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Template:Infobox movie Spider-Man is a 1977 American live-action 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[]
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 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 into being one of the ten people to jump off a building on command.[1]
Cast[]
- Nicholas Hammond – Spider-Man/Peter Parker
- David White – J. Jonah Jameson
- Michael Pataki – Captain Barbera
- Hilly Hicks – Joe "Robbie" Robertson
- Lisa Eilbacher – Judy Tyler
- Jeff Donnell – Aunt 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.[2] 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.[2]
Release[]
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.[2] Overseas, the film was theatrically released. It received a VHS release in 1980.
Sequel[]
Spider-Man Strikes Back, a composite of the two-parter episode "Deadly Dust" of the conteporary television show The Amazing Spider-Man, screened in European theatres on 21 December 1978.
References[]
- ↑ Marty McKee; Big A; Kevin Gillease. ""The Amazing Spider-Man" Pilot (1977) - Plot Summary". IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue!. TwoMorrows Publishing (44): 44–48.
External links[]
- Spider-Man on IMDb
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