saw the other pictures in which the character became invisible."<ref>{{cite journal |last= |first= |date=January 11, 1941 |title='The Invisible Woman' with John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce and John Howard |url= |journal=[[Harrison's Reports]] |location= |publisher= |page=7 |accessdate= }}</ref> [[John Mosher (writer)|John Mosher]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote, "The old stunt is still good, yet it's not used to much advantage here ... In fact, this is the feeblest example so far of that stunt which the camera can so easily make funny."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mosher |first=John |authorlink=John Mosher (writer) |date=January 11, 1941 |title=The Current Cinema |url= |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |location=New York |publisher=F-R Publishing Corp. |page=61 |accessdate= }}</ref>

At the time of its release, this film was considered slightly risqué because much is made of the fact that the heroine, though invisible, is [[nudity in film|naked]] during much of the action.{{sfn|Hallenbeck|2009|p=31-32}}

On its release, ''The Invisible Woman'' grossed a total of just under $660,000.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=241}} Universal followed it with ''[[Invisible Agent]]'' on July 31, 1942.{{sfn|Weaver|Brunas|Brunas|2007|p=294}}

[[Theodore Strauss]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film "silly, banal and repetitious ... The script is as creaky as a two-wheeled cart and were it not for the fact that John Barrymore is taking a ride in it we hate to think what ''The Invisible Woman'' might have turned out to be".<ref>{{Cite news |last=T.s |date=1941-01-09 |title=At the Rialto |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/01/09/archives/at-the-rialto.html |access-date=2022-09-28 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "good entertainment for general audiences".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=January 1, 1941 |title=The Invisible Woman |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |location=New York |publisher=Variety, Inc. |page=14}}</ref> ''[[Film Daily]]'' called it "laugh-packed", "brightly dialogued" and "a lot of fun".<ref>{{cite journal |date=January 7, 1941 |title=Reviews of New Films |journal=[[Film Daily]] |location=New York |publisher=Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc. |page=7}}</ref> ''[[Harrison's Reports]]'' declared it "a pretty good comedy for the masses ... but it does not offer anything new to those who saw the other pictures in which the character became invisible".<ref>{{cite journal |date=January 11, 1941 |title='The Invisible Woman' with John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce and John Howard |journal=[[Harrison's Reports]] |page=7}}</ref> [[John Mosher (writer)|John Mosher]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote: "The old stunt is still good, yet it's not used to much advantage here ... In fact, this is the feeblest example so far of that stunt which the camera can so easily make funny".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Mosher |first=John |author-link=John Mosher (writer) |date=January 11, 1941 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |location=New York |publisher=F-R Publishing Corp. |page=61}}</ref>


==Reboot==
At the time of its release, this film was considered slightly risqué because much is made of the fact that the heroine, though invisible, is [[nudity in film|naked]] during much of the action.<ref name="Hallenbeck"/>
In November 2019, a spin-off film centered around the female counterpart to [[Griffin (The Invisible Man)|Invisible Man]] was in development. [[Elizabeth Banks]] will star in, direct, and produce ''The Invisible Woman'', based on her own original pitch. [[Erin Cressida Wilson]] will write the script of the reboot of the female monster, while [[Max Handelman]] and Alison Small will serve as producer and executive producer, respectively.<ref name="Banks">{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/elizabeth-banks-invisible-woman-universal-1203417107/ |title=Elizabeth Banks to Direct, Star in ''Invisible Woman'' for Universal |last=Kroll |first=Justin |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |date=November 26, 2019 |access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref> Banks was allowed to choose a project by [[Universal Pictures]] from the roster of [[Universal Monsters]], ultimately choosing ''The Invisible Woman''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/bride-of-frankenstein-universal-amy-pascal-angelina-jolie-1203500987/|title=Hollywood Still Trying to Put a Ring on Universal's 'Bride of Frankenstein' (EXCLUSIVE)|last=Donnelly|first=Matt|date=February 11, 2020|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=March 14, 2021}}</ref>


==Sequel==
==See also==
* [[John Barrymore on stage, screen and radio]]
Due to the film's financial success a sequel titled, ''[[Invisible Agent]]'' was released in 1942. In the film [[Jon Hall (actor)|Jon Hall]] portrays Frank Raymond - a secret agent who undergoes similar treatment to become a new Invisible Man to do secret missions for the U.S. government. The character portrayed is supposed to be the original Invisible Man's grandson.
* [[List of science fiction films of the 1940s]]


==References==
==References==
===Footnotes===
'''Notes'''
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


===Sources===
'''References'''
* {{cite book |last=Hallenbeck |first=Bruce G. |title=Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914-2008 |place=Jefferson, NC |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2AIgAef-bAcC |isbn=978-0-7864-3332-2}}
* Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John; and Weaver, Tom. (1990) ''Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946'', McFarland & Co. {{ISBN|0-89950-369-1}}.
* {{cite news|title=Maria Montez Puts On Best Show Without Benefit of Camera|last=Haugland|first=Vera|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=28 September 1941|page= L2}}
* {{cite book |last1=Weaver |first1=Tom |last2=Brunas |first2=Michael |last3=Brunas |first3=John|year=2007 |orig-year=1990 |title=Universal Horrors |edition=2 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-2974-5}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 109: Line 108:
* {{AFI film|8128|The Invisible Woman}}
* {{AFI film|8128|The Invisible Woman}}
* {{IMDb title|0032637}}
* {{IMDb title|0032637}}
* {{tcmdb title|79377}}
* {{TCMDb title|79377}}
* {{AllRovi movie|25341}}
* [http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Invisible_Woman_A_Edward_Sutherland ''The Invisible Woman (1940 film)''] at [[Epinions]]


<!--spacing-->
<!--spacing-->


{{The Invisible Man}}
{{The Invisible Man}}
{{Universal Monsters}}
{{A. Edward Sutherland}}
{{A. Edward Sutherland}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Invisible Woman, The}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Invisible Woman (1940 film), The}}
[[Category:1940 films]]
[[Category:1940 films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American comedy horror films]]
[[Category:American science fiction films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:1940s science fiction films]]
[[Category:1940s science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:American comedy science fiction films]]
[[Category:American science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:American sequel films]]
[[Category:Films based on The Invisible Man]]
[[Category:Films based on The Invisible Man]]
[[Category:Universal Monsters film series]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland]]
[[Category:Films directed by A. Edward Sutherland]]
[[Category:1940 comedy films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:1940s American films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:Saturn Award–winning films]]

Latest revision as of 00:10, 5 January 2025

The Invisible Woman
Directed byA. Edward Sutherland
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced byBurt Kelly
Starring
CinematographyElwood Bredell[1]
Edited byFrank Gross[1]
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures Co.
Release date
  • 27 December 1940 (1940-12-27)
Running time
72 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Box office≈$660,000

The Invisible Woman is a 1940 American science fiction comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland.[2] It is the third film in Universal Pictures' The Invisible Man film series, following The Invisible Man and The Invisible Man Returns, the latter which was released earlier in the year. It was more of a screwball comedy than the others in the series.[3] Universal released The Invisible Woman on December 27, 1940.[1][2]

The film stars Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles, and Oscar Homolka, and features Margaret Hamilton, Charles Lane and Shemp Howard.

Plot

[edit]

Wealthy lawyer Richard Russell funds the dotty old inventor Professor Gibbs in his creation of an invisibility device. The first test subject for this machine is Kitty Carroll, a department store model who has been fired from her previous job. The machine proves quite successful, and Kitty uses her invisible state to pay back her sadistic former boss, Mr. Growley.

While the Professor and the invisible Kitty are off visiting Russell's lodge, gangster Blackie Cole sends in his gang of moronic thugs—including “Hammerhead’—to steal the device. Once the machine is back at their hideout, they cannot get it to work. Kitty is now visible, and Blackie sends the gang to kidnap her and the Professor. Kitty learns that alcohol will restore her invisibility, and, with Russell's help, she exploits this to defeat the gang.

Kitty has married Richard and become a mother. After an alcohol rub, their infant son begins to fade from view. “Hmmm,” the Professor says to the audience. “Hereditary!”

Cast

[edit]

Cast is sourced from the book Universal Horrors:[1]

Production

[edit]
Theatrical advertisement from 1941

After the success of The Invisible Man Returns, Universal Pictures began work on a followup and signed Curt Siodmak to develop the idea in 1940 with comedy writers Frederic I. Rinaldo and Robert Lees.[1] Universal gave the film a $300,000 budget.[1] Margaret Sullivan had originally been slated for the role of the invisible woman because she owed Universal one more film in her contract.[1] Director John Cromwell approached Sullivan about playing the lead in So Ends Our Night, and she failed to report to Universal for The Invisible Woman.[4][5] Sullivan received a restraining order preventing her from working elsewhere.[5] Eventually, she was allowed to finish So Ends the Night, as long as she continued work on two films for Universal.[5] Virginia Bruce was cast as the invisible woman and signed her contract on September 12, 1940.[5]

John Barrymore began to have trouble memorizing his dialogue.[5] According to John Howard, Barrymore began cutting up the script and placing pieces on the set—behind vases, phones or other props—so he could read the lines.[5]

Howard says that "Barrymore was an ordinary fellow. He wasn't stuffy and he had no pretense whatsoever. Even in pictures that you felt weren't up to snuff, I don't think he showed any disdain. We knew perfectly well The Invisible Woman wasn't going to be an award-winning picture, but it was fun to do. No one took it seriously".[5]

Maria Montez is among the cast, in her first film role.[6]

Reception

[edit]

The film was nominated for the 14th Academy Awards for Special Effects. (At the time, the category embraced photographic and sound effects.) The photographic effects were by John Fulton and the sound effects by John Hall.[7] I Wanted Wings won the Oscar for Special Effects.[7]

At the time of its release, this film was considered slightly risqué because much is made of the fact that the heroine, though invisible, is naked during much of the action.[4]

On its release, The Invisible Woman grossed a total of just under $660,000.[8] Universal followed it with Invisible Agent on July 31, 1942.[9]

Theodore Strauss of The New York Times called the film "silly, banal and repetitious ... The script is as creaky as a two-wheeled cart and were it not for the fact that John Barrymore is taking a ride in it we hate to think what The Invisible Woman might have turned out to be".[10] Variety called it "good entertainment for general audiences".[11] Film Daily called it "laugh-packed", "brightly dialogued" and "a lot of fun".[12] Harrison's Reports declared it "a pretty good comedy for the masses ... but it does not offer anything new to those who saw the other pictures in which the character became invisible".[13] John Mosher of The New Yorker wrote: "The old stunt is still good, yet it's not used to much advantage here ... In fact, this is the feeblest example so far of that stunt which the camera can so easily make funny".[14]

Reboot

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In November 2019, a spin-off film centered around the female counterpart to Invisible Man was in development. Elizabeth Banks will star in, direct, and produce The Invisible Woman, based on her own original pitch. Erin Cressida Wilson will write the script of the reboot of the female monster, while Max Handelman and Alison Small will serve as producer and executive producer, respectively.[15] Banks was allowed to choose a project by Universal Pictures from the roster of Universal Monsters, ultimately choosing The Invisible Woman.[16]

See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 237.
  2. ^ a b c d e "The Invisible Woman". American Film Institute. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. ^ The Invisible Woman article at Turner Classic Movies accessed 10 January 2014
  4. ^ a b Hallenbeck 2009, p. 31-32.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 238.
  6. ^ Haugland 1941, p. L2.
  7. ^ a b "The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  8. ^ Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 241.
  9. ^ Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 294.
  10. ^ T.s (1941-01-09). "At the Rialto". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  11. ^ "The Invisible Woman". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc. January 1, 1941. p. 14.
  12. ^ "Reviews of New Films". Film Daily. New York: Wid's Films and Film Folk, Inc.: 7 January 7, 1941.
  13. ^ "'The Invisible Woman' with John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce and John Howard". Harrison's Reports: 7. January 11, 1941.
  14. ^ Mosher, John (January 11, 1941). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. New York: F-R Publishing Corp. p. 61.
  15. ^ Kroll, Justin (November 26, 2019). "Elizabeth Banks to Direct, Star in Invisible Woman for Universal". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Donnelly, Matt (February 11, 2020). "Hollywood Still Trying to Put a Ring on Universal's 'Bride of Frankenstein' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 14, 2021.

Sources

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