La amenaza invisible

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.

When the film begins, Private Eddie Pratt (Eddie Craven) and his new bride, Sally (Marie Wilson) are sneaking onto the military base. Why? These idiots just got married and were looking for a cozy hidden spot in which to consumate their marriage! Romantic, huh?? Well, they just happened upon a dead body...and they hide. Soon, the body is discovered and Eddie and Sally are certainly in hot water. But attention soon switches to Jevries (Boris Karloff)...a man with a very checkered past.

This film was made by the B-movie unit of Warner Brothers....meaning it's short (55 minutes) but has reasonably good production values. It helped that it had Boris Karloff and Regis Toomey (an old reliable B actor) in the picture. The plot itself is pretty much the standard detective film but instead of the usual smart amateur sleuth (often a reporter), here the folks investigating are Army officers....a decent switch from the norm but still a very standard sort of story.

Overall, quite enjoyable for what it is. I might have scored it a 7, but took away a point because the notion of ANYONE taking his new bride onto a military base to boink her....well, that's ridiculous!

Short murder mystery from Warner Brothers and director John Farrow. On a fog-enshrouded American military base, a man is found gruesomely murdered, having apparently been tortured before his death. Gruff military investigator Colonel Rogers (Cy Kendall) tries to find the culprit among the pool of suspects, including quiet Dr. Jevries (Boris Karloff), newlywed soldier Eddie (Eddie Craven) and his bubble-headed bride Sally (Marie Wilson) who has been smuggled onto the island, or any of the other soldiers on or off duty. The cast includes Regis Toomey, Henry Kolker, Frank Faylen, Eddie Acuff, Charles Trowbridge, Phyllis Barry, Harland Tucker, and Carole Landis.

Despite the title and the presence of Karloff, this isn't a supernatural or science fiction tale, just a routine murder mystery, although there is one incongruous scene of a Haitian voodoo ritual. Craven and Wilson stick out like a goofy sore thumb from the proceedings, but I still liked Wilson. Cy Kendall is unusually cast as the law enforcer, as he's typically cast as a gangster or corrupt politician. Just a few years earlier, Toomey was playing the kind of roles played by Craven in this one.

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.

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.