The Invisible Woman (1940)

Starring Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles, Oskar Homolka
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An eccentric scientist perfects a method of turning someone invisible, and gets a dress model to volunteer to be his first subject.

While Universal made a more serious sequel to The Invisible Man the same year, they also fashioned this much more lighthearted comedy, with Bruce starring as the lady who's made transparent by John Barrymore, of all people.  For me, a lot of the comedy falls flat, but have to admit laughing at a number of lines and situations.  When Donald MacBride, playing a gangster's henchman named Foghorn, loses his voice, I don't think it's as funny as it would have been with an actor with a more booming sound, and Shemp Howard is sadly wasted in a limited role, although Charlie Ruggles fares better as John Howard's butler, the chief comic presence in the film.  While Bruce gives a fine starring performance, with a sharp tongue and wit, some of the gender commentary is badly dated and a couple lines are pretty offensive.  However, I'm sure there were women in the audience cheering when Bruce gets revenge on her cruel boss, and John P. Fulton's special effects are again marvelous.

Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

Starring Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton, Guy Rolfe, Oscar Homolka, Vladimir Sokoloff
Directed by William Castle
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A doctor is invited by his former love to visit the castle of her husband Baron Sardonicus, in order to treat the Baron's affliction, that keeps his face hidden behind an expressionless mask. 

William Castle's film adaptation of the horror tale by Ray Russell is probably best known for the gimmick Castle employed in his advertising, and in the film itself, encouraging audiences to vote for punishment of Sardonicus via thumbs-up, thumbs-down cards provided in the theaters.  It was also a phony gimmick as only one ending truly exists, according to most film historians.  However, its period setting and distinguished cast make the film itself worthwhile.  My friend Dan Day Jr. has pointed out that this was likely Castle's attempt to emulate the British horror popularized by the Hammer studio, ironic since Hammer and Castle would soon team up for the production of The Old Dark House a short time later.  I enjoy the film quite a bit, although one senses we don't get to quite see all the depravities committed by Sardonicus in Russell's original story.  Lewis is fine as the doctor, as is Rolfe as Sardonicus, and Dalton is a lovely damsel with a lot to play off in her dialogue, but I really appreciated the colorful characters added by Homolka and Sokoloff, who both added an old-world feel to the film that fit in well with the sets and art direction.