The success of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein revived the career of its stars but actually didn’t usher in as many horror spoofs as supposed. Meet the Killer Boris Karloff sounds like a horror spoof but it actually was more of a murder mystery. The pure spoofs were this, Meet the Mummy and Meet Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (of course in Frankenstein they did knock off three creatures in one film; also they met the Creature from the Black Lagoon on television).
In a way, this is a genuine sequel to The Invisible Man – specific reference is made to Claude Rains’ character in that 1933 movie plus we see a picture of Rains on the wall. The invisible man in this film isn’t a scientist, though, it’s a boxer (Arthur Franz) who believes he’s been falsely accused of murder. The boxer is a sort of nasty, tactiturn person even before the inevitable dementia that ensues when he become invisible (in the movies, becoming invisible always turns you mad) – this makes it kind of unusual, to have such an unlikeable hero. The plot has him ask detectives Abbott and Costello to help him clear his name. It’s a period piece, which adds to the fun, as do the (for the time) the excellent special effects and a strong support cast of older actors playing boxers and cops.
Most of the comedy comes from people doing double-takes at the invisible boxer doing wacky things like driving cards; the big set piece is the finale where Costello gets in a ring and beats up a much more skilled opponent with the help of the invisible boxer. The story probably should end then but goes on for another seven minutes – though it does result in some funny stuff with Costello becoming invisible (surely a strong enough concept for a sequel). A good, solid Abbott and Costello entry.
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