Invisible Agent (1942)

Starring Ilona Massey, Jon Hall, Peter Lorre, Cedric Hardwicke, J. Edward Bromberg
Directed by Edwin L. Marin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The grandson of the original Invisible Man is first threatened by the Nazis for his secret formula, and then uses it himself as a spy behind German lines.

An enjoyable adventure with a wartime setting, the film has a fine cast and more of John P. Fulton's quality special effects.  In the age of perfect picture DVDs, the wires used to suspend objects handled by the Invisible Man are much more visible, but a sequence in which the unseen Hall makes himself visible to Massey by coating his face in cold cream is impressively done and still comes off well.  Hardwicke and Lorre are exceptional villains, and their performances are of the extent that one forgets about their true nationalities- although visually the Hungarian Lorre stretches credulity as a Japanese agent, his menace make us forget that, and audiences of the time would have been conditioned to him playing that type of role from his many appearances as Oriental sleuth Mr. Moto.  Curt Siodmak's screenplay adds humor to the seriousness of the tale, which he was well aware of after fleeing Germany, by using Bromberg's secret police chief as the object of ridicule by our invisible hero.  Massey, another Hungarian, gives probably the best performance I've seen of hers, very convincing as a German double-agent.  Although Hall lacks the punch of previous "Invisible Men" Claude Rains and Vincent Price in his vocal characterization, he still is affable and capable in the lead role.

Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man (1943)

Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Ilona Massey, Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi
Directed by Roy William Neill
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After being brought back to life, Lawrence Talbot seeks to find a way to end his cursed existence as The Wolf Man, and goes in search of help from the famed Dr. Frankenstein.

The first meeting of Universal Monsters has many elements to recommend it, including a number of atmospheric scenes, the vibrant and energetic "Festival Of The New Wine" performance, and of course the climactic confrontation between the Wolf Man (played by Chaney Jr.) and Frankenstein's monster (played by Lugosi).  Unfortunately the cutting of the Monster's dialogue turns him into a bit player in the film, and I know the reason it was cut was because Lugosi's voice was considered unusable, but it would have added clarity (particularly to viewers who didn't remember the Monster's blindness from The Ghost Of Frankenstein) and more of a unique personality to the creature.  The film is also slow-moving at times, and really could have used an original score to help buoy the picture through those passages, instead of an assemblage of stock music.  Nevertheless, it's still a classic in my mind, and it's good to see Universal stalwarts like Dwight Frye and Lionel Atwill returning, along with an entertaining role for Rex Evans as the portly, mustachioed and vengeance-seeking barkeep Vazec.