by Dennis E. Power
(with much assistance from Matthew Baugh, Win Eckert and Chuck Loridans)

Part Two

JOHN (JACK)  STUART GRIFFIN 1894-1922

   John Stuart Griffin was the eldest child of John Hawley Griffin and Rebecca Grey. Like his father and mother Jack was handsome and intelligent. He had only dim shadowy memories of his father and fond memories of his mother. His family lived in genteel poverty, having a home and servants but always struggling to make ends meet. He was driven to succeed but really knew little of the Griffin legacy. His mother had managed to secure enough income for her three son's education. Her only stipulation was that they attend their father's old alma mater, University College. At University College Jack began hearing odd whispers and strange looks from the older members of the faculty about the odd subjects of Griffin the Albino and Invisibility. His mother died suddenly in 1905, leaving Jack as executor of the estate with an access to some bank accounts that not even his mother had known about, there were safety deposits containing an odd mixture of bank accounts, scientific notes and newspaper clippings.

    The newspaper clippings cleared up the mystery behind the cryptic whispering. The money was enough to continue Jack's education, keep his brothers in public school and provide them with a university education. Jack specialized in chemistry consciously following in his Father's chosen profession. He wished to prove that his Father had not been a crank as was generally believed as was believed by the general public by that time. Through his Uncle Walter Gray, who was also on the faculty of University College, Jack Griffin obtained a position immediately after graduation, working for Cranley Preservatives Inc., a firm specializing in new scientific methods of food preservation. The head of the firm and its main researcher, Dr. Cranley allowed Jack Griffin the use of the laboratory equipment for his own experiments after hours.

    Also working at Cranley Preservatives was a man who despised Jack Griffin upon hearing his name. The man was in his early fifties and had also gotten his position through his connection with University College. He had been considered a bit unreliable because he had suffered a bit of a nervous breakdown and had taken to drink, losing his medical practice. Although a dogged researcher he was known to go on a bender every now and then. His name was Kemp. Yes, it was the same Kemp once terrorized by Jack Griffin's father. Kemp attempted to talk Cranley out of hiring Jack Griffin. Cranley, believing Kemp's attempt at dissuasion to be nothing more than professional jealousy told Kemp that his position was assured.

    Another reason for Dr. Kemp's antipathy for Jack Griffin was because of the immediate rapport between Griffin and Cranley's daughter Flora. Kemp had nursed a secret affection for Flora for years but had not pursued a romance because of his past difficulties and because of the disparities in their ages. Yet he did not want anyone, especially Griffin to have the pleasure of her company. Jack and Flora's relationship developed into a true love affair with the understanding that Griffin would one day ask for her hand. This gave him additional incentive to follow up on his Father's researches.

    Among the items that Jack Griffin inherited was one of his father's three missing notebooks. The one he possessed was the middle one. A search for the other two proved again fruitless. It is a testament to Jack Griffin's genius that in five years of research he came up with a serum that while not identical to his Father's worked in much the same manner. Unlike his father he tested it first on animals and then created an antidote. With his antidote in hand, Griffin experimented upon himself. This invisibility serum took a long time to act with a month of subcutaneous injections to get the invisibility effect.

    Jack Griffin also used monocaine as the catalytic ingredient of the invisibility serum, yet his formula had a higher concentration of monocaine in its composition. His test animals showed almost immediate signs of psychosis but this was alleviated upon administration of the antidote. Griffin thought that the insanity factor was something that could be worked out after he had achieved invisibility. He also believed that a man's superior mind would be able to stave off the psychosis for a longer period than the animal mind. Griffin took a leave of absence and began the treatment with his serum.

    Having achieved total invisibility, he then tested the antidote on himself. It did not work on human physiology. Desperate Jack Griffin traveled to Iping, hoping to locate his father's missing books. He knew from newspaper clippings that John Hawley Griffin had stayed in Iping. The Coach and Horses Innwhere his father had stayed was now under new management and was now called The Lion's Head Inn. Heavily swaddled against the cold he entered the inn and took a room. Although the film, The Invisible Man, Universal 1933 is based on this portion of Jack Griffin's life, the writers of the film filled gaps of known activity with incidents borrowed from the original Invisible Man's adventure as presented by H.G. Wells. This then is why the opening sequence of the Invisible Man film seems similar to the novel. Jack Griffin took a room and stayed in it pretty much without incident nor did he run out of money as portrayed in the film.

    He was racing against an unknown deadline and failed to meet it. The original serum caused psychosis as toxins built up over a period of time. The toxin levels increased with intensified hormonal and immune system responses. However the second serum created by Jack had a higher concentration of monocaine and a greater reliance on hormonal stimuli. This caused his toxins to build up at a faster rate especially when triggered by increased adrenal activity as caused by fear and anger.

    As Jack Griffin worked desperately on a successful antidote to his invisibility and its accompanying growing madness, Flora Cranley was at her wit's end. Jack Griffin had disappeared and she was desperate to find him. She implored her father to help find him and when Dr. Kemp tried to turn her against Griffin and point her affections towards him under the pretense of comforting her, she turned him down flat. Her response was a bit hysterical but as we will see she had a good reason to be so upset.

    Dr. Kemp must have suspected that Griffin was attempting to recreate his father's research for he told Flora that Griffin was delving into things better left alone.

    Dr. Cranley, assisted by Dr. Kemp, searched through Griffin's deserted laboratory. Griffin had packed up much of his equipment and burned his non-essential papers. It was only through an exhaustive search that they discovered a list of chemicals. One of the chemicals on the list especially worried Dr. Cranley; the drug monocaine, which was derived from a flower from India. It had the ability to draw color out of anything that it touched.

    Kemp asked why this drug was especially worrisome. Cranley explained that a German experiment had injected monocaine into a dog (1) It had turned the dog marble white but it had also driven it violently mad.  Dr. Kemp revealed to Dr. Cranley that Griffin was the son of the legendary Invisible man and that he was undoubtedly following in the same steps.(2)Cranley told Kemp to keep this between themselves, invoking the name of honor between gentlemen with the unspoken threat of job termination if Kemp did not comply.

    During the two weeks that Jack Griffin spent at the Lion's Head, he paid his bill on time but his aloofness from the patrons of the Inn and his never being seen out of his bandages caused some talk. Jack Griffin had grown extremely short-tempered as his quest for an antidote seemed increasingly impossible. He had trouble concentrating as the toxins clouded his mind, as paranoia and rage overcame his rationality. The murmur of noise from the tavern room below enraged him, as it broke his concentration. He screamed curses, broke furniture and smashed glassware. Even though he paid the landlady for these outbursts they became tiresome.

       As she served his midday meal, a catalytic agent failed. He blamed her for the failed reaction, stating that a whole day's work was ruined because of her. He pushed her of the room and threw the tray full of food behind her. Screaming she ran to her husband and told her to evict Griffin. When he attempted to do so, Griffin tossed him down a flight of steps, causing him some head trauma.

    A constable was sent for. He asked for a couple of men to accompany him up to take the man into custody. Infuriated at another interruption, Griffin swore at them. He told them he would show them what they were dealing with and took off his head coverings. Revealing a headless body. Frightened the Constable and townspeople fled from the room. However the constable had some wits about him, remembering the stories of twenty years past he realized that the man was invisible and that they had to capture him before he got all his clothes off.

    The constable and several men returned to the room and struggled with the half clothed invisible man. However as stated the invisibility formula made Griffin slightly stronger than most men and with his chemically induced strength he held them off and knocked out the constable as he pulled off his clothes. He fled from the room and exacted a vengeance on Iping for having disturbed his work. He broke barware, smashed windows, pushed people down, turned over a baby carriage, stole and threw a bike at a crowd, knocked off hats and created general mayhem like this.

  Jack Griffin made his way to Dr. Kemp's home and let himself in. Dr. Kemp was listening to the radio a report about a small town nearby suffering from a delusion of having an invisible man among them. Kemp was startled but not entirely surprised when a voice spoke up calling those people fools. The voice told Kemp to build up a fire, he was chilled. Griffin told Kemp that he not to call out he was strong and could throttle him.

    As Griffin built up a fire, Griffin dressed in some of Kemp's clothing but mostly to get warm, not so much for Griffin's comfort as was depicted in the film. He probably dispensed with the head bandage, not really needing it and also because his headless body helped keep Kemp uneasy. Griffin told Kemp he had started his research five years prior.

    Kemp blurted out that he had suspected that Griffin had been continuing his father's work. Griffin demanded to know how Kemp knew about that. Realizing his possibly fatal error, Kemp admitted that he had known the elder Griffin and had been a friend of his. Griffin's attitude changed towards Kemp becoming friendlier and more confiding. He tells Kemp how the drugs had lit up his mind and showed him that with this power he could make people grovel at his feet. He informed Kemp that they would be partners and that Kemp would help him with his coming reign of terror.

    First however he had to retrieve his notebooks from the Lion's Head Inn. He had Kemp drive to the village. Griffin had planned to walk unnoticed through the noisy, crowded tavern taproom. However the Inn was quiet as a Police Inquiry was underway to determine if the stories of the Invisible Man were true or not. The head constable was under the opinion that the stories were balmy. Griffin slipped past the inquiry and up to his former room. He tossed his books and belongings down to Kemp out of his window.

    On his way out of the inn Jack Griffin could not resist a bit of malicious mischief. This resulted in him smashing in the head of the Chief Constable, killing him. Kemp nearly drove off the road when Griffin told him that he had killed a policeman.

Returning to Kemp's house, Griffin dressed and ate. He remarked that he had to hide for an hour after eating, food remained visible in his gut until it was digested. He warned Kemp not to tell anyone of his presence and retired.

    As Griffin slept the police set up a set up to seal off the countryside for twenty miles surrounding Iping. Radio broadcasts warned people to lock their doors and not venture out.

    Griffin called Cranley to tell them that Griffin was back and that he was the Invisible Man. Cranley wished Kemp to remain silent. Cranley told Kemp that he and Flora would be right over. Griffin awakened as the Cranleys arrived. Griffin accused Kemp of betrayal. Kemp bluffed by telling Griffin he had told Dr. Cranley and Flora. Flora had been frantic to find him.

    Griffin insisted upon seeing Flora alone. Despite Kemp and Dr. Cranley's wishes, she agreed. Flora was horrified by Griffin's condition and asked why he had done it. He told her he had done if for her; because being so poor he had little to offer her. She told him that he just had to find a way to get back to normal, she was with his child. (3) As if this were a signal, Griffin began raving about establishing a dynasty to rule the world. A world where everyone feared him. Even the moon feared him.

    As Griffin talked with Flora, he noticed that Police were surrounding the house. He stripped out of his clothing and made his way to Griffin's study. Kemp opened a window to call out to the police. Griffin thanked him for opening the window and vowed to kill him at 10 P.M the next night.

    Griffin managed to elude the police surrounding the house. He spent the next day stealing money from a bank and throwing it into a crowd. He killed twenty-three men in search parties looking for him and then as evening drew close he throttled a switchman at a railroad and sent a train into a wrong track, derailing it. Hundreds died in the train wreck, passengers and residents of the town below the derailment.

    The police in concert with Kemp set up an elaborate trap for Griffin. Kemp agreed albeit very reluctantly to go along with a police plan to lure Griffin to the police station. Kemp pretended to seek protection at the police station and then slipped out of the back disguised as a police officer. He would then drive away to the countryside. Griffin followed the Kemp as he was escorted to the police station, waited as Kemp changed his clothing, rode on the running board of the car that drove Kemp to his house and sat silently in Kemp's car as he escaped to the countryside.

    At the appointed hour Griffin knocked Kemp out and set his car so that it would roll down a cliff.

    In the end it was fatigue and nature that did John Griffin in. During  a snowstorm he took shelter in farmer's barn. The farmer heard his snoring but could find no one in the barn. He realized it was the Invisible Man. The police surrounded the barn. They sought to drive him out the barn by setting it afire. As Griffin's footprints appeared in the snow he was shot down.

    Griffin died in the hospital, shot through both lungs, not even the extra bit of stamina provided by the serum could save him. Flora was devastated by his death. As his heart slowed down, the serum's effectiveness also faded and he gradually regained visibility.

    Going against Dr. Cranley's wishes Kemp revealed that the Invisible Man was Griffin. Flora would be ruined by the scandal.

    Flora Cranley went away to a sanitarium to get over her grief, at least that was the official reason. She bore John Griffin's son, whom her father gave over to John Griffin's brother Francis to raise. Flora did not want to give up the child. Flora remained in a state of melancholia for years. Her father eventually took her to America where she was treated by a famous psychiatrist named Caliban. She remained in America and married a man named Forrester. Cranley Preservatives was purchased by Radcliffe Industries.
 

    Click here for a Griffin family tree graphic
 

NOTES

JOHN (JACK)  STUART GRIFFIN 1894-1922

1.This German experiment was probably conducted during the Great War as an attempt to recreate the experiments of the original Invisible Man and make an invisible army.  It is possible that one of Griffin's notebooks somehow make it into Germany. If so it would later be returned to England.

2. This was excised from the film version for legal reasons

3. Naturally this was also excised from the film for code reasons as well as legal ones.
 
 

Invisibles Timeline
1897 Invisible Man by H.G. Well (John Hawley Griffin. OIM Original Invisible Man)
1898 League of Extraordinary Men (John Hawley Griffin)
1922 Invisible Man (John (Jack) Griffin)
1929 Invisible Murderer with William Carpenter as the Invisible Man
1931 Invisible Man's Return (Frank Griffin----- with Geoffrey Radcliffe as the IM
1935 Invisible Man's Revenge  (Robert Griffin) the IM
1938 Invisible Woman (Kitty Caroll)
1942 (twenty years after Invisible Man) Invisible Agent (Frank Griffin a.k.a. Frank Raymond)
1948 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Geoffrey Radcliffe IM)
1949 Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (Tommy Nelson IM)
1966 Invisibility Affair Willard Morthley and Kerry Griffin inventors of the OTSMID (Omnidirectional Total Spectrum Molecular Interpenetration Device) which can render objects invisible
1974 Daniel Westin  becomes an Invisible Man
1998 Darien Fawkes surgically implanted with quicksilver gland to become an Invisible Man
1999 Sebastian Caine has a brief and deadly career as an Invisible Man as seen in The Hollow Man
 
 

Return to the Table of Contents