The Spider's Web (1938)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Directors:

James W. Horne
Ray Taylor

Writers:

Robert E. Kent (screenplay) &
George H. Plympton (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 OKTÓBER 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Action | Drama

Tagline:

The fearsome figure of "The Spider" magazine loom on the screen!...Gangdomshudders! Adventure fans cheer the mightiest of all Chapter Plays!

Plot:

A crime fighter known as The Spider battles a villain called The Octopus, who is out to sabotage America and install his own government. |

Plot Keywords:

Serial | Secret Identity | Superhero | Based On Pulp Magazine | Character Name In Title

Cast

Warren Hull	...	Richard Wentworth / The Spider / Blinky McQuade
Iris Meredith	...	Nita Van Sloan
Richard Fiske	...	Jackson
Kenne Duncan	...	Ram Singh (as Kenneth Duncan)
Forbes Murray	...	Police Commissioner Stanley Kirk
Donald Douglas	...	Jenkins (the butler)
Marc Lawrence	...	Steve Harmon
Charles C. Wilson	...	Chase (as Charles Wilson)
John Tyrrell	...	Henchman Grafton
Eugene Anderson Jr.	...	Johnnie Sands (as Gene Anderson, Jr.)
Ann Doran	...	Mason's secretary
Paul Whitney	...	Gray (banker)
Beatrice Curtis	...	Kate Sands
Gordon Hart	...	J. Mason
Byron Foulger	...	Allen Roberts

Also Known As:

The Spider: Master of Men

Runtime:

(15 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The Spider faces a foe called the Octopus. Both spiders and octopuses have eight limbs.

Movie Connections:

Followed by The Spider Returns (1941)

The Spider's Web, is one of the best serials ever made.

To truly understand and appreciate this serial, you'll have to be familiar w/ the Spider's pulp history. Action is plentiful, from intense shootouts, to realistic fistfights, to dramatic car chases, this serial has it all. The storyline/plot was brilliantly written and easy to follow. Warren Hull portrays the Spider as if he was in the pulp magazines. He was fearless, as both Richard Wentworth and the Spider, when confronting the enemy, especially during shootouts, where he would stand wide open as an easy target and using his double colt automatics. That I found true to the character, for he was not a stable man. This serial is on par w/ Quentin Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" and most of John Woo's movies. There are scenes, where it seems that there is a rope waiting for the Spider to climb on or swing on from every building, that is not a coincidence, for in the pulp magazines, the Spider does carry a (thin) rope w/ him for those purposes. My only disappointment, is w/ Columbia Pictures low quality visuals, and brutal editing jobs. (i.e. The Spider cold-bloodedly gunned down two men, as they were waking up from a beating-Chapter 5. The Spider's Hindu Mercenary friend, throwing a knife at an intruder-Chapter 14). You will see the intent of the actions, but not the following, only the end result is shown. Just use your imagination for those scenes, otherwise, this is a great serial. The Spider's webbed mask and cape, was the inspiration for the creation of the Amazing Spiderman, by comic books Great, Stan Lee. For more info on the Spider, I recommend Tim Truman's graphic adaption, "The Spider: Master of Men" Chapters 1-6, from Eclipse Books(1991-1992).