Released in 1948, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was a massive success, grossing $3.2 million against an $800,000 budget. Following the critical and commercial success, Universal decided to pair the two with some of their other monsters. They hinted at a sequel with a cameo by The Invisible Man, voiced by Vincent Price, towards the end. However, The Invisible Man in this film would be a whole new character rather than returning from a previous film. Charles Lamont, who was working with Universal since 1942, was hired to direct due to his experience with limited budgets. As such, he was given a $627,000 budget, much lower than the last film, but par for the course. This installment was filmed between October and November 1950 with only Abbott and Costello returning from the last film. Finally, in March of 1951, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man was released.
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Synopsis
Having graduated from a school for private detectives, Lou Francis (Lou Costello) and Bud Alexander (Bud Abbott) get to work. They’re visited by Tommy Nelson (Arthur Franz), a boxer on the run from the law for supposedly murdering his manager. Tommy has them take him to see his girlfriend Helen (Nancy Guild) and her uncle, Dr. Gray (Gavin Muir). Turns out Dr. Gray has the invisibility formula originally developed by John Griffin, and he injects Tommy with it. Using his visibility, Tommy plans to clear his name, hiring Lou and Bud to help find the real killer. The plan is having Lou pretend to be a boxer with Bud as his manager and Tommy doing the fighting. While Detective Roberts (William Frawley) is trailing them, Tommy grows more insane the longer he stays invisible. Will our heroes find the real killer, or will Tommy succumb to his growing insanity?
Review
While I enjoyed the previous film, I found Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man to be much funnier. The concept of invisibility has plenty of opportunities for potential gags, and this film takes full advantage of it. Most of the comedy comes from Tommy doings things while invisible and people thinking someone else did them. For instance, when Lou Costello gets in the ring and pretends to fight, with Tommy doing the fighting, it’s golden. Like last time, Abbott and Costello are in top form, trading plenty of banter and taking their share of blows. There’s more of an emphasis on physical comedy here than in the last film, though there’s some great dialogue. One of the best examples is a scene where Costello accidentally hypnotizes people to sleep using a watch. It’s a sequence that progressively gets funnier and funnier, but never overstays its welcome.
Arthur Franz does a good job as Tommy Nelson, having plenty of fun as he gradually grows more insane. He plays off of Abbott and Costello well, exchanging plenty of banter between the two and delivering some funny lines. William Frawley is funny as the stern police detective trying to find Tommy, perfectly reacting off of the ensuing hijinks. Like before, this one plays fast and loose with the continuity, though it makes extensive reference to The Invisible Man. The film uses stock footage from The Invisible Man Returns, ironic considering Vincent Price starred in that film. Thankfully, it’s only for one scene, and they at least try to tie it in with the new footage. Universal took a bit of a gamble having Abbott and Costello meeting their monsters, but they’ve struck gold twice. Overall, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man is a hilarious comedy that’s worth seeing.
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