The Spider's Web
Encyclopedia
The Spider's Web 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.
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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Source:
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.
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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Source:
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.
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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Source:
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
based on the pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
character The Spider
The Spider
The Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
. The 15-chapter adventure (first episode was double length) was directed by serial and western specialist Ray Taylor
Ray Taylor (director)
Ray Taylor was a prolific American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.-Selected filmography:...
and comedy and serial veteran James W. Horne
James W. Horne
James Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
. 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.
Plot
"The Octopus," a masked crime lord, 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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Cast
- Warren HullWarren HullJohn Warren Hull was an actor and TV personality, active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in the action-adventure field....
as The SpiderThe SpiderThe Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
, secret identity of Richard Wentworth, along with Blinky McQuade - Iris MeredithIris MeredithIris Meredith was a B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s film era. She starred mostly in heroine roles, in westerns....
as Nita Van Sloan, Richard Wentworth's fiancée - Richard FiskeRichard FiskeRichard Fiske was an American film actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1938 and 1942.-Career:Born Thomas Richard Potts, Fiske was born to Frank and Bernice Potts...
as Jackson, Ruchard Wentworth's driver - Kenne DuncanKenne DuncanKenne Duncan , born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan, was a well-known B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but he also did occasional forays into horror, crime drama, and science fiction...
as Ram Singh, Richard Wentworth's SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
bodyguard - Forbes Murray as Police CommissionerPolice commissionerCommissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
Stanley Kirk - Don DouglasDon DouglasDon Douglas was a film actor, born Donald Douglas on 24 August 1905 in Kinleyside, Scotland, UK.He appeared in over 100 films from the late 1920s to the 1940s including The Great Gabbo , Life Begins , Men in White , Madame X , Cheers for Miss Bishop , Now, Voyager , Little Tokyo, U.S.A. , Tall in...
as Jenkins, Richard Wentworth's butlerButlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its... - Marc LawrenceMarc LawrenceMarc Lawrence was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C...
as Steve Harmon - Charles C. Wilson as Chase
- John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (actor)John Tyrrell was an American film actor. He appeared in over 250 films between 1935 and 1947.-Career:Tyrrell is best known for his prolific work with Columbia Pictures in the Three Stooges short subjects. Like many actors in the Stooge comedies, Tyrrell was a salaried contract player...
as Grafton, one of The Octopus' henchmen - Eugene Anderson Jr. as Johnnie Sands
- Ann DoranAnn DoranAnn Lee Doran was an American character actress.-Early life and career:Born in Amarillo, Texas, Doran began acting at the age of four. She appeared in hundreds of silent films under assumed names to keep her father's family from finding out about her work...
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
Production
The Spider's Web was the first serial to be adapted from a pulp magazine. The original pulp magazine stories were too violent for the motion picture production code but The Spider's Web "did manage to suggest [their] frantic pace." Some changes were made beyond toning down the violence. The Spider costume was too flamboyant and did not match either the description or illustrations from the pulp magazine. Commissioner Kirkpatrick was slightly changed to Commissioner Kirk "for no good reason" The serial release coincided with Superman (comics) and Green Hornet (radio) going nationwide.Stunts
- Dave O'BrienDave O'Brien (actor)Dave O'Brien was an American film actor, director and writer. Born David Poole Fronabarger in Big Spring, Texas, O'Brien started his film career in bit parts before gradually winning larger roles, mostly in B pictures....
- George DeNormand
- Bud GearyBud GearyBud Geary , was an American film actor. He appeared in 258 films between years 1920 and 1946.He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and died in Hollywood, California, aged 48.-Selected filmography:* Robin Hood...
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
- Francis Walker
- Duke YorkDuke YorkDuke York was an American film actor. Born in Danby, New York, York was born Charles Everest Sinsabaugh...
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 Manhunt
- The Double Cross
- The Octopus Unmasked
Source:
See also
- The Spider ReturnsThe Spider ReturnsThe Spider Returns is a Columbia movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. It was the fourteenth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and a sequel to its 1938 serial The Spider's Web. The first episode runs 32 minutes; the rest are about 17 minutes each.-Plot:Amateur...
(19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - List of film serials by year
- List of film serials by studio
External links
The Spider's Web (1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
) is a Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
based on the pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
character The Spider
The Spider
The Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
. The 15-chapter adventure (first episode was double length) was directed by serial and western specialist Ray Taylor
Ray Taylor (director)
Ray Taylor was a prolific American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.-Selected filmography:...
and comedy and serial veteran James W. Horne
James W. Horne
James Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
. 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.
Plot
"The Octopus," a masked crime lord, 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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Cast
- Warren HullWarren HullJohn Warren Hull was an actor and TV personality, active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in the action-adventure field....
as The SpiderThe SpiderThe Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
, secret identity of Richard Wentworth, along with Blinky McQuade - Iris MeredithIris MeredithIris Meredith was a B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s film era. She starred mostly in heroine roles, in westerns....
as Nita Van Sloan, Richard Wentworth's fiancée - Richard FiskeRichard FiskeRichard Fiske was an American film actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1938 and 1942.-Career:Born Thomas Richard Potts, Fiske was born to Frank and Bernice Potts...
as Jackson, Ruchard Wentworth's driver - Kenne DuncanKenne DuncanKenne Duncan , born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan, was a well-known B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but he also did occasional forays into horror, crime drama, and science fiction...
as Ram Singh, Richard Wentworth's SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
bodyguard - Forbes Murray as Police CommissionerPolice commissionerCommissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
Stanley Kirk - Don DouglasDon DouglasDon Douglas was a film actor, born Donald Douglas on 24 August 1905 in Kinleyside, Scotland, UK.He appeared in over 100 films from the late 1920s to the 1940s including The Great Gabbo , Life Begins , Men in White , Madame X , Cheers for Miss Bishop , Now, Voyager , Little Tokyo, U.S.A. , Tall in...
as Jenkins, Richard Wentworth's butlerButlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its... - Marc LawrenceMarc LawrenceMarc Lawrence was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C...
as Steve Harmon - Charles C. Wilson as Chase
- John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (actor)John Tyrrell was an American film actor. He appeared in over 250 films between 1935 and 1947.-Career:Tyrrell is best known for his prolific work with Columbia Pictures in the Three Stooges short subjects. Like many actors in the Stooge comedies, Tyrrell was a salaried contract player...
as Grafton, one of The Octopus' henchmen - Eugene Anderson Jr. as Johnnie Sands
- Ann DoranAnn DoranAnn Lee Doran was an American character actress.-Early life and career:Born in Amarillo, Texas, Doran began acting at the age of four. She appeared in hundreds of silent films under assumed names to keep her father's family from finding out about her work...
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
Production
The Spider's Web was the first serial to be adapted from a pulp magazine. The original pulp magazine stories were too violent for the motion picture production code but The Spider's Web "did manage to suggest [their] frantic pace." Some changes were made beyond toning down the violence. The Spider costume was too flamboyant and did not match either the description or illustrations from the pulp magazine. Commissioner Kirkpatrick was slightly changed to Commissioner Kirk "for no good reason" The serial release coincided with Superman (comics) and Green Hornet (radio) going nationwide.Stunts
- Dave O'BrienDave O'Brien (actor)Dave O'Brien was an American film actor, director and writer. Born David Poole Fronabarger in Big Spring, Texas, O'Brien started his film career in bit parts before gradually winning larger roles, mostly in B pictures....
- George DeNormand
- Bud GearyBud GearyBud Geary , was an American film actor. He appeared in 258 films between years 1920 and 1946.He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and died in Hollywood, California, aged 48.-Selected filmography:* Robin Hood...
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
- Francis Walker
- Duke YorkDuke YorkDuke York was an American film actor. Born in Danby, New York, York was born Charles Everest Sinsabaugh...
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 Manhunt
- The Double Cross
- The Octopus Unmasked
Source:
See also
- The Spider ReturnsThe Spider ReturnsThe Spider Returns is a Columbia movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. It was the fourteenth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and a sequel to its 1938 serial The Spider's Web. The first episode runs 32 minutes; the rest are about 17 minutes each.-Plot:Amateur...
(19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - List of film serials by year
- List of film serials by studio
External links
The Spider's Web (1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
) is a Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
movie serial
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
based on the pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
character The Spider
The Spider
The Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
. The 15-chapter adventure (first episode was double length) was directed by serial and western specialist Ray Taylor
Ray Taylor (director)
Ray Taylor was a prolific American film director. He directed 159 films between 1926 and 1949. His debut was the 1926 film serial Fighting with Buffalo Bill.-Selected filmography:...
and comedy and serial veteran James W. Horne
James W. Horne
James Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
. 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.
Plot
"The Octopus," a masked crime lord, 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 web-like markings on it which resemble 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.
Cast
- Warren HullWarren HullJohn Warren Hull was an actor and TV personality, active from the 1930s through the 1960s. He was one of the most popular serial actors in the action-adventure field....
as The SpiderThe SpiderThe Spider was one of the major pulp magazine heroes of the 1930s and 1940s.- Background :The Spider was created by Harry Steeger at Popular Publications in 1933 as competition to Street and Smith Publications' vigilante hero, The Shadow...
, secret identity of Richard Wentworth, along with Blinky McQuade - Iris MeredithIris MeredithIris Meredith was a B-movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s film era. She starred mostly in heroine roles, in westerns....
as Nita Van Sloan, Richard Wentworth's fiancée - Richard FiskeRichard FiskeRichard Fiske was an American film actor. He appeared in over 80 films between 1938 and 1942.-Career:Born Thomas Richard Potts, Fiske was born to Frank and Bernice Potts...
as Jackson, Ruchard Wentworth's driver - Kenne DuncanKenne DuncanKenne Duncan , born Kenneth Duncan MacLachlan, was a well-known B-movie character actor. Hyped professionally as "The Meanest Man in the Movies," the vast majority of his over 250 appearances on camera were Westerns, but he also did occasional forays into horror, crime drama, and science fiction...
as Ram Singh, Richard Wentworth's SikhSikhA Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
bodyguard - Forbes Murray as Police CommissionerPolice commissionerCommissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
Stanley Kirk - Don DouglasDon DouglasDon Douglas was a film actor, born Donald Douglas on 24 August 1905 in Kinleyside, Scotland, UK.He appeared in over 100 films from the late 1920s to the 1940s including The Great Gabbo , Life Begins , Men in White , Madame X , Cheers for Miss Bishop , Now, Voyager , Little Tokyo, U.S.A. , Tall in...
as Jenkins, Richard Wentworth's butlerButlerA butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its... - Marc LawrenceMarc LawrenceMarc Lawrence was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C...
as Steve Harmon - Charles C. Wilson as Chase
- John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (actor)John Tyrrell was an American film actor. He appeared in over 250 films between 1935 and 1947.-Career:Tyrrell is best known for his prolific work with Columbia Pictures in the Three Stooges short subjects. Like many actors in the Stooge comedies, Tyrrell was a salaried contract player...
as Grafton, one of The Octopus' henchmen - Eugene Anderson Jr. as Johnnie Sands
- Ann DoranAnn DoranAnn Lee Doran was an American character actress.-Early life and career:Born in Amarillo, Texas, Doran began acting at the age of four. She appeared in hundreds of silent films under assumed names to keep her father's family from finding out about her work...
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
Production
The Spider's Web was the first serial to be adapted from a pulp magazine. The original pulp magazine stories were too violent for the motion picture production code but The Spider's Web "did manage to suggest [their] frantic pace." Some changes were made beyond toning down the violence. The Spider costume was too flamboyant and did not match either the description or illustrations from the pulp magazine. Commissioner Kirkpatrick was slightly changed to Commissioner Kirk "for no good reason" The serial release coincided with Superman (comics) and Green Hornet (radio) going nationwide.Stunts
- Dave O'BrienDave O'Brien (actor)Dave O'Brien was an American film actor, director and writer. Born David Poole Fronabarger in Big Spring, Texas, O'Brien started his film career in bit parts before gradually winning larger roles, mostly in B pictures....
- George DeNormand
- Bud GearyBud GearyBud Geary , was an American film actor. He appeared in 258 films between years 1920 and 1946.He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and died in Hollywood, California, aged 48.-Selected filmography:* Robin Hood...
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
- Francis Walker
- Duke YorkDuke YorkDuke York was an American film actor. Born in Danby, New York, York was born Charles Everest Sinsabaugh...
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 Manhunt
- The Double Cross
- The Octopus Unmasked
Source:
See also
- The Spider ReturnsThe Spider ReturnsThe Spider Returns is a Columbia movie serial based on the pulp magazine character The Spider. It was the fourteenth of the 57 serials released by Columbia and a sequel to its 1938 serial The Spider's Web. The first episode runs 32 minutes; the rest are about 17 minutes each.-Plot:Amateur...
(19411941 in filmThe year 1941 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Citizen Kane, consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, was released in 1941.-Top grossing films :-Academy Awards:...
) - List of film serials by year
- List of film serials by studio