The Invisible Killer

Perky gal reporter Grace Bradley (as Sue Walker) and police detective Roland Drew (as Jerry Brown) butt heads, banter romantically, and try to solve a series of murders connected to a gambling racket. This low-budget crime drama begins with its highlight, as officer Drew attempts to pull over Ms. Bradley for speeding; the "chase" effectively introduces the lead characters and their relationship. Later, Bradley shows some female muscle when she decks Drew; with pain and pleasure, he remarks, "What a gal!" Despite the promise of the title, there is no "Invisible Killer"; perhaps, this refers to poisoning, the killer's favorite murder method - "odorless and tasteless, works on the membrane of the nose and mouth." The story is as engaging.

*** The Invisible Killer (11/14/39) Sam Newfield ~ Grace Bradley, Roland Drew, Boyd Irwin

There isn't much to say about this. The young woman reporter keeps scooping the police department. She is tireless and keeps on the move. Her dippy police boyfriend is always a step behind and she takes advantage. The bad guys are a bunch of organized crime guys from a gambling syndicate. They have been running things with the help of bribes. Now the new DA has had enough and calls them all in. During the investigation, there is a lot of in-fighting and the bad guys start to use poison in various forms to kill the investigators and some of their own rats. The girl is always around and is way more competent than anyone in the department. I would imagine the movie viewers of the thirties would have found this charming, but it was hard for me to get through.

This film is pretty much what you'd expect from a murder mystery film from Monogram--a spunky reporter (in this case she's a lady) and insanely difficult and complicated murders.

Sue Walker (Grace Bradley) is a reporter who wants the guys to respect her, so, like Lois Lane, it means being brash and trying to scoop everyone else on a case involving gamblers. And, like MOST B- mysteries of the age, that means she will end up investigating a murder case like she's one of the cops! In this case, folks are dying...but the coroner isn't sure how. They've been poisoned but who and how are they doing it?

Overall, the film is exactly what you'd expect from such a film--the usual clichés and the usual suspense. No real surprises here and certainly not a film for those who cannot cut it a lot of slack. Passable low-budget entertainment and nothing more.

OK, I'm reviewing this film for one reason only...I really liked the leading lady. She was stunning, truly drop dead beautiful. Amazingly, she is almost a dead ringer for Fay Wray! I'm a huge Fay Wray fan so I noticed this right away. The movie is really average at best, the only real reason I kept watching was to see more of lovely Grace. There wasn't much of a plot and the rest of the cast were pretty lame. The strange thing about some of these old movies is the simple fact that had they added a couple of good shootouts or brawls, they would have managed to hold one's attention much better. I recall some movies much worse than this one that stick in my memory because they offered a couple of nice action sequences. Maybe the budget wouldn't allow? Anyhow, this one is worthwhile if you want to see a remarkable beauty. "What a Gal!" ...indeed!

In my head, it always seems as if every movie made in the 30s and 40s is good and worth seeking out. Stuff like "The Invisible Killer" prove that dreadfully boring, rubbishy, and utterly pointless movies have always existed. Apart from a man who picks up the phone and spontaneously drops dead, there's absolutely nothing interesting happening here. Heck, even that scene itself is fairly lame. There's only talking, talking, talking. Endless talking. Whenever they are not bickering with an over-ambitious and intrusive female reporter (Grace Bradley), two police detectives must look for a killer within an illegal gambling ring. 62 minutes rarely lasted this long.