Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie takes place at Medfield College, a fictional academic institution facing significant financial hardship. The campus serves as the central hub for Dexter's scientific experiments and the broader conflict over the school's future. A key plot element involves the college's mortgage being held by a businessman who wants to transform the campus into a gambling destination.

• medfield college campus setting location fictional college

The story is set in the early 1970s, reflecting the era of classic campus life and amateur science experimentation. Technology depicted is accessible and improvised, with students conducting experiments in college laboratories. The time period contributes to the film's lighthearted tone and the straightforward nature of the scientific devices used.

• 1970s time period era early 1970s college setting

The movie explores several interconnected themes. Science & Invention centers on the excitement and consequences of discovery, as Dexter's invisibility formula demonstrates both promise and limitations. Greed & Power highlights the danger of exploitation, with a villain trying to convert the college into a gambling operation. Friendship & Teamwork shows three students collaborating to overcome obstacles, while Education & Opportunity emphasizes how student innovation can save an institution's future.

• themes science invention greed power friendship teamwork education opportunity

A.J. Arno is the film's primary antagonist, a recently released criminal who owns the mortgage on Medfield College. His motivation is to transform the academic institution into a gambling town for financial gain, effectively erasing the college's educational identity. He employs manipulative tactics, including sending his chauffeur Cookie to spy on the students and attempt to steal the invisibility formula for criminal purposes.

• aj arno antagonist villain villain motivation greedy businessman criminal

Dexter Riley is the curious science student at Medfield College who creates the invisibility formula that drives the plot. As a science enthusiast, he loves testing new ideas and conducts experiments in the campus laboratory. His invention becomes both a source of excitement and trouble, and he relies on his friends to help navigate the consequences of his discovery and to stop the villain's scheme.

• dexter riley main character protagonist science student inventor invisibility formula

The Forsythe science contest is a campus competition sponsored by Timothy Forsythe that serves as Medfield College's best hope for salvation. The contest awards prize money that could save the financially struggling school from closure or conversion into a gambling operation. The competition emphasizes scientific merit and student innovation, with the story framing education as a pathway to opportunity.

• forsythe science contest competition prize money medfield college funding

Medfield College faces severe financial fragility, with the school at risk of losing its campus. The mortgageholder, A.J. Arno, is attempting to foreclose on the property with plans to convert the academic institution into a gambling town. The students' only hope lies in winning the Forsythe science contest to secure funding and preserve the college's educational mission.

• medfield college financial trouble mortgage foreclosure gambling town danger

Debbie Dawson and Richard Schuyler are Dexter's closest allies in the story. Richard is a pragmatic friend who helps test the invisibility formula and acts decisively when danger arises, including alerting authorities to the villain's plans. Debbie contributes practical ideas and provides support during tense moments, with both characters demonstrating that teamwork and trust can overcome obstacles that individual effort cannot.

• debbie dawson richard schuyler supporting characters friends teammates

Dexter Riley's invisibility formula temporarily makes objects and people invisible, discovered during a lab accident. However, the formula has important limitations: the effect is temporary and can be reversed by water. These constraints become central to the plot as characters must manage the formula's effects while racing to prevent it from falling into criminal hands.

• invisibility formula how it works temporary water limitation invention

This is a Science Fiction Fantasy Comedy designed for family audiences. The film features a whimsical, light tone driven by the comedic premise of an invisibility spray and various slapstick mishaps. The pacing is fast, with rapid events from the lab accident to an invisible car chase. Overall, the movie offers gentle, harmless fun with minimal genuine threat or emotional strain, emphasizing financial and comedic stakes instead.

• comedy tone family movie slapstick whismsical light tone genre