Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man Movie Review

Abbott and Costello play newly graduated detectives who take on the murder case of a boxer (Arthur Franz) accused of killing his manager. Using a serum that makes people invisible, the boxer helps Costello in a prizefight that will frame the real killers, who killed the manager because the boxer refused to throw a fight. An extra edge is added – this is one of the only invisible man features since the original to make an issue of the drug's mind-altering properties. Some of the invisibility gags are based on a misunderstanding of invisibility – as when Costello splits in two – but this is generally regarded as one of the better A&C comedies. The combination of invisibility and gangsters leads to some truly bizarre sequences, as in the famous boxing match scene, in which Costello faces off against a big bruiser in the ring with some help from his unseen friend. Good supporting cast of familiar faces adds to the fun. Special effects by some of the team that created those used in the original The Invisible Man (1932), and are much better than one would expect from a relatively low-budget comedy of the time.

1951 82m/B Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Nancy Guild, Adele Jergens, Sheldon Leonard, William Frawley, Gavin Muir, Arthur Franz, Fred Rinaldo, John Grant; D: Charles Lamont; W: Robert Lees; C: George Robinson. VHS MCA