Spider-Man (1977 film)
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Spider-Man | |
---|---|
![]() Australian theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | E. W. Swackhamer |
Written by | Alvin Boretz |
Based on | |
Starring | Nicholas Hammond David White Michael Pataki Lisa Eilbacher |
Cinematography | Fred Jackman |
Edited by | Aaron Stell |
Music by | Johnnie Spence |
Production companies | Danchuck Productions Marvel Television |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Television |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $9 million[1] |
Spider-Man is a 1977 American made-for-television superhero film that had a theatrical release abroad, which serves as the pilot to the 1978 television series titled The Amazing Spider-Man. It was directed by E. W. Swackhamer, written by Alvin Boretz and stars Nicholas Hammond as the titular character, David White, Michael Pataki, Jeff Donnell and Thayer David.
Plot
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Peter Parker (Nicholas Hammond), a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle, is bitten by a radioactive spider and discovers he has gained superpowers, such as super-strength, agility and the ability to climb sheer walls and ceilings. When a mysterious Guru (Thayer David) places people under mind-control - including a doctor and lawyer - to rob banks and threatens to have ten New Yorkers commit suicide at his command unless the city pays him $50 million, Peter becomes the costumed hero Spider-Man to stop the crook's fiendish scheme. Things take a bad turn when the villain hypnotizes Peter Parker and his friend Judy into being some of the ten people to jump off a building on command. With some luck, Peter is able to break free and then stop the Guru in his tracks.[2]
Cast
- Nicholas Hammond – Peter Parker / Spider-Man
- David White – J. Jonah Jameson
- Michael Pataki – Captain Barbera
- Hilly Hicks – Joe "Robbie" Robertson
- Lisa Eilbacher – Judy Tyler
- Jeff Donnell – May Parker
- Robert Hastings – Monahan
- Ivor Francis – Professor Noah Tyler
- Thayer David – Edward Byron
Production
The famed sequence in which Spider-Man crawls across an office ceiling and jumps to the wall was accomplished using a complex set of rigging and cables hidden in tracks in the ceiling. Stunt grips lifted stuntman/stunt coordinator Fred Waugh to the ceiling, and he then scuttled down the hallway using a slider track while the wire pressure pulled him upwards.[3] The scene in which Spider-Man swings from building-to-building was extremely expensive and dangerous, and required two days of rigging; to avoid having to repeat this, the stunt was filmed from multiple camera angles to create extra footage which could be used in future episodes of the TV series.[3][4]
Release and reception
The film premiered on CBS on September 14, 1977. It received a 17.8 rating with a 30 share, making it the highest performing CBS production for the entire year.[3] Overseas, the film was theatrically released and distributed by Columbia Pictures.[5] It received a VHS / Laserdisc release as a straight-to-video film in 1980.[6][7][8][9]
Sequels
Spider-Man Strikes Back, a composite of the two-parter episode "Deadly Dust" of the contemporary television show The Amazing Spider-Man, screened in European theatres on 21 December 1978. After that a second sequel named Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge was also made and released in Europe and Australia.
References
- ^ Hofius, Jason (2010). Age Of TV Heroes: The Live-Action Adventures Of Your Favorite Comic Book Characters. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-1605490106.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television, 2d ed. page 41
- ^ a b c Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue! (44). TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–48.
- ^ Moore, Trent (May 24, 2017). "The original, 1977 Spider-Man movie suit is hitting the auction block". SYFY WIRE.
- ^ Rowan, Terry. Character-Based Film Series Part 3. Lulu.com. p. 177. ISBN 9781365021312 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Awfully Good: The Amazing Spider-Man (1977)". www.joblo.com. April 30, 2014.
- ^ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (August 24, 2017). "With Great Power Comes Great Boredom — Spider-Man (1977) and Dr. Strange (1978)". Tor.com.
- ^ "The 6 Weirdest Versions of SPIDER-MAN We've Ever Seen on Screen". Nerdist.
- ^ "Every Spider-Man Movie Ever, Ranked". CBR. July 16, 2017. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19.
External links
- 1977 films
- 1977 television films
- 1970s action films
- American television films
- American films
- English-language films
- Spider-Man films
- Films set in New York City
- Films shot in Los Angeles
- Television films as pilots
- 1970s superhero films
- American direct-to-video films
- Sony Pictures direct-to-video films
- Columbia Pictures films
- The Amazing Spider-Man (1977 TV and film series)