''The Spider'' is a 1945 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

directed by Robert D. Webb and starring

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

Faye Marlowe Faye Marlowe, also known as Faye Joseph and Faye Heuston (October 26, 1926 – May 5, 2022) was an American film and television actress with a career spanning a single decade, from 1945 to 1955. Early life Faye Marlowe was born in Los Angeles, ...

, and

Kurt Kreuger Kurt Kreuger (July 23, 1916 – July 12, 2006) was a Swiss-reared German actor. Kreuger once was the third-most-requested male actor at 20th Century Fox. He starred with, among others, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Life and career Kreuger w ...

Premise

A private detective is pursued by both police and a mysterious killer.

Cast

as Chris Conlon *

as Delilah 'Lila' Neilsen, alias Judith Smith *

as Ernest, alias Garonne *

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

as Burns *

Martin Kosleck Martin Kosleck (born Nicolaie Yoshkin, March 24, 1904 – January 15, 1994) was a German film actor. Like many other German actors, he fled when the Nazis came to power. Inspired by his deep hatred of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis, Kosleck made ...

as Mikail Barak *

Mantan Moreland Mantan Moreland (September 3, 1902 – September 28, 1973) was an American actor and comedian most popular in the 1930s and 1940s. He starred in numerous films. His daughter Marcella Moreland appeared as a child actress in several films. E ...

as Henry *

Walter Sande Walter Sande (July 9, 1906 – November 22, 1971) was an American character actor, known for numerous supporting film and television roles. Films Born in Denver, Colorado, he was one of those stern, heavyset character actors in Hollywood no p ...

as Det. Lt. Walter Castle *

Cara Williams Cara Williams (born Bernice Kamiat; June 29, 1925 – December 9, 2021) was an American film and television actress. She was best known for her role as Billy's Mother in ''The Defiant Ones'' (1958), for which she was nominated for the Academy A ...

as Wanda Vann, neighbor * Charles Tannen as Det. Tonti * Margaret Brayton as Jean, police records clerk *

Ann Savage Ann Savage (born Berniece Maxine Lyon, February 19, 1921 – December 25, 2008) was an American film and television actress. She is best remembered as the greedy cigarette-puffing'' femme fatale'' in the critically acclaimed film noir ''Detour ...

as Florence Cain * Harry Seymour as Ed, the Bartender *

Jean Del Val Jean Del Val (born Jean Jacques Gauthier; 17 November 1891 – 13 March 1975) was a French-born actor, also credited as Jean Gauthier and Jean Gautier. Career He played roles during the Hollywood silent era, beginning with ''The Fortunes of F ...

as Henri Dutrelle, hotel manager * Odette Vigne as Mrs. Dutrelle *

Ruth Clifford Ruth Clifford (February 17, 1900 – November 30, 1998) was an American actress of leading roles in silent films, whose career lasted from that era into the television era. Early years Clifford was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the daughter ...

As Mrs. Gillespie/Tenant *

James Flavin James William Flavin Jr. (May 14, 1906 – April 23, 1976) was an American character actor whose career lasted for nearly half a century. Early life The son of a hotel waiter of Canadian-English descent,Flavin's obituary, distributed by United ...

as Officer Johnny Tracy

Production

The film was based on a 1928 play which Fox had filmed in 1931. The project was announced in May 1945, and the original female star was meant to be

Carole Landis Carole Landis (born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste; January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948) was an American actress and singer. She worked as a contract player for Twentieth Century-Fox in the 1940s. Her breakout role was as the female lead in the 1940 ...

alongside Conte.

Critical reception

The ''Los Angeles Times'' said it "was not without fair interest". Film critic Dennis Schwartz gave the film a mixed review, writing, "Robert D. Webb directs a lackluster B-film noir from the play by Charles Fulton...''The Spider'' was a poor remake of the 1931 film of the same title. It held very little suspense, and the plot was filled with gaping holes. But Richard Conte is a fine action actor, and gives this slight film noir story a little boost just by his presence."Schwartz, Dennis
''"Ozus' World Movie Reviews"'', film review, september 29, 2002. Last access: February 12, 2010.

References

External links

* * *
''The Spider''
at Letterbox DVD
''The Spider''
at BFI 1945 films 1945 crime drama films 20th Century Fox films American black-and-white films American crime drama films Film noir Films directed by Robert D. Webb Films scored by David Buttolph Films set in Louisiana 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{1940s-crime-drama-film-stub