Villain(s)  Invisible Woman

Actor(s):  Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles

Brief Description  The Invisible Woman (1940) is an American science fiction screwball comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and produced by Universal Pictures. Released on December 27, 1940, it serves as the third entry in Universal’s Invisible Man franchise, following The Invisible Man (1933) and The Invisible Man Returns (1940). Unlike its dark, melodramatic predecessors, this film pivots entirely into a lighthearted, fast-paced farce heavily influenced by contemporary screwball comedies like Topper (1937).

Plot:
The Invisibility Experiment: The eccentric and impractical Professor Gibbs (John Barrymore) successfully invents a machine capable of rendering human beings invisible. Needing a human test subject, he places a local newspaper advertisement. The ad is answered by Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce), an adventurous and feisty department store fashion model who has just been fired by her tyrannical boss, Mr. Growley. Seeking a bit of fun and a way to settle scores, Kitty undergoes the procedure and successfully becomes invisible. She immediately uses her new powers to terrify and seek mischievous revenge on her former employer.

The Gangster Caper: Meanwhile, Professor Gibbs' wealthy and eccentric playboy benefactor, Richard Russell (John Howard), discovers he is completely bankrupt. At the same time, a group of bumbling, comic gangsters led by Blackie Cole (Oskar Homolka) learns about the invention. Blackie is an exiled mob boss stuck in Mexico who cannot legally show his face across the border. His henchmen successfully steal the invisibility machine so they can sneak Blackie back into the United States.

The Climax: Kitty and Richard team up to retrieve the machine. They travel to the gangsters' secret hideout in Mexico, where Kitty uses her invisible state to outsmart, ambush, and defeat the entire criminal outfit. The film ends on a happy note with Richard recovering his fortune, marrying Kitty, and the two having a baby who hilariously inherits his mother's invisible traits.

Continuity Shift: Unlike the other Universal Invisible movies which relied on a chemical serum rooted in the original H.G. Wells mythology, The Invisible Woman relies strictly on a standalone, physical machine process and features zero character ties to the previous films. Despite being a lightweight comedy, Universal allocated a significant $300,000 budget for the film. This was double the cost of a typical Universal "B-feature" of the era, making it one of the studio's major investments in late 1940.