Sunday, December 25, 2022

Sven- Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

 

Bud and Lou finally graduate from detective school.  They immediately get involved with a boxer on the run, the rather unlikable Tommy Nelson.  He's been framed, see, and needs the boys to clear his name.  Tommy's fiance, Helen Gray, has an uncle, Dr. Philip Gray, who has rediscovered Jack Griffin's invisibility serum.  Ol' Tommy boy wants to use it, but is denied since it can cause mental instability.  Guess who shoots himself up with it anyway?  This leads to Bud becoming a boxer, and many shenanigans in the ring.  Finally, Tommy gets cleared and turns visible.  Lou becomes invisible for a minute, then reappears with his legs on backwards.  Bud says he always gets things wrong.

This is a pretty funny movie, overall, but the premise is a bit light, and isn't long enough for the 82 minute running time.  The effects are well done, and all the actors do a good job reacting and acting with an invisible presence.  It is fun to see William Frawley in a different role than Fred Mertz as well. Arthur Franz  as Tommy, is rather unpleasant, and it is easy to see how everyone would believe he was a killer. It isn't the best Abbott and Costello movie, but it isn't the worst, either.

Next- The Raven (the good one)!

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