One thing I can say about Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man is that here we know why someone would hire Bud and Lou as anything.

Bud and Lou are newly graduated private detectives from a school and a man on the run from a murder rap goes into the first office he sees that advertises what he's looking for. He's Arthur Franz, promising heavyweight fighter, accused of killing his manager. Franz is innocent and he hasn't any time to look for references.

Franz himself has a scheme. His girlfriend Nancy Guild has a scientist uncle played by Gavin Muir who is taking up the experiments that Claude Rains did in the original Invisible Man. In fact Rains's picture is in his office and his character is referenced. With the police on his trail, Franz takes the concoction that makes him invisible.

Now with Bud and Lou at his side Franz can try to get proof of those he suspects already. Because we know right away who the killer is, there's not a lot of suspense here. But there sure are a lot of laughs.

The funniest scene is of course the prize fight where Costello aided by Franz goes into the ring with the fighter Franz was supposed to take a dive against. Second funniest is mob moll Adele Jergens trying to seduce Costello.

Other good performances are Sheldon Leonard as the mob boss and William Frawley as the investigating detective on the murder that Franz is suspected of. The boys and their invisible friend really drive him to the brink. This was right before Frawley went into the I Love Lucy Show and immortality as Fred Mertz.

It's one of A&C's best of their later films and should not be missed.