Director: Edwin L. Marin
Writers: Curt Siodmak
Stars: Ilona Massey, Jon Hall, Peter Lorre
1 hour, 21 minutes
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Stouffer and Ikito (Peter Lorre and Cedric Hardwicke) go into Frank Raymond’s print shop. They mention the name “Frank Griffin,” which is Frank’s real name. He’s the grandson of the original Invisible Man, and they know he still has the invisibility formula. He claims he doesn’t have it, so they search the place. They threaten to cut his fingers off if he doesn’t tell them where it is. He distracts them and escapes.
When Frank goes to the police, the US government now wants the formula as well, but Frank refuses to give it to them. World War II breaks out, and he changes his mind, but only if he can be the invisible agent. The government debates this for twenty seconds, and then they want him to go straight to Berlin and learn all the secrets.
He takes the formula, parachutes out of a plane over Berlin, and undresses on the way down. He’s invisible! The Nazis see him come down, but they can only find an empty parachute. He steals a Jeep and drives to Berlin. He meets up with his contact, an old coffin-maker who sends him across town to meet Maria, his real contact.
Her boyfriend, Karl, from the high command, shows up and treats Maria to dinner, and Frank too, although he doesn’t realize it at the time… until the food starts disappearing. Karl brags about his conversation with Hitler. The Fuhrer wants to attack the USA, and he’s even set a date for the attack. Throughout the meal, food and drinks keep spilling on Karl. Karl leaves in anger, and Frank puts on a robe and covers his face in cold cream. He then passes out on her couch.
Karl goes to see his boss, who turns out to be Stouffer. He tells about his strange dinner, and Stouffer doesn’t seem all that surprised. Meanwhile, Maria wipes Frank’s face and takes his clothes off, but he’s still asleep. Stouffer comes in and mentions that he’s awaiting a secret file on the American invasion. Frank follows him out. It’s clearly a setup, since Stouffer knows about invisibility.
Stouffer confronts Frank in his office. They start a fire, and the room fills with smoke, but we can’t see Frank. Frank grabs the book with the spies’ identities and goes down the firemen’s ladder. He gives the book to his allies, and then calls Maria again.
Baron Ikita calls on Stouffer and wants his book back. Stauffer borrowed the book as bait for Frank, never intending to lose it. They’re allies, but clearly not friends. Frank goes to see Karl and gives him a long speech about how evil the Nazis are. Karl tells Frank about the invasion plan for New York. It’s tonight!
Frank knocks out the guards, and he and Karl leave the cell.
Stouffer captures and tortures the old man who was Frank’s contact in the spy network. Frank blames Maria, and sure enough, she screams as Baron Ikita drops a net full of fish hooks over him. She wasn’t involved in the plan to capture him, but she was the bait!
Ikita confronts Maria in the Japanese embassy, and Stouffer raids the place. Frank steals her away. Baron Ikita throws Stouffer across the room using karate and then stabs him to death. Ikita then clears the room and commits Seppuku, but I have no idea why. Prison guards catch up with Karl and kill him.
Frank and Maria speed to the airport, where Maria steals a Nazi plane and flies them home. Once they take off, they circle around, and Frank bombs the planes on the runway; they are the very ones waiting to attack New York that night. As they approach England, Frank has passed out again. The Brits shoot at them, so she grabs Frank and they parachute out.
Eventually, Frank wakes up and explains that Maria really was one of their agents. He smiles and laughs; the invisibility has worn off, and he’s normal again.
Commentary
The original “Invisible Man” and “Invisible Man Returns” were pure horror movies. The “Invisible Woman” was mostly a comedy, and this one is sort of an adventure story. The special effects continue to improve; there’s a scene were he’s in the tub and soaps himself up and another where he puts on makeup that both look very realistic.
Cedrick Hardwicke played Cobb, the main villain in the Invisible Man Returns. It seems odd that Universal would recast him in as a different character in the very same series of films. It took a very long time to realize that Peter Lorre was playing Baron Ikita, a Japanese man. How a Japanese man got the title “Baron” is never answered. Now that I think of it, there probably weren’t a lot of genuine Japanese actors in Hollywood in 1942, so I guess this one can be excused.
There was no mention of Frank eventually going insane here, so somewhere down the line, the problem with the drug has been solved.
Frank’s speech to Karl is clearly anti-Nazi propaganda, since this was released in 1942, that was a priority. The story is not particularly interesting, but it looks like this was Universal’s bid to help the war effort. There’s no way that the bombers in Berlin could possibly fly to New York City at all, much less that very night, so someone n the writer’s room didn’t do the math.
It’s a weird blend of adventure, comedy, and deadly seriousness.
Stouffer: "Sign this document that says we didn't harm you."
Old Man: "I can't. You broke all my fingers."