''The Spider's Web'' is a 1938

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

movie serial based on the popular

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their ...

character

The Spider The Spider is an American pulp-magazine hero of the 1930s and 1940s. The character was created by publisher Harry Steeger and written by a variety of authors for 118 monthly issues of '' The Spider'' from 1933 to 1943. ''The Spider'' sold well ...

. It was the fifth of the 57 serials released by Columbia.

Plot

"The Octopus," a masked crimelord, is bent on crippling America with a wave of terror. He demands tribute from railroad magnates and other captains of industry. Richard Wentworth (Warren Hull), an amateur criminologist who is friendly with the police and is secretly "The Spider," a masked vigilante, is equally determined to destroy the Octopus and his gang. Pleasant and smiling in civilian life, Wentworth is frequently ruthless as The Spider, using his two .45 semi-automatic pistols against any public enemies who attack him. The Spider uses a knotted rope to swing about his surroundings. Wentworth also masquerades as affable underworld lowlife Blinky McQuade. Disguised as McQuade, Wentworth can infiltrate gangland as a hired gun or getaway-car driver and keep current on the mob's illegal activities. The only people who know Wentworth's various identities are his assistants Jackson (Richard Fiske) and Ram Singh (Kenne Duncan), his butler Jenkins (Don Douglas), and his fiancée Nita (Iris Meredith).

Treatment

The Octopus was a pulp villain written by Norvell Page, who also wrote most of ''The Spider'' pulp novels. He is garbed completely in white and is only ever seen by his henchmen while sitting in his throne-like chair. Unlike the pulps, where The Spider is dressed in an all-black cape, mask, suit, and wide-brimmed

fedora A fedora () is a hat with a soft brim and indented crown.Kilgour, Ruth Edwards (1958). ''A Pageant of Hats Ancient and Modern''. R. M. McBride Company. It is typically creased lengthwise down the crown and "pinched" near the front on both sides ...

, in the serial he is garbed in a black suit and fedora, but with white web-like markings on his lightweight cape and full face mask. The serial follows the standard formula of fights, shoot-outs, Wentworth's friends being kidnapped at various times and needing 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 follows, showing them rescued and continuing to fight the villains. The secret headquarters of The Octopus is found by The Spider in the final chapter; he has unwittingly given himself away to Wentworth and realizing this, Wentworth must now die; but as The Spider, Wentworth is triumphant in the end, unmasking The Octopus and ending his national reign of terror. During the serial The Spider uses his web line a number of times to get out of trouble. Commissioner Kirk (changed from Kirkpatrick in the pulps) suspects that Wentworth is The Spider during one chapter. The Octopus' gang, like their boss, wear robes when they gather together in his presence. The Octopus ruthlessly executes all who failed him; in case of trouble, The Octopus always uses a false arm and hand, which allowed him to conceal a pistol in his real hand hidden beneath his robes.

Cast

* Warren Hull as

/Maj. Richard Wentworth/Blinky McQuade * Iris Meredith as Nita Van Sloan * Richard Fiske as Jackson * Kenne Duncan as Ram Singh *Forbes Murray as Commissioner Stanley Kirk * Don Douglas as Jenkins, butler *

Marc Lawrence Marc Lawrence (born Max Goldsmith; February 17, 1910 – November 28, 2005) was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Early life Lawrence w ...

as Steve Harmon, henchman * Lester Dorr as Frank Martin * Charles C. Wilson as Chase * John Tyrrell as Grafton, henchman *

Nestor Paiva Nestor Caetano Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor of Portuguese descent. He performed in over 400 motion pictures either as an extra, a bit player, or as a significant supporting ...

as Red, henchman *Eugene Anderson Jr. as Johnnie Sands *Gordon Hart as J. Mason *

Ann Doran Ann Lee Doran (July 28, 1911 – September 19, 2000) was an American character actress, possibly best known as Carol Stark, the mother of James "Jim" Stark (James Dean) in '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955). She was an early member of the Scre ...

as Mason's secretary *Paul Whitney as Gray, banker *Beatrice Curtis as Kate Sands * Victor Travers as Theater Manager *

Bess Flowers Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress best known for her work as an extra in hundreds of films. She was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in more than 350 feature films and numerous ...

as Myrtle *

Byron Foulger Byron Kay Foulger (August 27, 1898 – April 4, 1970) was an American character actor who over a 50-year career performed in hundreds of stage, film, and television productions. Early years Born in Ogden, Utah, Byron was the second of four ...

as Allen Roberts * Dick Curtis as Malloy * Ernie Adams as Merkel

Stunts

* Dave O'Brien * George DeNormand *

Bud Geary Bud Geary (born Sigsbee Maine Geary;Freese, Gene Scott (2014). Hollywood Stunt Performers, 1910s—1970s: A Biographical Dictionary'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 103. ."California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994", Famil ...

* Tom Steele *Francis Walker * Duke York

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

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

frantic pace". Some changes were made beyond toning down the violence. The Spider's costume, a hood/mask and flowing cape with a spiderweb pattern motif, was more theatrical than either the description or illustrations in the Spider's pulp magazine. Historically, The Spider's early cover appearances depict him dressed in black with a black fedora and domino mask. Beginning with the pulp's sixth issue in 1934, The Spider employed horror makeup consisting of a "fright wig", fangs, a false hooked nose, and a hunchback. Commissioner Kirkpatrick was slightly changed to Commissioner Kirk "for no good reason". The serial release coincided with

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

(comics) and Green Hornet (radio) going nationwide. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures executive Jack Fier, without screen credit. The screenplay was written by serial scenarists George H. Plympton and Basil Dickey, feature-film writer Robert E. Kent, and newspaperman Martie Ramson, whose hard-boiled short stories were syndicated in 1935 and 1936. The direction was shared by action specialist Ray Taylor and veteran serial director James W. Horne.

Reception

''The Spider's Web'' was wildly successful when first released in 1938; it was the most popular serial of that year, according to a tally published in ''The Motion Picture Herald'' and its sister publication ''The Film Daily'', and was such an exhibitor favorite that Columbia used it to launch a series of reissues in 1947. A sequel, '' The Spider Returns'', was released in 1941; of the ''Spider's Web'' principal actors, only Warren Hull and Kenne Duncan returned in their original roles for the sequel. ''The Spider'' has been noted as a influence on Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee.

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:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spider's Web (serial), The 1938 films 1938 crime films 1930s English-language films 1930s vigilante films 1930s superhero films American black-and-white films Columbia Pictures film serials Films directed by James W. Horne Films directed by Ray Taylor Films based on American novels Films based on thriller novels American superhero films American crime films Films with screenplays by George H. Plympton 1930s American films Superhero film serials Spider (pulp fiction character) English-language crime films English-language action films