The Invisible Monster
| The Invisible Monster | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Fred C. Brannon |
| Produced by | Franklin Adreon |
| Written by | Ronald Davison |
| Starring |
Richard Webb Aline Towne Lane Bradford Stanley Price John Crawford George Meeker |
| Music by | Stanley Wilson |
| Cinematography | Ellis W. Carter |
| Distributed by | Republic Pictures |
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Release date
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May 10, 1950 (serial) 1966 (TV) |
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Running time
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12 chapters / 167 minutes (serial) 100 minutes (TV) |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $153,070 (negative cost: $119,343) |
The Invisible Monster is a 1950 Republic film serial.
A would-be dictator and scientist, known only as The Phantom Ruler, has developed a formula which, when sprayed on some solid object, renders that object and everything it contains invisible when exposed to rays emitted by a special lamp, also his own invention. Covered from head to toe in formula-treated cloth, he thus moves about unseen, presently with the objective of stealing enough money and formula components to render an entire army of willing followers invisible. Two henchmen assist him, along with several illegal aliens smuggled into the US by him and used to infiltrate, as employees, possible sites for him to later rob while invisible. When he successfully robs a bank vault, an investigator from the bank's insuror teams up with a woman police detective to solve the mystery of the money which to all outside appearances has just vanished. Tracking clues and interrupting other attempts by the Phantom Ruler to commit crimes, the protagonists round up enough evidence that they are not merely dealing with an ordinary crime ring. Eventually they discover the invisibility fluid and lamp, and the Phantom Ruler is killed when he trips over an open high-power electric cable he had laid on the floor of his den to do in the forces of law and order closing in upon him.
The Invisible Monster was budgeted at $153,070 although the final negative cost was $152,115 (a $955, or 0.6%, under spend).
It was filmed between March 7 and 30, 1950 under the working title The Phantom Ruler. The serial's production number was 1707.
Special effects created by the Lydecker brothers.
The Invisible Monster's official release date is May 10, 1950, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.
The Invisible Monster was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Slaves of the Invisible Monster. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Cline describes this serial as just a "quickie."
Source:
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Wikipedia