The Spider Returns (1941)

Director:

James W. Horne

Writers:

Morgan Cox (story) and
Lawrence Taylor (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

9 May 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Mystery

Tagline:

SMASHING A GIGANTIC SABOTAGE PLOT...From the thrill-filled pages of "The Spider" magazine roars a sensational Chapter-Play! (original window-card)

Plot:

The evil and masked "Gargoyle" is sabotaging all of America's industrial plants. It is up to the Spider to save the country.

Plot Keywords:

Serial | Gargoyle | Airplane | Meeting | Gang

Cast

Warren Hull	...	Richard Wentworth / The Spider / Blinky McQuade
Mary Ainslee	...	Nita Van Sloan
Dave O'Brien	...	Jackson, Wentworth's Aide
Joseph W. Girard	...	Police Commissioner Kirk (as Joe Girard)
Kenne Duncan	...	Ram Singh, Wentworth's Hindu Chauffeur (as Kenneth Duncan)
Corbet Morris	...	McLeod
Bryant Washburn	...	Westfall
Charles Miller	...	Mr. Van Sloan
Anthony Warde	...	Henchman Trigger
Harry Harvey	...	Stephen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Belasco	...	Butler (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Lane Chandler	...	Police Lab Fingerprint Man [Ch. 14] (uncredited)
Stephen Chase	...	Jenkins, Wentworth's Butler (uncredited)
George Chesebro	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Steve Clark	...	Henchman Meeker [Chs. 2, 3] (uncredited)
Ruth Findlay	...	Secretary (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Poppy - the Bartender (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Henchman Gunther (uncredited)
Tom London	...	Detective [Ch. 13] (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Irving Mitchell	...	Holden (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Detective Farrell [Chs. 13, 14, 15] (uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Detective [Ch. 10] (uncredited)
Jack O'Shea	...	Armored Car Driver [Ch. 3] (uncredited)
Jack Perrin	...	Armored Car Guard [Ch. 3] (uncredited)
Lee Phelps	...	Police Officer Mulligan (uncredited)
Jack Roper	...	Detective [Ch. 13] (uncredited)
Cy Schindell	...	Henchman Brown [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Henchman Haney (uncredited)
Forrest Taylor	...	Voice of The Gargoyle (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Michael Vallon	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	...	Henchman Cahill (uncredited)

Directed by
James W. Horne

Writing credits
Morgan Cox		(story) (as Morgan B. Cox) and
Lawrence Taylor		(story) (as Lawrence E. Taylor) and
John Cutting		(story) and
Harry L. Fraser		(story) (as Harry Fraser)
Jesse Duffy		(screenplay) (as Jesse A. Duffy) and
George H. Plympton		(screenplay) (as George Plympton)
Norvell Page		based on the stories by (uncredited)

Produced by
Larry Darmour	....	producer

Original Music by
Lee Zahler

Cinematography by
James S. Brown Jr.

Film Editing by
Dwight Caldwell
Earl Turner

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carl Hiecke	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Tom Lambert	....	sound engineer

Stunts
Chuck Hamilton	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Magrill	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ken Terrell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dale Van Sickel	....	stunts (uncredited)

Music Department
Lee Zahler	....	musical director (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Larry Darmour Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1941) (USA) (theatrical)
• Nostalgia Collectibles (2005) (USA) (VHS)
• Western Trails Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:300 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #7048)

Company:

Larry Darmour Productions

Trivia:

Chapter Titles: 1. The Stolen Plans (PCA #7048) 2. The Fatal Time-Bomb ((PCA #7049) 3. The Secret Meeting (PCA #7050) 4. The Smoke Dream (PCA #7051) 5. The Gargoyle's Trail (PCA #7052) 6. The X-Ray Eye (PCA #7053) 7. The Radio Boomerang (PCA #7054) 8. The Mysterious Message (PCA #7055) 9. The Cup of Doom (PCA #7056) 10.The X-Ray Belt (PCA #7057) 11.Lips Sealed by Murder (PCA #7058) 12.A Money Bomb (PRCA #7059) 13.Almost a Confession (PCA #7059) 14.Suspicious Telegram (PCA #7060) 15.The Payoff (PCA #7060)

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Earth vs. the Spider (2001) (TV)

Spider spins a web

The thing that strikes me is the paucity of good henchmen in the old serials, the Master Criminals just couldn't find good help! Surely there was a better class of hoods to choose from? Or perhaps spending money on a vast master plan didn't leave much over to find decent staff? Anyway,the crooks here on offer are certainly not paid for their intelligence or indeed their courage as at the first sign of the police, they leg it as fast as possible. Of course, this saves the Spider on a number of occasions as he has the annoying habit of bursting in on a gang of thugs and attempts to slug it out with them and always comes a cropper and ends up unconscious on the floor. This does allow the writers to put him in the obligatory cliffhanger at the end of each episode.

It's unfair to judge these old serials in one showing as they weren't intended to be watched like that. I attempted to get close to the weekly chapters by viewing an episode each evening and fast forwarding the synopsis at the start of the chapter. This did give a feel of how they would have been seen at the time of release.

You do find that the same sets are used over and over again, especially the bar where the gang makes it's headquarters in the back. Although,there never are any other customers ever. But that's low budget serial making for you.

The cliffhangers and escapes are okay and pretty much of the standard of the time, burning cars, building collapses, fire traps,etc. Warren Hull does a good job in the triple roles of Richard Wentworth, the Spider and undercover baddie, Blinky McCade and does seem to be enjoying himself in each one,which makes it all enjoyable for the audience. The supporting cast are fine too and while nothing special, it's all fun to watch.

Police Commissioner Kirk is a complete oaf though,badly acted and how such a dolt got to be head of police is the biggest mystery after who the master villain the Gargoyle really is! Kirk constantly bows to Wentworth and lets him run the show and make the decisions, at one point he says," Wentworth made a monkey and a laughing stock of me!" I think you'll find he was doing a pretty good job on his own.

There are plot holes you could drive a bus through in the story but these were intended as fast moving action adventure yarns and a little thing like plots were on the back burner most of the time. And there's always something happening to keep your mind of things like that. Like a roller-coaster ride, just go with the flow and enjoy the trip.