Dating from 1958/9, a fascinating series with lots of scope for trick photography. There's good support from
Lisa Daniely as Peter Brady's sister Diane ('Dee') and young Deborah Watling as Sally the Invisible Man's niece.
On the left, you can actually see the star of The Invisible Man. His identity was only revealed to the public some years after the series ended. Can you name him?
Click here for the answer.
The whole series was released in 2007 on dvd, with cleaned up copies. It was also the only complete series of this era to have been repeated on ITV in the early 1990s, albeit in the middle of the night. Bravo also screened all the stories, so The Invisible Man has proved one of the most enduring 1950's British tv series. The fact that it has continued to be in demand is testimony to the excellent job that the producers did.
Each episode is a variation on the theme of how Peter Brady responsibly uses his invisibility to good use.My favourite episode: Strange Partners. That vicious dog gave me nightmares when I was a child.
Best moment: Hazel Court in The Mink Coat performing with a string puppet of Brady.
Dud episode: Shadow Bomb: Sorry 'Tony O'Grady,' but this is the original quickie that failed. To Dinosaur Crime and Adventure TV Page
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Pilot Story
This untransmitted story followed the trend during the late 50's for making a pilot, particularly for showing to America, in order to sell the idea for a series. Extensive footage from this pilot was later used partly in #1 Secret Experiment - where printed green, partly in #5 Picnic With Death - where printed blue, and mostly in #11 Bank Raid - where printed red.
The part of Peter Brady was voiced by Robert Beatty. Lisa Daniely plays Jane Wilson (not Diane), whilst Deborah Watling was Sally, as in the actual series.
The story begins with a white mouse disappearing, followed by a disappearing scientist. However this opening sequence lasts only about five minutes, whereas in the transmitted version there is much more explanation from Peter Brady about what he is doing. (As he disappears in this later version he wipes the sweat off his face. Then the characters of Lloyd Lamble and Ernest Clark are introduced, though they later fade from the series.) The only motif in the pilot in this sequence that disappears in the later version is the lab assistant fainting. Then in the pilot Brady drives swiftly home and phones his sister from the call box outside his house. (In the transmitted story he phones from "the crossroads.") He removes his glove and an invisible hand dials the number. Sally answers the phone (Diane, Lisa Daniely, does so in the later story). She passes the phone to Jane (Lisa Daniely!) who is told to send Sally up to bed "I don't want to scare the kid." After brother and sister meet, the anxious Jane asks him "how long do you stay that way?" Sally greets her uncle: "what's happened to your face?" Uncle Peter reminds her of the disappearing guinea pig trick he'd shown her. (In the transmitted story, he reminds Sally of the story of the King and the Magic Hat.) Then Uncle Peter removes his bandages and Sally is able to feel his invisible face "ooh, you need a shave!" In this sequence of the pilot Brady wears the same clothing as in the later version, though Lisa Daniely and Deborah Watling are dressed differently.
Outside their house reporters and an ATV van gather "it's a siege!" Brady gives them a statement, then slams the window.
That afternoon Sally does not return from school as usual. Her friend Linda says she went away in a taxi. But where? A man phones saying he'll give Sally back if he can meet The Invisible Man. Jane drives Peter to an isolated detached house where she meets the crook, but Brady "takes care" of him and gets driven to the boss of the gang, who is waiting actually outside the studios! "Well, well, the things you scientists do," Crowther (Willoughby Goddard) observes. He says he won't return Sally until Brady robs £50,000 from a bank. So the invisible man creeps into the house of the bank manager (Kenneth Edwards, uncredited) and walks into the bank. To elude the police he strips off and calmly walks out (in the later version he adopts a more moral note by apologising "it's only a loan, they'll get it back." Comparing the backgrounds, it's obvious this brief scene has been inserted later.)
On marshland, Brady is reunited with Sally. He nicks their left hand drive car and the crooks chase after them in another car WPD866. Police spot Sally waving from an apparently driverless car and the crooks are wedged into a corner (a nice skit on the rather rotund Willoughby Goddard). Police look puzzled as Sally explains, then walks off down the road holding Uncle Peter's invisible hand. He sneezes. In the actual series, the storyline was introduced that Brady wears invisible lab clothes, so doesn't catch cold. This point is rather lost in #11 Bank Raid, but in this pilot, it makes sense that poor Uncle Peter gets rather a chill.
Grope your way back to the Invisible Menu
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"One of the most fantastic experiences in our modern day," begins Peter Brady, telling us of his experiments at Castle Hill Laboratories. Then an explosion. An invisible Dr Brady ends up under lock and key. When Sir Charles (Ernest Clark) comes to visit him from the cabinet, he's gone! "How do you find an invisible man?" queries Sir Charles, with all the wisdom of a champion politician.
Brady goes home to see sister Diane (or Dee as he calls her). She takes her brother in "disguise" to get help from Professor Crompton (Michael Goodliffe), a fellow scientist. Crompton realises the possibilities that Brady's situation offers- he now has limitless powers: "all you have to do is take, Mr Brady. Money. Power." "You're joking," is all Brady can say. He's not to be corrupted. He only wants to get back to normal.
Corruptible Crompton steals Brady's experimental notes to learn how to do it himself, but Brady finds him and there's the first of those fights where the actor has to simulate a fight with the air. So Crompton is caught and Brady invited back to the lab to continue the good work. "See you at work in the morning," says his boss. "No!" is the reply. A long pause before Brady explains: "I'll be there, but you won't see me!"
A well done opening story even if the scene setting means that the plot with Crompton isn't developed more fully. A pity too the series couldn't have ended with Brady discovering how to get back his visibility.
Invisible Man Menu
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Crisis in the Desert -Scene 1 - a British agent is tortured. Jolly rotten show!
After the opening titles, we see Col. Warren (Douglas Wilmer) of Military Intelligence asking for Brady's help to rescue poor Jack Howard before he reveals state secrets. Brady is parachuted into a
Middle East country and met by top agent Yolanda (Adrienne Corri).
In charge of the local police is Omar (Martin Benson) who was waiting for the parachutist, but somehow he just can't see him! Yolanda is amazed when she 'sees' Brady- "your country has made remarkable progress
in espionage, my friend," is her jealous comment.
The rescue begins. Yolanda poses as a nurse and with Brady enters the studio buildings. Whilst Omar plans a brain operation for his poor prisoner, Brady gets some ether and disposes of the guard protecting Howard. Off
he's wheeled right under the nose of poor Omar who gets the Brady treatment. With the help of an ambulance driver (Peter Sallis) the escape is completed.
No 'family' (ie Lisa Daniely/ Debbie Watling) in this only intermittently exciting story.
Invisible Man Menu
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Undoubtedly the most curious of the series. I am not 100% convinced Tim Turner is the voice of the hero throughout this story. If he is, he certainly speaks slightly differently. Perhaps it's because a little footage from the pilot story is used. Then there's the interesting end credits in the print that was around in the 1990's, which has the copyright date 1957 "International Creative Exchange." ICE were the Distributors of the series but the date (which is before the series was made) is either an error being added later by some fathead at ICE, or is indicative of the fact that some of the material did indeed emanate from the pilot.
The story opens with Peter Brady being driven to an appointment. As he's "an official secret," he's not allowed to drive himself. Being late, they speed onwards.... and crash! Fourteen people, those involved in the smash and eyewitnesses, are all detained in case they tell out the "government secret." Finally the PM no less has to issue a statement, with the result that reporters beseige Peter Brady's home. His home appears to be in town! (Mainly because this is the portion that is lifted straight from the pilot. In that episode Brady lives in a house in town.) "Worse than being in a zoo!" declares the Invisible Attraction.
The story proper now begins. Sally is still able to enjoy her riding at the local stables run by Norton (Derek Bond). Sally introduces Linda Norton to the Invisible Peepshow and she confides to him that "they" are out to kill her invalided mother Janet. 'They', being her stepfather and his sister Carol. "He only wants her money." He's asked for more to keep up their expensive mansion Foxgrange but she has refused. "Thank you for helping me see what I have to do," Norton adds to his wife.
As Uncle Peter won't help, Sally offers to come and eavesdrop. She overhears brother and sister plan a picnic at Pine Ridge, "this time leave it to me," promises Carol. Sally phones up Uncle Peter for assistance at 5am, the morning of the picnic. "Stop all this nonsense!" is Uncle's curt response.
Off they drive for the picnic. It's certainly near some very steep cliffs. Fortunately Uncle has second thoughts and decides to check out Sally's story. Diane takes him to Foxgrange where he saddles a horse and The Invisible Rider gallops up just as mummy, comfortable in her car, suddenly finds herself careering helplessly towards the cliff edge. Brady jumps in, just in the nick of time of course. Complete with gun, Diane arrives to prevent the departure of the wicked stepfather.
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Play to Kill -At night, a woman motorist knocks down a tramp on a lonely road. She's famous actress "the best there is," Barbara Crane (Helen Cherry). A passing driver (Colin Gordon) suggests tipping this old failure over the cliff, and does so.
Simon (Garry Thorne), an old friend of Peter Brady, invites him to come and see his latest play A Time to Remember at the Royalty Theatre Haymarket. But he's really worried about his star Barbara. We know she's been getting phone calls on the lines of "is your conscience troubling you?" Plus the suggestion that a thousand pounds will help. Brady, invisible, follows her as she withdraws the money and takes it to Paddington Station where she deposits it in a phone booth. A bearded man collects it, Brady follows. But for once Brady's invisibility is no use- a British Railways porter refuses to allow him to board the train the crook is on.
That passing driver pays a personal call on Barbara. He claims to be being blackmailed too! She cottons on. He does admit he is a small cog in a big machine. He tells her his boss ain't pleased as there was no money in that packet, only shredded paper. Very displeased indeed, as the man is shot. Brady returns the money to Barbara. He enlists the aid of theatrical photographer Arthur Arthurson (Vincent Holman) to identify the man in the phone booth.
But now we see him too, minus beard. It's Walter (Ballard Berkeley). He's with Barbara driving to the theatre. She rather unwisely tells him all Brady has learnt. She stops at the place where the 'accident' occurred. This time she notices a ledge near the clifftop where the 'corpse' might well have landed. "All a put-up job," she concludes. He has got to kill her of course. Peter Brady is naturally on hand to thwart Walter, alias the tramp.
Invisible Menu
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Jailbreak -We start with a chase round that familiar station at Elstree. Mr Green (Dermot Walsh) is robbed on the train, just at the time his safe is being cracked at his factory.
Green is found guilty of stealing from his own safe. Five times he escapes prison. Five times he's recaptured. Brady becomes interested in his "drive for freedom" so Sally suggests he
puts on his invisible clothes and break in to the jail. He does so and talks to Green who admits he had a criminal record. If only he could find the girl on the train who stole his wallet, he'd have an alibi.
It's obvious the nightwatchman at the factory must have perjured himself so Brady goes to question him. That gets the real baddies on edge, and a message is smuggled in to the prison with the rather crude
instruction printed on the inside of a cigarette packet "FIX JOE GREEN FOR GOOD!" By a stroke of luck Brady has broken in to the prison again just in time to prevent Green being done in by two of the inmates.
Brady helps Green to escape by getting him to pose as the invisible man. They go to the factory and follow the nightwatchman who kindly leads them to Doris, the lady thief who eventually confesses to her crime and
agrees to exonerate Green.
Final scene - Brady drives him off in to the distance.
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Bank RaidThis is a reworking of the pilot story by Doreen Montgomery and Ralph Smart, which gives Sally a few entertaining lines not in that original.
It's midwinter and Sally is fishing, alone. Two men appear- "when we've got her He'll do anything we ask." He being Uncle Peter, who proves however to be on the scene after all, so no kidnap. End of fishing scene footage.
Next attempt is more successful- boss Henderson (slimily played by Willoughby Goddard) poses as a doctor calling at Sally's school. He has terrible news of an accident that's befallen Sally's mother and whisks her off to the 'hospital.' Dee gets a surprise when she calls for Sally at the end of the school day. A shock for the school too.
Uncle Peter is issued with instructions of where to go if he wants to see Sally ever again. Dee drives him to an empty house. The Invisible One gives the kidnapper a punch: "start talking- you can't get away from me." But eventually Brady has to give in and meets the boss who explains Sally will be returned once £50,000 is paid. How can Peter find that sort of money? Easy, coaxes Henderson, he could walk into any bank and help himself. Brady seems to have little choice so he does just that. The bank alarms ring as he takes the cash. Here come the police! But they're simply locked in the vault and Brady departs.
The crooks keep their side of the bargain, surprisingly. You'd have thought with such a simple money making scheme they'd want to keep hold of their asset. So Sally and Uncle Peter are reunited in a desolate Kent marshland landscape.
But good old Uncle Peter, risking the freezing weather, removes his overcoat and now invisible, nicks the crooks' car, picks up Sally and drives off towards town. The crooks zoom after in Brady's car and Sally from her car succeeds in attracting a policeman's attention. An easy task, as there's an Invisible Driver! A sudden application of brakes and the crooks get trapped, the rotund Henderson entertainingly squashed up against a wall.
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An interesting story of an attempt to force the invisible Peter Brady to commit murder. I remember seeing this as a youngster and being quite frightened...
Working home late on how to return to normality, Peter Brady emits an invisible yawn. Outside lurks an intruder. When Brady turns in, the criminal breaks in and steals Brady's briefcase.
Next morning clever young Sally spots a window has been "torn." Burglars! A policeman (Victor Platt) looking like something from a French farce, holds little hope of recovering the property. Then a phone call from a Lucian Currie (Griffith Jones) who "through some curious circumstances" has found the case in his garden. Night, and the Invisible One pops round to collect it. Mr Currie's dog Juno, an enormous "brute," barks fiercely as a sort of greeting. Currie explains he'd actually sent his man Collins (Jack Melford) to steal the case. Brady makes to go but Juno, "who's been trained to go for the throat" is in his way. "Not very friendly is she?" notes Brady.
So why does Curry want him? To kill John Victors (Patrick Troughton), Currie's partner in a gold mine. He has a bodyguard, Ryan, and he's the only reason Currie can't do the deed himself. He's coming tonight!
Brady attempts a getaway. Juno watches attentively outside the house as Brady strips off. He soon learns there's no way out. Victors arrives with Ryan who's warned "keep your eyes open, this fellow will try anything." But of course Ryan isn't looking for an invisible attacker. Currie gives Brady the signal to strike, but of course he doesn't. Instead he exits, slamming the door- "Juno, get him!" Ryan is knocked over in the excitement and this gives Currie the opportunity to do the foul deed himself.
And this time the Invisible Man has eluded Juno, by speeding away in a car. Alerting the police he creeps back to the house just as Currie is driving off with his man. "Now for some real speed," shouts Currie, looking ever more like some horror movie maniac. But the fun is terminated. The ignition key is removed. Brady was in the car too.
Final scene- Brady, reunited with his case, takes Juno home.
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Point of Destruction Testing a plane is pilot Bob (Alfred Burke). "Take it easy, Bob," warns Scott (Duncan Lamont) at Ground Control, "this is where the others ran into trouble." Next.... you've guessed- it was only a small part for Alfred Burke.
Cut to a coffee bar, where an enemy agent is being paid for nobbling the secret new air diffuser that was being tested.
Peter Brady still has faith in this diffuser however. The government may have stopped all its grants for the project, but Brady knows Scott well. Scott shows him round the factory to meet the workers, including the man in charge, Dr Court (John Rudling). And he is the same man who was being paid in that coffee bar!
He reports back to his superiors. Had he managed to put Brady off the scent? "You can never tell with that character," Court responds, "he's got his face in bandages." Just leave Brady to Fritz, he's told.
The evil Fritz (Derren Nesbitt, who else?) drives through the snow to Brady's home. He points his rifle, but how do you aim at an Invisible Target? One shot is not enough. Brady tears out of the house- "drop that gun you maniac!" There's a car chase with Fritz shooting at the Invisible Driver with Brady finally crashing by a stream. We see a splash as Brady lands in the frozen water. Blood stains in his car show the assassin must have scored a hit.
Newspapers are full of the news of the Missing Man. Of course, it's all a ploy to give Brady the opportunity to snoop round whilst Scott announces a Final Test, conducted by himself. Brady spots Dr Court up to his tricks. Court is forced to stay on board as the flight takes off. Court gets the jitters. He gets out his gun. But Brady stops that nonsense. A confession follows.
So at last there's a successful test whilst police car 894 FPC apprehends the evil Fritz.
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The Gun RunnersWhen a English engineer is shot dead by patriots, Brady resolves to prevent guns from reaching "foreign criminals." Miss Zena Fleming has just headed an International Commission investigating the pocket sized state of Bay Akim. She couldn't find any actual proof, so Brady goes along, invisible, as she returns there. The Minister of Customs and Export (Paul Stassino) welcomes her with the veiled threat: "if you are in any trouble, please come and see me."
A less friendly caller tells her an aircraft is leaving in half an hour, a gun reinforcing his invitation. Brady naturally interrupts his flow- "who sent you here?" The answer is forced out of him- the manager of Citrus Exports. Their warehouse is packed with crates, all full of lemons. But what of the "special crates"? Buried beneath the oranges are those guns.
Zena goes to tell the Minister of her discovery, though he is unconvinced. He accompanies her to the Citrus warehouse and after a lot of searching the guns are accidentally uncovered. "This is terrible," exclaims the owner in feigned surprise. He tries bribery, but when that fails the Minister has to reveal his duplicity. They plan to kill her but Brady just succeeds in preventing them.
The pair leave Bay Akim and Miss Fleming is able to celebrate at last.
Invisible Menu
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Opening scene- a gambling club. One loser (Glyn Owen) exits, walking to London Bridge to end it all. "That would be rather foolish Mr Smith," says a voice. He's offered a way out of his financial worries- if he gives some information on the Rocket project The Solidor.
Professor Howard has invented this metal which would be very useful in enemy hands.
So Smith zips off with The Rocket. As he's in charge of transport, it's easy. He even gets an army escort. Off he drives with lorry EXA265- a signpost clearly indicates it's come from Borehamwood (ie the studios!), but instead
of proceeding on up the single carriageway A1 he turns right towards Barnet. Down a narrow track. Ambush! Driver Evans is knocked unconscious which gets Smith worked up. He needs to get him to hospital. Unconscious man number two!
In a quarry the Rocket is transferred to another vehicle TGJ198.
By an amazing stroke of luck, Brady, in pursuit, spots tyre marks indicating where the lorry had left the main road. Invisible, he jumps on board TGJ and finishes up in the baddies' garage. Whilst they gloat over their success, Brady phones the police, but he's overheard. They try shooting at him. "I can see you," he tells them,
"but you can't see me." The light is extinguished. "Can you see in the dark, Mr Brady?" A clever move, but Smith helps Brady before the police appear, too late to assist as usual.
To Invisible Man Menu
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Disappointing final story- there's no need for Peter Brady to be invisible in this one.
"Foreign Aircraft Crash" read the newspaper headlines. In the wreckage is a typewriter, inside which is a canister of Uranium 235. Brady believes (I can't fathom quite why) this is "part of an international plot." Mind you, it is- a bomb is to be placed "under London." Brady bets a replacement canister will be smuggled in, and he's dead right. Lady Peversham (Barbara Shelley) is returning to England after winning the French golf tournament. An alert customs official (Anthony Bate) finds her clubs are radioactive and phones WHItehall 7402. Sir Charles in turn contacts Brady.
There are a lot of sinister foreigners working at Lady Peversham's. Husband Larry, an enthusiast for Peace, is spotted by The Invisible Snooper stacking his car with materials. The baddies drive to one of London's bombsites and deposit a heap of rubble. So the bomb must be in Peversham's cellar! Now we see it! Lady P sees the final preparations- "police- quickly!" she phones, but she's captured before she can send a coherent message. Naive Lord P tries to persuade his wife that these men are really jolly good, but is shot for his trouble. The police surround the house and Brady succeeds in preventing London from being annihilated.
The series didn't end on a bang therefore, and as we never see Brady restored to normality, presumably he's still wandering round out there, invisible...... Maybe you'll see him one day
To Invisible Man
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Tim Turner played Peter Brady. He is pictured here in the story 'Man in Disguise,' as a one-off character who impersonates The Invisible Man! It's the only time Tim Turner's face is seen in the series.
Interestingly, though it is true that his identity was kept secret from the general public, press handouts to the trade of the cast lists back in 1959 included Tim's name (see example right), so anyone with any sleuthing knowhow should have noticed then his identity !