March 16- How to Catch an Invisible Man
I really enjoy the movie we ran last night –“the Invisible Man!”
Sure, the special effects may seem kind of bland today, but- imagine an audience back in the thirties, sitting fear-struck in the theater, watching the story unfold. The effects really were ingenious for that era- and it’s interesting to try and decipher what items they shot against a black background, in the scene with Rains, and which he (and the items) were supered over, that were in a completely different shot.
There are still so many moments of great tension in the film (is he there, or isn’t he? Could he be-right behind him?!)-not to mention the dollop of humor throughout. A greatly entertaining movie, as is the sequel which we’ll have for you next week…I was also recalling- as a kid, I may have been terrified that Frankenstein or the Wolf Man, or even Dracula might actually get me-for real (I’ve told you, I had a very active imagination as a child)-but I don’t think I was ever worried that the Invisible Man might get me! I’m not even sure why he didn’t worry me- out of sight, out of mind, perhaps? (I know what you’re thinking-“Sven, you ARE out of your mind!”)
People have often written to me with ways they think the Invisible Man could have been detected, that weren’t used in the film…like, spraying talcum powder all around, so it would not only stick to him, but also reveal; his footsteps. No doubt it would also soothe any chafing rash he might have picked up while running through the shrubbery starkers…
Another way suggested to me by a viewer was surrounding the would-be victim with flypaper, like you’d always see in old cartoons (I think Mickey Mouse’s dog Pluto would often have bouts with flypaper)-then, the transparent fiend would get the paper stuck on him. Today, we could just leave a bunch of those “NoPest strips” around- or, possibly build a bunch of large Roach Motels- so that, once he came in- he’d be stuck and never come out.
In the modern world, he’d be much easier to catch- an infrared heat sensor would spot him easily. Not to mention- going into a K-Mart or Jewel, and triggering the automatic door- that’d be a sure give-away. And hitting one of those subway turn styles wrong might just have him speaking in a higher key. You could even equip the police force with cans of Silly String, and they’d be able to spot him easily! Hey, if it’s good enough for our troops to use to detect booby trap tripwires, it’s certainly good enough to catch an errant invisible man…
Got a modern idea on how to detect the Invisible Man? Send it to me- svengoolie@wciu.com
Sure, the special effects may seem kind of bland today, but- imagine an audience back in the thirties, sitting fear-struck in the theater, watching the story unfold. The effects really were ingenious for that era- and it’s interesting to try and decipher what items they shot against a black background, in the scene with Rains, and which he (and the items) were supered over, that were in a completely different shot.
There are still so many moments of great tension in the film (is he there, or isn’t he? Could he be-right behind him?!)-not to mention the dollop of humor throughout. A greatly entertaining movie, as is the sequel which we’ll have for you next week…I was also recalling- as a kid, I may have been terrified that Frankenstein or the Wolf Man, or even Dracula might actually get me-for real (I’ve told you, I had a very active imagination as a child)-but I don’t think I was ever worried that the Invisible Man might get me! I’m not even sure why he didn’t worry me- out of sight, out of mind, perhaps? (I know what you’re thinking-“Sven, you ARE out of your mind!”)
People have often written to me with ways they think the Invisible Man could have been detected, that weren’t used in the film…like, spraying talcum powder all around, so it would not only stick to him, but also reveal; his footsteps. No doubt it would also soothe any chafing rash he might have picked up while running through the shrubbery starkers…
Another way suggested to me by a viewer was surrounding the would-be victim with flypaper, like you’d always see in old cartoons (I think Mickey Mouse’s dog Pluto would often have bouts with flypaper)-then, the transparent fiend would get the paper stuck on him. Today, we could just leave a bunch of those “NoPest strips” around- or, possibly build a bunch of large Roach Motels- so that, once he came in- he’d be stuck and never come out.
In the modern world, he’d be much easier to catch- an infrared heat sensor would spot him easily. Not to mention- going into a K-Mart or Jewel, and triggering the automatic door- that’d be a sure give-away. And hitting one of those subway turn styles wrong might just have him speaking in a higher key. You could even equip the police force with cans of Silly String, and they’d be able to spot him easily! Hey, if it’s good enough for our troops to use to detect booby trap tripwires, it’s certainly good enough to catch an errant invisible man…
Got a modern idea on how to detect the Invisible Man? Send it to me- svengoolie@wciu.com
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