| “ | An invisible man can rule the world. Nobody will see him come, nobody will see him go. He can hear every secret. He can rob, and wreck, and kill! | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin, raving about his plan for world domination. |
| “ | All right, you fools. You've brought it on yourselves! Everything would have come right if you'd only left me alone. You've driven me near madness with your peering through the keyholes and gaping through the curtains, and now you'll suffer for it! You're crazy to know who I am, aren't you? All right! I'll show you! | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin before revealing himself to the pub. |
| “ | We'll begin with a reign of terror, a few murders here and there, murders of great men, murders of little men - well, just to show we make no distinction. I might even wreck a train or two... just these fingers around a signalman's throat, that's all. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin to his partner, Kemp. |
John "Jack" Griffin, better known as The Invisible Man, is the titular main antagonist in Universal Studios' 1933 adaptation of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man. Unlike his more callous novel counterpart, Griffin's insanity is purely a side-effect of the invisibility drug and his motivation for the experiment was a misguided desire to do good for science and mankind, born primarily out of his love for his fiancée.
Originating from one of the most iconic literary pieces of its time, the Invisible Man has become an icon of pop culture, and a legendary member among Universal's lineup of monsters, in near equal status with the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster.
He was portrayed by the late Claude Rains, who also played Erique Claudin in The Phantom of the Opera, Herod in The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jacob Marley in Scrooge, and Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Biography[]
| “ | The drugs I took seemed to light up my brain. Suddenly I realized the power I held, the power to rule, to make the world grovel at my feet. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
Jack Griffin's disguise.
The 1933 incarnation is given the first name Jack, and unlike the novel version, Griffin had a more sympathetic background. He was a researcher working in food preservation and fell in love with his employer's, Dr. Cranley's daughter Flora. Determined to prove himself both a successful researcher and good husband material for Flora, Griffin tests with a dangerous chemical called monocane, eventually discovering the formula for making living beings invisible. However, his applications of the formula to himself drive him to insanity. Not wanting anyone to see him turn invisible, he sought refuge in an inn so he could think of a way to cure himself. However, upon receiving pressure from the owners and the authorities, combined with the side effects of the invisibility formula, Jack went on a violent rampage throughout the city.
Jack seeks aid for a megalomaniacal plot to create invisible armies from Kemp who refuses. Unlike in the novel, Griffin succeeds in killing Kemp by forcing his car to crash down a hill. He is pursued and fatally shot while trying to escape. He later dies in the hospital, apologizing for his actions and noting "I meddled in things man must leave alone." With his final breath, his body becomes once again visible.
Sequels & Parodies[]
The Invisible Man Returns[]
After Jack's death, his brother, Dr. Frank Griffin, uses the same formula Jack had used on himself to help Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe escape a death sentence for a murder he didn't commit.
The Invisible Agent[]
It is revealed in the third sequel that Jack Griffin has a grandson named Frank Griffin Jr. It remains unknown as to whom his grandmother is, though more than likely she's Flora. Unlike his grandfather, Frank uses the potion for good and becomes an agent for the military.
Abbot and Costello Meet the Invisible Man[]
Griffin was briefly mentioned in Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man, and a picture of him before the transformation (Claude Rains) is shown-though he's referred to as "John Griffin" instead of "Jack Griffin" (It's possible that perhaps the "Jack" was short for "John"). A young boxer named Tommy Nelson wants to use the formula for similar reasons to that of Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe, as he was wrongfully accused of murdering his manager and had escaped jail. He hires private detectives, Bud Alexander (Bud Abbott) and Lou Francis (Lou Costello) to help with his case. While he does go slightly crazy from the side effects of the formula, he does not become homicidal as Jack did.
Quotes[]
| “ | There is no need to be afraid, Kemp. We are partners. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin, in an oily, menacing voice. |
| “ | Griffin: I give you a last chance to leave me alone. Const. Jaffers: Give ME a last chance? You've committed assault, that's what you've done, and you can come along to the station with me. Come along now. Come quietly, unless you want me to put the handcuffs on. Griffin: Stop where you are. You don't know what you're doing. Const. Jaffers: I know what I'm doing, all right. Come on! Man in Pub: Get hold of him! Man in Pub #2: Lock him up! Griffin: All right, you fools. You've brought it on yourselves! Everything would have come right if you'd only left me alone. You've driven me near madness with your peering through the keyholes and gaping through the curtains, and now you'll suffer for it! You're crazy to know who I am, aren't you? All right! I'll show you! [the Invisible Man removes his rubber nose and goggles and throws them at his spectators] Griffin: There's a souvenir for you, and one for you. I'll show you who I am - and WHAT I am! [the Invisible Man, laughing maniacally, removes his bandages and fake hair] Const. Jaffers: Look! He's all eaten away! Griffin: Eh? How do you like that, ay? |
„ |
| ~ Jack Griffin revealing himself to the pub. |
| “ | Griffin: I hope your car's insured, Kemp. I'm afraid there's going to be a nasty accident in a minute. A very nasty accident! Dr. Kemp: Griffin, I'll do anything! Everything you ask me! Griffin: You will? That's fine. Just sit where you are. I'll get out and take the handbrake off and give you a little shove to help you on. You'll run gently down and through the railings, then you'll have a big thrill for a hundred yards or so till you hit a boulder, then you'll do a somersault and probably break your arms, then a grand finish up with a broken neck! Well, goodbye, Kemp. I always said you were a dirty little coward. You're a dirty sneaking little rat as well. Goodbye. |
„ |
| ~ Jack Griffin and Dr. Kemp. |
| “ | Griffin: So, I see. Kemp couldn't sleep. He had to go downstairs. He was frightened. I put my trust in Kemp. I told him my secret and he gave me his word of honor. You must go now, Flora. Flora Cranley: I want to help you. Griffin: There is nothing left for you to do, my dear, except to go. I shall come back. I swear, I shall come back because I shall defeat them. Go now my dear. Flora Cranley: No, I want to stay. You must hide. Griffin: Don't worry, the whole world's my hiding place. I can stand there amongst them in the day or night and laugh at them. |
„ |
| ~ Jack Griffin making a promise as he sees police dogs and policemen encroaching upon the house. |
| “ | They've asked for it, the country bumpkins. This will give them a bit of a shock, something to write home about. A nice bedtime story for the kids, too, if they want it. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | Here I am. Aren't you pleased you found me? | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin strangling a volunteer searcher. |
| “ | Here we go gathering nuts in may / nuts in may / nuts in may / here we go gathering nuts in may / on a cold and frosty morning. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin singing. |
| “ | There are one or two things you must understand, Kemp. I must always remain in hiding for an hour after meals. The food is visible inside me until it is digested. I can only work on fine, clear days. If I work in the rain, the water can be seen on my head and shoulders. In a fog, you can see me - like a bubble. In smoky cities, the soot settles on me until you can see a dark outline. You must always be near at hand to wipe off my feet. Even dirt between my fingernails would give me away. It is difficult at first to walk down stairs. We are so accustomed to watching our feet. But, these are trivial difficulties. We shall find ways of defeating everything. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | I meant to come back just as I was when you saw me last, but the fools wouldn't let me work in peace. I had to teach them a lesson. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | You're a true friend, Kemp, a man to trust. I've no time now but, believe me, as surely as the moon will set and the sun will rise I shall kill you tomorrow night. I shall kill you even if you hide in the deepest cave of the Earth. At ten o'clock tomorrow night, I shall kill you! | „ |
| ~ Griffin planning to kill Dr. Kemp. |
| “ | Are you satisfied now! You fools! It's easy, really, if you're clever! A few chemicals mixed together. That's all. And flesh and blood and bones just - fade away. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | You'd think I'd escape like a common criminal? You need a lesson. I think I'll throttle you! | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | I began five years ago, in secret. working all night, every night, right into the dawn. A thousand experiments. A thousand failures. And then, at last, the great, wonderful day. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | The great, wonderful day. The last, little mixture of drugs. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | Your father? Clever? Huh! You think he can help me? He's got the brain of a tapeworm, a maggot, beside mine! Don't you see what it means? Power! Power to rule! To make the world grovel at my feet! | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | Power, I said! Power to walk into the gold vaults of the nations, into the secrets of kings, into the Holy of Holies; power to make multitudes run squealing in terror at the touch of my little invisible finger. Even the moon's frightened of me, frightened to death! The whole world's frightened to death! | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | [after robbing a bank] There you are! A present from the Invisible Man! Money! Money! Money! Money! Ha-ha-ha! [singing] Ups and down the city road, In and out the eagle, That's the way the money goes, Pop goes the weasel! [Screaming] Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! Money! |
„ |
| ~ Jack Griffin singing after robbing a bank. |
| “ | The Invisible Man: Are we alone in the house? Dr. Kemp: Yes. The Invisible Man: Alright, go now. If you raise a finger against me you're a dead man. I'm strong and I'll strangle you. |
„ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | Dr. Kemp: They'll have a guard. Griffin: A guard? What can a guard do, you fool? |
„ |
| “ | One day, I'll tell you everything. There's no time now. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin and Dr. Kemp. |
| “ | [Kemp walking toward the front door] The sitting room I said Kemp. And if you try to escape by the window, I shall follow you and no one in the world can save you. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin |
| “ | I knew you'd come for me, Flora. I wanted to come back to you. My darling... I failed. I meddled in things that man must leave alone. | „ |
| ~ Jack Griffin's last words. |
Gallery[]
Images[]
.png "Griffin (The Invisible Man).png (8.26 MB)")
Videos[]
Trivia[]
- 1. The Invisible Man was Claude Rains' debut role.
- 2. Before Claude Rains was cast, the late Colin Clive was considered for the role.
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