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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2015 9:53 am Post subject: The Invisible Woman (1940) |
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Risque humor, 1940s style. Virginia Bruce plays a shapely model who is turned invisible by scientist John Barrymore (one of his last roles, though not one of his best).
Virginia makes cute jokes about how cold she is without her clothes on. She uses her transparent condition to play tricks on her Scrooge-like boss, then she spends the rest of the film outwitting a group of evil foreign agents who want to get hold of Barrymore's invisibility secret (a machine instead of a chemical formula in this version).
The special effects are a bit sloppy (sometimes you can see the "invisible" woman's head inside the empty, floating shirts). None of the humor is actually bad, and some of it is pretty good.
A terrific cast pulls it off: Maria Montez (small part) as one of Virginia's fellow models, John Howard as the playboy sponsor of the inventor, Charles Ruggles as his constantly distraught butler, and Margaret Hamilton ("The Wizard of Oz") as the mean boss' subordinate. Even Shemp Howard (The 3 Stooges) gets in on the act.
Kids will love it — and so will grown-ups if they go with the flow. Directed by Edward Sutherland.
Enjoy the preview from YouTube!
________________ The Invisible Woman Trailer
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:44 pm; edited 5 times in total |
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Gord Green Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 06 Oct 2014 Posts: 3001 Location: Buffalo, NY
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Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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This actually was a pretty funny movie and risque for the 40's! |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2017 6:55 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting IMDB item.
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Margaret Sullavan, who owed Universal one picture on an old contract, was originally assigned the starring role. With more attractive roles being floated her way, she balked at appearing in the film, feeling it was beneath her.
When she failed to appear for the rehearsals, the studio slapped her with a restraining order preventing her from working anywhere. Eventually she agreed to fulfill her contract by appearing in Back Street (1941) and Virginia Bruce stepped into the role.
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I think Miss Bruce was better for the role.  _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2020 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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I think maybe this IMDB trivia item is wrong.
This is the first film in The Invisible Man series of classic Universal horror films in which the titular invisible person (in this case the Invisible Woman) is not already invisible at the start of the film. As such, it is the first in the series in which the audience sees the process of the person being made invisible.
Perhaps I'm mistaken, but didn't Vincent Price start out normal in The Invisible Man Returns and then become invisible when the brother of Dr. Griffin helps him escape from prison?
Both The Invisible Man Returns and The Invisible Woman were released in 1940, but Man was released in January and Woman was released in December.
So, the trivia item would be correct if the release dates were reversed . . . or if I'm mistaken about how The Invisible Man Returns begins.
What about it, guys? Am I wrong? _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Last edited by Bud Brewster on Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:45 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 12:10 am Post subject: |
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Universal Studios MONSTERS: A Legacy of Horror by Michael Mallory.
The Invisible Woman is a screwball comedy that is a fast, funny romp with a remarkable cast: try to name another film that can boast John Barrymore, Maria Montez, and The Three Stooges' Shemp Howard, all in the same cast!
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Note: The invisibility serum that was the basis for making one invisible in all of the earlier Invisible Man films is dispensed with for this movie. Here we have a whacky scientist played by the great John Barrymore who has invented a machine with a ray beam that is capable of making a human invisible. Being a comedic farce film, there is no danger of the ray making anyone insane. |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:14 am Post subject: |
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Pow wrote: | . Here we have a whacky scientist played by the great John Barrymore who has invented a machine with a ray beam that is capable of making a human invisible. |
Frankly, the idea that a serum could make a human body invisible (after a long series of treatments) doesn't work as well as a ray that does the job.
It could be explained by invoking the reliable old "out of phase" concept, or that the body is given a strange property which somehow "bends the light arouund it".
Just a thought, guys.  _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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Pow Galactic Ambassador

Joined: 27 Sep 2014 Posts: 3739 Location: New York
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Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 10:55 pm Post subject: |
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Wikipedia: John Barrymore began to have trouble memorizing his dialogue. He would cut up his script and place pieces of it all over the set ---- behind vases, phones or other props ---- so he could read his lines.
John Barrymore (1882~1942) was a fascinating character from the well known and respected Barrymore acting family. He was a great talent whose portrayal of Hamlet on stage was legendary. Tragically he was also an alcoholic whose illness destroyed his career and his life. Hence his difficulty memorizing his lines.
Barrymore was expertly portrayed by his good friend Errol Flynn in the film Too Much, Too Soon. The movie was about John's daughter Diana Barrymore (March 3, 1921~January 25, 1960) who also suffered from alcoholism and drug use.
Christopher Plummer did the marvelous one-man show, Barrymore, in 2011.
John Howard (Dick Russell) had this to say about Barrymore, "He was an ordinary fellow. He wasn't stuffy and had no pretense whatsoever. Even in a picture you felt was not up to snuff, I don't think he showed any disdain for the film. We knew perfectly well that The Invisible Woman wasn't going to be an award winning picture, but it was fun to do. No one took it seriously." |
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Bud Brewster Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)

Joined: 14 Dec 2013 Posts: 17637 Location: North Carolina
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Posted: Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:49 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the interesting info about a Hollywood legend, Pow!  _________________ ____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958) |
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