The Spider's Web
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| The Spider's Web | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James W. Horne Ray Taylor |
| Produced by | Irving Briskin Jack Fier |
| Written by | Robert E. Kent George H. Plympton Basil Dickey Mart Ramson Norvell Page (pulp) |
| Starring | Warren Hull Iris Meredith Richard Fiske Kenne Duncan Forbes Murray Don Douglas Marc Lawrence |
| Music by | Mischa Bakaleinikoff Sidney Cutner |
| Cinematography | Allen G. Siegler |
| Editing by | Richard Fantl |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) |  10 October 1938 9 March 1939 |
| Running time | 15 chapters |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | The Spider Returns (1941) |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Spider's Web (1938) is a Columbia Pictures movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. The 15-chapter adventure (first episode was double length) was directed by serial and western specialist Ray Taylor and comedy and serial veteran James W. Horne. It was the fifth of the 57 serials released by Columbia.
The film was wildly successful when first released; it was the most popular serial of 1938, according to a tally published in The Motion Picture Herald, and was the first serial that Columbia brought back as a reprint (in 1947). A sequel, The Spider Returns, was released in 1941; of the Spider's Web principals, only Warren Hull and Kenne Duncan returned in their original roles.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
"The Octopus," a masked crimelord, is bent on crippling the nation with a wave of terror. He starts with the transportation system and then moves onto industry. He demands tribute from railroad magnates and other captains of industry. Richard Wentworth (Warren Hull), an amateur criminologist who is friendly with the police, is secretly "The Spider," a masked vigilante equally determined to wipe the Octopus and his gang off the face of the earth. Pleasant and smiling in civilian life, Wentworth is often ruthless as the Spider, slinging two guns against the public enemies who attack him.
Wentworth also masquerades as affable underworld lowlife Blinky McQuade. Disguised as McQuade, Wentworth can infiltrate gangland at the hired-gun level and keep current on the gang's plans.
The only people who know Wentworth's other identities are his assistants Jackson (Richard Fiske) and Ram Singh (Kenne Duncan), his butler Jenkins (Don Douglas), and his fiancée Nita (Iris Meredith).
The Octopus was a villain in a single issue pulp believed to have been written by Norvell Page who wrote most of The Spider pulp stories. He is garbed completely in white and is only ever seen sitting in a chair. Unlike the pulps, The Spider is garbed in a lightweight full length costume with markings on which resembles Spiderman's costume. The serial follows the standard formula of fights, shoot-outs, Wentworth's friends being kidnapped at various times and having to be rescued. Each chapter ends with The Spider or his friends in deep trouble, often about to be killed, but the effect is spoiled by a trailer for the next episode which shows them in full health and fighting the villains. The HQ of The Octopus is found by The Spider in the last episode. He has unwittingly given himself away to Wentworth and realises that only Wentworth could know, so of course he must die.
The Spider uses his line (his web) a number of times to get out of trouble. Commissioner Kirk (changed from Kirkpatrick in the pulps) suspects that Wentworth is The Spider in one episode. The Octopus's gang wore robes too (this being because they were a cheap disguise). He ruthlessly executed all who failed him and in case of trouble, used a false arm, so concealing a gun hidden by his robes, held by his real arm.
[edit] Cast
- Warren Hull as The Spider, his secret identity Richard Wentworth and also as Blinky McQuade
- Iris Meredith as Nita Van Sloan, Richard Wentworth's fiancée
- Richard Fiske as Jackson, Ruchard Wentworth's driver
- Kenne Duncan as Ram Singh, Richard Wentworth's bodyguard
- Forbes Murray as Police Commissioner Stanley Kirk
- Don Douglas as Jenkins, Richard Wentworth's butler
- Marc Lawrence as Steve Harmon
- Charles C. Wilson as Chase
- John Tyrrell as Grafton, one of The Octopus' henchmen
- Eugene Anderson Jr. as Johnnie Sands
- Ann Doran as Mason's secretary
- Paul Whitney as Gray, a banker
- Beatrice Curtis as Kate Sands
- Gordon Hart as J. Mason
- Byron Foulger as Allen Roberts
[edit] Chapter titles
- Night of Terror
- Death Below
- High Voltage
- Surrender or Die
- Shoot to Kill
- Sealed Lips
- Shadows of the Night
- While the City Sleeps
- Doomed!
- Flaming Danger
- The Road To Peril
- The Spider Falls
- The Man Hunt
- The Double-Cross
- The Octopus Unmasked!
[edit] Stunts
- Dave O'Brien
- George DeNormand
- Bud Geary
- Tom Steele
- Francis Walker
- Duke York
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Spider's Web at the Internet Movie Database
- The Spider's Web at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience
| Preceded by The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (1938) |
Columbia Serial The Spider's Web (1938) |
Succeeded by Flying G-Men (1939) |
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