The Spider Returns

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The Spider Returns
Directed by	James W. Horne
Produced by	Larry Darmour
Written by	Morgan Cox Lawrence Taylor John Cutting Harry L. Fraser Jesse Duffy George H. Plympton Norvell Page (pulp)
Starring	Warren Hull Mary Ainslee Dave O'Brien Joseph W. Girard Kenne Duncan Corbet Harris
Music by	Lee Zahler
Cinematography	James S. Brown Jr.
Editing by	Dwight Caldwell Earl Turner
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	9 May 1941
Running time	15 chapters
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	The Spider's Web (1939)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

The Spider Returns (1941) is a Columbia movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. It was the fourteenth of the fifty-seven serials released by Columbia and a sequel to their earlier 1938 serial The Spider's Web. First episode is 32 minutes. The rest about 20 minutes.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Chapter titles 4 Stunts 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

Amateur criminologist, Richard Wentworth, better known as the masked vigilante The Spider, is opposed by the similarly masked saboteur, The Gargoyle (a character in robes which would not look out of place on Ming the Merciless). Wentworth comes out of retirement to help friend Commissioner Kirk (Kirkpatrick in the pulps) fight a new crime lord who backed by millions from an unknown (foreign) power threatens America with acts of sabotage and murder in an effort to wreck National Defence. While some claim this second serial as not as good as the first, it is and is packed with action, with The Spider often taking on half a dozen henchmen at a time, though he doesn't always come off best. It continues on in typical serial formula of fist and gun fights, buildings getting blown up and car chases, not forgetting secret weapons, death traps and hair-breadth escapes as The Gargoyle tries to get hold of some secret plans for Van Sloan's new airplane motor, a bomb sight, etc. The difference with this and other serials is that The Spider is also sought by the police with the same vigour that he is sought by criminals. The one real difference between this and the first serial is that the police know Wentworth is Blinky McQuade and work with him a number of times.

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

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[edit] Cast

• Warren Hull as The Spider, his secret identity Richard Wentworth and also undercover as Blinky McQuade
• Mary Ainslee as Nita Van Sloan, Richard Wentworth's fiancé
• Dave O'Brien as Jackson, Richard Wentworth's driver
• Joseph W. Girard as Police Commissioner Kirk
• Kenne Duncan as Ram Singh, Sikh warrior and Richard Wentworth's bodyguard. In credits, listed as Kenneth Duncan.
• Corbet Harris as McLeod
• Bryant Washburn as Westfall
• Charles F. Miller as Mr Van Sloan
• Anthony Warde as Trigger, one of the Gargoyle's henchmen
• Harry Harvey as Stephen

Most of the actors were changed for the second serial.

[edit] Chapter titles

1. The Stolen Plans
2. The Fatal Time-Bomb
3. The Secret Meeting
4. The Smoke Dream
5. The Gargoyle's Trail
6. The X-Ray Eye
7. The Radio Boomerang
8. The Mysterious Message
9. The Cup of Doom
10. The X-Ray Belt
11. Lips Sealed by Murder
12. A Money Bomb
13. Almost a Confession
14. Suspicious Telegram
15. The Payoff

[edit] Stunts

• Chuck Hamilton
• George Magrill
• Ken Terrell
• Dale Van Sickel

[edit] See also

• List of film serials by year
• List of film serials by studio

[edit] References

• The Spider Returns at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links

• The Spider Returns at the Internet Movie Database
• The Spider Returns at Todd Gault's Movie Serial Experience

Preceded by White Eagle (1941)

Columbia Serial The Spider Returns(1941)

Succeeded by The Iron Claw (1941)

v • d • e Columbia serials Pre-war Serials (1937-1942) Jungle Menace • The Mysterious Pilot • The Secret of Treasure Island • The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok • The Spider's Web • Flying G-Men • Mandrake the Magician • Overland with Kit Carson • The Shadow • Terry and the Pirates • Deadwood Dick • The Green Archer • White Eagle • The Spider Returns • The Iron Claw • Holt of the Secret Service War-time Serials (1942-1945) Captain Midnight • Perils of the Royal Mounted • The Secret Code • The Valley of Vanishing Men • Batman • The Phantom • The Desert Hawk • Black Arrow • Brenda Starr, Reporter • The Monster and the Ape Post-war Serials (1945-1956) Jungle Raiders • Who's Guilty? • Hop Harrigan • Chick Carter, Detective • Son of the Guardsman • Jack Armstrong • The Vigilante • The Sea Hound • Brick Bradford • Tex Granger • Superman • Congo Bill • Bruce Gentry • Batman and Robin • Adventures of Sir Galahad • Cody of the Pony Express • Atom Man vs. Superman • Pirates of the High Seas • Roar of the Iron Horse • Mysterious Island • Captain Video • King of the Congo • Blackhawk • Son of Geronimo • The Lost Planet • The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd • Gunfighters of the Northwest • Riding with Buffalo Bill • The Adventures of Captain Africa • Perils of the Wilderness • Blazing the Overland Trail Actors and Actresses Kirk Alyn • Judd Holdren • Warren Hull • Victor Jory • Clayton Moore • Noel Neill • Tom Tyler Production Crew Spencer Gordon Bennet • Elmer Clifton • B. Reeves Eason • James W. Horne • Sam Katzman • George H. Plympton • Joseph F. Poland • Ray Taylor • Mack V. Wright See also Film serials • List of film serials • List of film serials by studio

v • d • e American films of the 1940s 1940 •1941 •1942 •1943 •1944 •1945 •1946 •1947 •1948 •1949