Agents Should Be Seen, and Not Hurt- “Invisible Agent” Tonight!

World War II action- the return of a famous formula- a sultry operative- and Peter Lorre?! That sounds like the perfect recipe for another entry in the Universal tome of transparency- as another relative in the Griffin family becomes the "Invisible Agent"!

An unassuming young fellow runs a quiet print shop- quiet until a cadre of enemy agents come for a visit- they've realized that the man, one Frank Raymond, is actually a Griffin- the grandson of the original "Invisible Man"! They know he still has grand-dad's formula for invisibility somewhere- and they want it! The resourceful Frank isn't about to hand it over- to them OR the U.S. government- but,the attack on Pearl Harbor changes his mind. There's only one condition- only Frank will be allowed to use the formula to fight the enemy in the name of America!

And, so he does- parachuting behind enemy lines as he becomes invisible, and meeting with contacts sympathetic to the American cause- including a female espionage agent whose loyalty he's not always sure of! His mission, should he choose to accept it (well, he has- otherwise, we wouldn't have much of a movie) is to find a list of foreign agents embedded in America, and the date of a sneak attack on the USA! But- when the enemy discovers there appears to be an invisible force at work- they know who's behind it- and will do anything to stop him- and divine the secrets of invisibility for themselves.

This 1942 film, typical of many films of the time, was meant to be a morale-booster for Americans- a mix of sci fi and propaganda. Jon Hall is the latest invisible guy, facing enemies Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Peter Lorre ( as  Japanese Baron Ikito!) and uneasily accepting the help of Ilona Massey as the espionage agent he isn't sure he should trust. Obviously, as with most wartime films, expect politically-incorrect references for the enemies, and an abundance of swastikas. The invisible effects are pretty familiar by now- done by the same guy who did them for the previous films about the Griffin family. It's an engaging war/horror mix, and anytime you get Peter Lorre into the mix, you know you're in for something entertaining. Plus, you get a new Sven song- some ideas for some "invisible" programming- and- a take-off on that "ShamWow" guy's latest venture.

"Invisible Agent" will be on MeTV tonight at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 pm central, and, if you're not sure when it's on where you are, just check your local listings! Chicago Sven fans get a sharper look at our new, clearer print of "Brides of Dracula" at 11 am on WCIU, the U.

A couple quick reminders- the Brookfield AAZK Spaghetti Dinner is coming up fast- Thursday, March 26- and it has a tendency to sell out, so, if you're interested in coming for the fine feast and to visit with me- you might want to get your tickets now! Details are listed under "appearances" on this site- come out and help support the work of Vital Ground foundation in securing and preserving land in the wild for bears.

And, yes, it's again time to vote for the Rondo Awards, named after Rondo Hatton, who you've seen on our show. The awards are for the favorites in science fiction and horror, as voted by YOU- the fans! Once again, I've been lucky enough to be nominated as favorite horror host- and many of our favorites are up for the awards in various categories. We encourage you to vote for WHOEVER your favorites are- and, remember to obey all the rules (or check them out on the  site if you don't know them)- you can only submit ONE ballot, you must include your e-mail address, and you can vote for as few or as many of the categories as you want. Please check out the ballot at www.rondoaward.com  - and make sure you submit your vote before the deadline. Whether you vote for me or not, thanks for participating and supporting these very meaningful awards- that mean so much because the votes come for the fans who support the genre.This year's awards are dedicated to make-up great Dick Smith and the wonderful Leonard Nimoy.

Join us tonight for this brand-new show- you'll really enjoy seeing it...or, not seeing- No! I'm NOT doing that joke again! (I almost wrote "not see" which, in view of this film, would only get me in deeper...)