Apparently, love is not blind, it’s invisible.
Playboy Richard Russell (John Howard) is broke. He sponsors Professor Gibbs (John Barrymore) an eccentric inventor. Professor Gibbs has put an ad in the newspaper: "Wanted: A human being willing to become invisible. No remuneration. Box P19." The ad is answered by K. Carroll (Virginia Bruce). The problem for Professor Gibbs is that K Carroll is really Kitty Carroll and Kitty is a woman.
Professor Gibbs is no crackpot. He really did invent an invisibility machine, and he really does need his first human guinea pig. Kitty has an ulterior motive to wanting to be invisible. She is a dress model with a jerk as a boss. She thinks he deserves a kick in the pants, and invisible she can do just that without losing her job. The invisibility machine works, and kitty is now invisible. And she does what she intended. She visits her old boss and actually kicks him in the pants. One problem is that the machine has attracted the interest of some thugs. Their boss is Blackie Cole (Oscar Homolka). He is exiled in Mexico. Now if he were invisible, he could get past the checkpoint with no problem. Blackie wants the professor’s machine.
When Russell goes off to his fishing lodge the Professor and the invisible Kitty are off to prove that the professor’s machine really works. While they are gone Blackie steals the machine. When they get the machine to their hideout, they find that they don’t know how to operate it correctly. They need the professor. By now, Kitty has returned to visibility, and the thugs are sent in to kidnap her and Professor Gibbs.
“The Invisible Woman” was released in 1940 and was directed by A. Edward Sutherland. Do not expect a horror movie. The movie is a farce. And it has nothing to do with any other “invisible” movies. Granted it’s a little sexist. It’s the 40’s. It was sexist in the 40’s. And it’s not a monster movie. All told the movie is silly with lots of camp. And harmless.
This is the first film in The Invisible Man series of classic Universal horror films in which the invisible person is shown in visible form for more than a few brief seconds. She is visible for a significant portion of time throughout the film. It is also the first film in the series in which the invisible person is not already invisible at the start of the film. This means it is also the first in the series in which the audience sees the process of the person being made invisible.
Shemp Howard (Born Samuel Horwitz) best known today for his role as the third stooge in the Three Stooges appears as Frankie. Margaret Hamilton best known for her portrayal of Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's classic film "The Wizard of Oz" appears as Mrs. Jackson.