The Spider's Web

USA 1938
produced by
Jack Fier, Irving Briskin (executive) for Columbia
directed by James W. Horne, Ray Taylor
starring Warren Hull, Iris Meredith, Richard Fiske, Kenne Duncan, Forbes Murray, Donald Douglas, Marc Lawrence, Charles C. Wilson, John Tyrrell, Eugene Anderson jr, Ann Doran, Paul Whitney, Beatrice Curtis, Gordon Hart, Byron Foulger
screenplay by Robert E. Kent, George H. Plympton, Basil Dickey, Mart Ramson, based on The Spider-magazines, created by Harry Steeger, written by Norvell Page, published by Popular Publications, music by Sidney Cutner

serial
Spider

review by
Mike Haberfelner

The evil hooded villain Octopus wants to cripple all transportation in town to get control of the city himself - and he does so by sabotaging pretty much all modes of transportation, from trains to busses to airplanes, and by taking out selected transportation entrepreneurs. One such transportation entrepreneur is Richard Wentworth (Warren Hull), who just couldn't care less about the Spider's threats because he's to marry his sweetheart Nita (Iris Meredith) in a few days and couldn't care less about the threats of a maybe-terrorist - but then his airplane is lured into a deathtrap and it's only to his expertise as a pilot that he manages to pull it up at the last moment and parachute out of certain death. However, the whole incident has given him a clue on the Octopus and his gang - bad news for the Octopus, because Wentworth is secretly the masked crimefighter/vigilante the Spider, a man feared by police and hoodlums alike.

From here on, Wentworth tries to collect clues leading to the spider, also under the guise of safecracker Blinky McQuade, who at times also joins the Octopus's gang. But mostly, the Octopus and his men try to lure Wentworth and/or the Spider into death traps which he only narrowly escapes, time and again kidnap Nita, Wentworth's helpers Ram Singh (Kenne Duncan) and Jackson (Richard Fiske), and even Wentworth's closest ally, police commissioner Kirk (Forbes Murray) - who nevertheless is one of the Spider's fiercest adversaries.

However, numerous fist- and gunfights, chases by train, plane (also including a death ray used to shoot airplanes out of the air) and automobile, and after local businessmen have been dropping like flies (especially after Wentworth has suspected them of being the Octopus), Wentworth/the Spider gets his final clue to the Octopus, a well-respected local businessman no less, and has to shoot him in self defense. And Nita and Wentworth get to marry after all - well, maybe ...

The Spider's Web is one of the serials that really lives up to its promise: It's incredibly well-paced, with hardly a dull moment, features a comicbook-bizarre hero and villain, an easy-to-follow yet not moronic plot, pulp situations and plottwists aplenty, and almost non-stop action. Considered by many one of the best sound serials (and not for its camp but its straight-forward entertainment factor), and I can't but agree.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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