The Invisible Menace (1938)

Excellent but underrated film

Best movie ever!

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Fine B mystery from Warner Bros. with nice foggy atmosphere and a good performance from Boris Karloff in a small but important role. Directed by John 'father of Mia' Farrow, it's a good-looking picture that has a horror movie feel to it. The story involves a murder on an army base, with Karloff as one of the suspects. There's also some comic relief from Eddie Craven and Marie Wilson as a pair of newlyweds trying to have their honeymoon on the base without anyone knowing. The comedy upsets the fine mood Farrow sets but I'm sure his hands were tied on that front. The rest of the cast includes Regis Toomey, Charles Trowbridge, Frank Faylen, and Henry Kolker. Cy Kendall plays a brutish investigator brought in to solve the crime. His method is to slap suspects around until they confess. Sherlock Holmes he's not! It's worth a look for Karloff fans or anyone who enjoys old B mysteries. The short runtime helps a lot.

A cobbled together Mismatch of Comedy, Mystery, and a Touch of Terror. An early John Farrow Film whose Career had some Highlights in Film-Noir and other Genres. Boris Karloff is given a Non-Monster Role and He makes the Best of it.But, for some Odd Reason the Best Parts of the Movie are Glossed Over in quick Flashbacks and give way to Irritating, Dated, Date Comedy and some Unappealing Characters. A few Scenes have an Edge of Violence and a Stylish Darkness, but the Movie cannot Recover from the Weak Elements.A Movie dismissed by many and is really only Recommended for Completists and the Curious. There are some Things to See here but they Come at a Heavy Price. Enduring the Embarrassment of the Silly Stuff and a Combination of Elements that Never Mesh is Burdensome.

Invisible Menace, The (1938) ** (out of 4) Slightly entertaining whodoneit about a body being found at a military institution and the investigation that follows. I've seen countless films like this over the years and this one here really isn't any better or worse than the majority out there. The main reason to see this film is due to Boris Karloff but be warned that he's not in the film too much even with the top billing. The supporting cast are decent but the good thing is that the film runs a short 54-minutes. Had the screenplay been a tad bit better the film might have worked better.

This is a very watchable programmer centering on a murder mystery that takes place at an island army arsenal. Director John Farrow (husband of Maureen O'Sullivan/father of Mia Farrow)wisely keeps this thriller short and breezy. The only part of the movie that sometimes falls flat today is the humor, which I'm sure was much better received by the audiences in 1938. Marie Wilson tries to be a Gracie Allen clone. This persona worked much better years later when she played My Friend Irma opposite Martin and Lewis. Eddie Craven does fine as Marie Wilson's comedy partner but again much of the humor is dated.It's good to see the great Boris Karloff strut his stuff. His bad guy/monster image kept him from receiving deserved recognition as one of Hollywood's most capable actors. This image is used in an interesting way in "The Invisible Menace" but I won't go into detail and spoil the movie for you. The flashback scene when Karloff is on the island of Haiti fits well into the story but also provides variety in what could have become a boring film since all the action takes place in a confined setting. A talent such as Hitchcock could overcome such a setting as he did in his classic "Lifeboat," but Farrow was not that adept although a skilled director.All in all a gem for fans of the genre.