IMDb > The Invisible Woman (1940)
The Invisible Woman
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The Invisible Woman (1940) More at IMDbPro »

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The Invisible Woman (1940) -- An attractive model with an ulterior motive volunteers as guinea pig for an invisibility machine.

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Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   450 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Curt Siodmak (story) &
Joe May (story) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Invisible Woman on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 December 1940 (USA) more
Tagline:
IT'S A Ghost-to-Ghost HOOK-UP! more
Plot:
An attractive model with an ulterior motive volunteers as guinea pig for an invisibility machine. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Secret Identity: Who Should Star In The 'Fantastic Four' Reboot?
 (From MTV Splash Page. 17 September 2009, 7:58 AM, PDT)

Fox to Reboot Fantastic Four (Already)
 (From BuzzFocus.com. 1 September 2009, 8:56 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Mixed Bag But A Great Cast more (18 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Virginia Bruce ... Kitty Carroll

John Barrymore ... Professor Gibbs

John Howard ... Richard Russell
Charles Ruggles ... George (as Charlie Ruggles)
Oskar Homolka ... Blackie
Edward Brophy ... Bill
Donald MacBride ... Foghorn
Margaret Hamilton ... Mrs. Jackson
Shemp Howard ... Frankie
Anne Nagel ... Jean
Kathryn Adams ... Peggy
Maria Montez ... Marie

Charles Lane ... Growley
Mary Gordon ... Mrs. Bates
Thurston Hall ... Hudson
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Additional Details

Runtime:
72 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
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. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Virginia Bruce was dressed in black velvet and shot against a black background as part of the special-effects process of making her appear invisible. During the scene where her character is undressing in front of a startled Mr. Growley, her black velvet-clad arms are visible whenever they cross in front of her legs or torso. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Attorney: Where is he? Where is he? Get up! Get up!
George: I am up. I was up. And I've been up all night. I would have stayed up if you hadn't knocked me down.
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FAQ

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13 out of 13 people found the following comment useful.
A Mixed Bag But A Great Cast, 7 November 2005
6/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

What a strong cast for such a silly and stupid (but still decent) movie! Classic movie fans know these names: John Barrymore, Virginia Bruce, John Howard, Charles Ruggles, Oscar Homolka, Shemp Howard, Edward Brophy and Margaret Hamilton.

They are all here in this female version of The Invisible Man. Actually, as stupid as it can get, it also provides a number of funny scenes so I guess it served its purpose.

It's only 73 minutes long, but it should have been shorter as the gags wear thin after 40 minutes. Ruggles almost steals the show as the butler. He provides most of the humor in a real slapstick manner. As in a lot of these old comedies, some of this stuff is really corny but I did laugh out loud at a couple things.

Bruce and John Howard are attractive leads and Barrymore is effective as the typically-portrayed-in-classic films eccentric scientist. It was also fun to see Shemp Howard, of Three Stooges fame, play a gangster, although a Stooge-like goofy one.

The special effects were good in their day but not now. In fact, the DVD is sharp enough that you can see the outline of Bruce's head when she's supposed to be invisible!

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