The Invisible Woman (1940)

The Invisible Woman (1940)

[6] Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, and John Howard star in this second, decidedly more comic installment of what would become Universal's Invisible Man franchise. Howard plays a rich playboy looking to settle down with the right woman, while Barrymore plays the inventor…
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

[6] You only get to see his face in the film's final moments, but Vincent Price otherwise stars as this sequel's titular character. The film has loose narrative ties to James Whale's 1933 classic, and is as much a remake as a…
Turnabout (1940)

Turnabout (1940)

[6] Carole Landis and John Hubbard star as a bickering husband and wife who each believes the other has the easier life. They wish upon a statue of Buddha to trade places, and lo and behold, their wish comes true. Husband then…
The Ghost Comes Home (1940)

The Ghost Comes Home (1940)

[4] Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz) stars in this goofy comedy about a pet shop owner who gets mistaken for dead. His family cashes in his insurance policy, so when he surprises them all by being alive, they work with a…
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

The Shop Around the Corner (1940)

[8] James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan star in this fluffy romantic comedy from director Ernst Lubitsch. Stewart and Sullavan play clerks at a Hungarian general store during Christmastime. Both are courting anonymous, romantic pen pals, with no idea that the love of…
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

The Thief of Bagdad (1940)

[7] In this potpourri of Middle-Eastern folklore, a banished king (John Justin) and a street boy (Sabu) team up to stop an evil magician (Conrad Veidt) from marrying a beautiful princess (June Duprez). The Thief of Bagdad tries to combine everything you…
Too Many Husbands (1940)

Too Many Husbands (1940)

[5] Jean Arthur finds herself with two husbands after her first, presumed dead at sea, turns out to be very much alive. The genders are reversed, but the story is very similar to My Favorite Wife, a better film released the same…
Little Men (1940)

Little Men (1940)

[6] This particular adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's book ends on a morally ambiguous note (I don't think children should ever be lied to), but the film is otherwise passable family entertainment. Jimmy Lydon does a decent job as Dan, the angry…
Strange Cargo (1940)

Strange Cargo (1940)

[3] Clark Gable escapes the Devil's Island penal colony and takes floozie Joan Crawford along for the ride. Along with a handful of other fleeing criminals, they rough it through the jungle and long days at sea to reach the mainland and…
The Sea Hawk (1940)

The Sea Hawk (1940)

[7] In this romantic, seafaring adventure from director Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), Errol Flynn swashbuckles as a pirate hired by Queen Elizabeth I to thwart the Spanish armada. The Sea Hawk rises above Saturday matinee standards by integrating a healthy dose of political…