Just reading why this show got canceled makes me rather steamed. This was a favorite of mine as a kid and I always watched it when it came on no matter how many times I saw the episode. Sure the effects were not great, but they were also not horrible either. They did a fairly good job with the costume and it had the nice 70's vibe to it that is always enjoyable to see and hear as the music was also very 70's. It did not really have any villains from the comics, but then most comic book live show adaptations had none to very few actual super villains from the comics. Spidey's powers were a bit different here too, he had his Spidey sense and he could climb walls, but he was not nearly as strong as the Spider-man of the comics. He was super strong though as I do remember an episode where he broke into a room by breaking the door knob off, he just was not the car hurler that the one from the comic book can be. The show was set in Los Angelos so there were not as many buildings to swing from, but they did okay with the web. It is nice that this show actually has the web shooters and not organic shooters of the movie. I love the movies, but part of me wishes they would start over and do the more smarty pants Spidey that has the mechanical web shooters. This show had a good star as Peter Parker and he was okay as Spider-man, it is nice to see a Spidey who does not basically live in the slums like he does in the movies. Neither this show nor the movie though has a Spider-man that is quick with the insult like the one in the comic. Still, this show was fun without being as corny as the Batman show.
43 Reviews
Peter Parker is bitten by radioactive spider, become super-hero
jefffisher65-708-54115828 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I am a little surprised that this series is remembered by even the relatively-few people it seems to be; as a 12 year-old fan in 1977, I caught what episodes of this series as I could, although I must have missed some due to it being yanked all over the schedule like it was. Of course, kids, we only had TV Guide, and the local newspaper television supplements to help us, you know, in those "prehistoric" days.
I have seen a couple of the television movies made from episodes tacked-together lately, the nostalgia value is still high even if the series' production vales weren't so great. Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man was really too old for the part, but that said, he was clearly a good-hearted, kind fellow one could accept as a super-hero sort of person. I missed more elements from the comic book like Mary Jane, for example, but they did adapt the clone saga from the mid-1970s era of the title which was nifty. Robert F. Simon did well as J. Jonah Jamison even if he didn't look anything like his comics counterpart.
I think CBS mad another error by not having super-villains to oppose Parker, as this undoubtedly turned off many of us then-young fans. I suppose the fellow with psychic powers in the Curse of Rava was about the nearest thing to one.
All this aside, it wasn't as bad a show as many seem to think, given the limitations of 1970s action/super-hero television effects. I'm not sure if this is out on DVD yet or not, but hope it will be so in time if it isn't.
I have seen a couple of the television movies made from episodes tacked-together lately, the nostalgia value is still high even if the series' production vales weren't so great. Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man was really too old for the part, but that said, he was clearly a good-hearted, kind fellow one could accept as a super-hero sort of person. I missed more elements from the comic book like Mary Jane, for example, but they did adapt the clone saga from the mid-1970s era of the title which was nifty. Robert F. Simon did well as J. Jonah Jamison even if he didn't look anything like his comics counterpart.
I think CBS mad another error by not having super-villains to oppose Parker, as this undoubtedly turned off many of us then-young fans. I suppose the fellow with psychic powers in the Curse of Rava was about the nearest thing to one.
All this aside, it wasn't as bad a show as many seem to think, given the limitations of 1970s action/super-hero television effects. I'm not sure if this is out on DVD yet or not, but hope it will be so in time if it isn't.
The MCU is waiting
faheyjayden27 July 2021
i liked it
gowen2916 October 2005
i can remember when i first watched it. i thought wow, the real spider man. of course i was like 5 years old, but the wonderment that i felt at watching a real person in a spider man costume stopping the bad guys with his spider powers...i would love to see it again. but, since Stan lee and the majority of people didn't like it, we'll probably never see a DVD release of it. I wish i knew a way to find them on VHS or meg...anything. i'd love to watch them again. Stan, for peter's sake, some of us enjoyed the old series, let us have them again. And for future reference, Stan, if you need any help with casting future releases of Marvel movies, let me know.
Quite different from modern adaptations
johannesaquila21 April 2022
This series ran over two very short seasons. It consists of 3 double episodes (90 min; the pilot, the first episode and the last episode) and 9 single episodes (45 min).
The production values are very low by modern standards. Climbing scenes that were clearly created with the help of horizontal walls and weird hand-to-hand combat sometimes even remind me of the old Republic cliffhanger serials. But for a 1970s TV series this is normal. This one clearly had a much smaller budget than Batman (1966), for example.
For fans of the comic or of the Spider-Man films, it is important to understand that this is not an adaptation of the original story so much as an independent detective TV series that is inspired by it and borrows selectively from it.
In this series, Peter Parker is a university student as well as a freelance photographer. MJ does not exist, freeing Peter up for the romance of the day in his dual roles as himself and as Spider-Man. Newspaper boss J. Jonah Jameson is much more likeable than usual. In fact, he is quite similar to Bewitched's Larry Tate, and in the pilot is even played by the same actor. Moreover, his sassy secretary Rita really knows how to handle this choleric. Also, police chief Captain Barbera plays an important recurring role. Perhaps most important: There are no supervillains here, just more or less spectacular criminal cases.
Even for those of us without childhood memories of this series, it may still be worth a look. I enjoyed it overall, although I really found the pacing too slow.
The production values are very low by modern standards. Climbing scenes that were clearly created with the help of horizontal walls and weird hand-to-hand combat sometimes even remind me of the old Republic cliffhanger serials. But for a 1970s TV series this is normal. This one clearly had a much smaller budget than Batman (1966), for example.
For fans of the comic or of the Spider-Man films, it is important to understand that this is not an adaptation of the original story so much as an independent detective TV series that is inspired by it and borrows selectively from it.
In this series, Peter Parker is a university student as well as a freelance photographer. MJ does not exist, freeing Peter up for the romance of the day in his dual roles as himself and as Spider-Man. Newspaper boss J. Jonah Jameson is much more likeable than usual. In fact, he is quite similar to Bewitched's Larry Tate, and in the pilot is even played by the same actor. Moreover, his sassy secretary Rita really knows how to handle this choleric. Also, police chief Captain Barbera plays an important recurring role. Perhaps most important: There are no supervillains here, just more or less spectacular criminal cases.
Even for those of us without childhood memories of this series, it may still be worth a look. I enjoyed it overall, although I really found the pacing too slow.
The worst Spiderman "adaptation" ever made
Rectangular_businessman17 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I only saw the pilot episode of this drivel, but that was enough for me. This awful series seemed to be made by people who never read a Spiderman comic or just didn't care at all about that character.
This lacked of every single one of the virtues that made "Spiderman" a popular comic in first place. It didn't have anything to do with the story in which it was supposedly inspired. Instead of that, it was something completely different (And not good at all, for that matter) which just shoehorned the superhero for a few couple of scenes. Several viewers complained about the liberties that Sam Raimi took about the original comic when he made his movie version of "Spiderman", but all those liberties are nothing compared with the absolute nonsense that this series was.
As something independent to the comics, this is merely bad (With extremely poor production values and a boring storyline) but as an adaptation is just plain terrible. This series is just one big bad joke that is best forgotten.
0/10 (I would give this a negative score if I could)
This lacked of every single one of the virtues that made "Spiderman" a popular comic in first place. It didn't have anything to do with the story in which it was supposedly inspired. Instead of that, it was something completely different (And not good at all, for that matter) which just shoehorned the superhero for a few couple of scenes. Several viewers complained about the liberties that Sam Raimi took about the original comic when he made his movie version of "Spiderman", but all those liberties are nothing compared with the absolute nonsense that this series was.
As something independent to the comics, this is merely bad (With extremely poor production values and a boring storyline) but as an adaptation is just plain terrible. This series is just one big bad joke that is best forgotten.
0/10 (I would give this a negative score if I could)
A series that met my expectations
jamesgoodsir27 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
When I was a kid I remembered this show but thought that now as an adult the show might be a bit dated. Well yes it is but for me that makes the show more retro (and the musics very funky).
This show is mostly well written. I do think its a travesty that this show was cancelled after one season especially when this show was more popular than the Incredible Hulk.
I think fans should overlook the poor special effects and enjoy the stories.
This next sentence contains spoilers: My favourite episode as a kid was when there were two spiderman that battle against each other interestingly a similar idea is concocted in Spiderman 3 the movie. I liked the ideas in this TV show some will hate it. I believe Stan Lee wasn't a fan.
This show is mostly well written. I do think its a travesty that this show was cancelled after one season especially when this show was more popular than the Incredible Hulk.
I think fans should overlook the poor special effects and enjoy the stories.
This next sentence contains spoilers: My favourite episode as a kid was when there were two spiderman that battle against each other interestingly a similar idea is concocted in Spiderman 3 the movie. I liked the ideas in this TV show some will hate it. I believe Stan Lee wasn't a fan.
Yet another Marvel disappointment.
13Funbags2 May 2017
While this has a decent story, it went wrong in every other possible way.The terrible acting,special effects,directing and editing don't help.I was never an expert on Spider-Man, I don't much care for whiny super heroes, but I think I know his origin story by now.Of course Marvel has to dumb it down for the masses.In this show Peter Parker gets bitten by a spider(I'm not sure it actually even touched him) and immediately forgets about it.On his way home he climbs a wall for no reason then immediately realizes it's because of the spider bite.His Spidey-sense is nothing like it was before or since.It makes him see things and they usually don't make much sense.Anyway, he goes home and makes his costume in an hour and it just gets worse.Apparently putting on the costume makes him crouch down and move extremely weird.I would have made some tweaks.When he climbs buildings he keeps stopping and looking around,sometimes he even looks back through his legs.It's so lame that you will be ashamed to even be watching.He doesn't shoot webs either.He invents a device to shoot ropes and only uses it on one flagpole, probably because they couldn't afford a second scene.The plot isn't half bad, it's almost the same as the Captain America movie that would come out soon after.Definitely not a coincidence.It's supposed to take place in New York City but the first hour looks like LA on a Sunday morning.Warm,sunny,no traffic and no pedestrians.The only real story problem is that Parker knows the bad guy is controlling people with radio signals but doesn't think to jam the signal until after he is controlled for a short time.Then he just rips the antennae down and it reverses the signal so the bad guy is affected by it.WHAT?They spend so much time making you think it's a good show then they just kick you in the face, Marvel style.The best thing about this show is that Uncle Leo from Seinfeld is in it.I have never seen him in anything else.This show is only for hardcore Spider-Man fans.No one else could ever like it.
It Won't Be Truly "Amazing" Until CBS Releases The '78 Spider-Man on DVD
jrm23july@aol.com4 May 2006
Though, short lived "The Amazing Spider-Man" was one of the best made for TV versions of a famed comic book hero. Only "Wonder Woman" (Lynda Carter) (the best of the genre and "The Incredible Hulk" (Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno) were better.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" outclasses the 1966-1968 "Batman", because the high camp elements of the latter often ruin the adventure. "Spider-Man" outclasses all three television interpretations of "Superman"- "Lois and Clark", "Smallville", and of course the George Reeves "Superman" which brings up the rear.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" was an action drama, during the late 1970's, the pre-CGI era, when stunts had to be performed by stunt men, not in the database of a computer. "Spider-Man" had its own very talented stuntman to perform the death defying daredevil acrobatics. His name was Fred Waugh, who donned the spidy suit for the action sequences. Nicholas Hammond, better known as one of Julie Andrew's children on the all-time movie classic "The Sound of Music" was Spider-Man during the dialogue scenes. Hammond's Spider-Man also had his own secret identity as Peter Parker, similar to Christopher Reeve- Superman/ Clark Kent, Adam West-Batman/Bruce Wayne, and of course Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince.
It's unfortunate that the series only had thirteen episodes. Because when the first episode hit the airwaves in November of 1977, the entire country was watching it on CBS that Wednesday night. In all fairness, CBS should release this pilot episode as well as "The Deadly Dust", the "Captive Tower" etc. on DVD shortly. "Spider-Man" was short lived, but did have a cult following, and in my opinion was a heck of a lot better than the movie interpretation of the famed comic book hero starring Toby McGuire.
CBS might be hesitant to release these episodes for two reasons. (A) There might not be a broad market for them based on the lack of longevity of the series and a generation of children and young people who weren't born when the series originally aired in the 1970's. (B) One of the early "Spider-Man" episodes dealt with a terrorist with designs on the World Trade Center, which was attacked twice many years after this show went off the air, in 1993, and of course the devastating attack against this country on 9/11/01 in which the towers were destroyed and many innocent lives were lost.
However I don't think that it would be in bad taste to release this "Spider-Man" episode even if the show was adventure, derived from a comic book, and camp in nature. The live action "Amazing Spider-Man" doesn't have a large following but it has a cult following. If and when CBS releases it out on DVD this cult following could be explained along with the episode in which Spiderman saved the towers in 1978, but how in September of 2001 real life proved to be different from the movies. I like to follow the news, but I also like Science Fiction/Fantasy. Therefore I am eagerly awaiting the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man on DVD".
"The Amazing Spider-Man" outclasses the 1966-1968 "Batman", because the high camp elements of the latter often ruin the adventure. "Spider-Man" outclasses all three television interpretations of "Superman"- "Lois and Clark", "Smallville", and of course the George Reeves "Superman" which brings up the rear.
"The Amazing Spider-Man" was an action drama, during the late 1970's, the pre-CGI era, when stunts had to be performed by stunt men, not in the database of a computer. "Spider-Man" had its own very talented stuntman to perform the death defying daredevil acrobatics. His name was Fred Waugh, who donned the spidy suit for the action sequences. Nicholas Hammond, better known as one of Julie Andrew's children on the all-time movie classic "The Sound of Music" was Spider-Man during the dialogue scenes. Hammond's Spider-Man also had his own secret identity as Peter Parker, similar to Christopher Reeve- Superman/ Clark Kent, Adam West-Batman/Bruce Wayne, and of course Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince.
It's unfortunate that the series only had thirteen episodes. Because when the first episode hit the airwaves in November of 1977, the entire country was watching it on CBS that Wednesday night. In all fairness, CBS should release this pilot episode as well as "The Deadly Dust", the "Captive Tower" etc. on DVD shortly. "Spider-Man" was short lived, but did have a cult following, and in my opinion was a heck of a lot better than the movie interpretation of the famed comic book hero starring Toby McGuire.
CBS might be hesitant to release these episodes for two reasons. (A) There might not be a broad market for them based on the lack of longevity of the series and a generation of children and young people who weren't born when the series originally aired in the 1970's. (B) One of the early "Spider-Man" episodes dealt with a terrorist with designs on the World Trade Center, which was attacked twice many years after this show went off the air, in 1993, and of course the devastating attack against this country on 9/11/01 in which the towers were destroyed and many innocent lives were lost.
However I don't think that it would be in bad taste to release this "Spider-Man" episode even if the show was adventure, derived from a comic book, and camp in nature. The live action "Amazing Spider-Man" doesn't have a large following but it has a cult following. If and when CBS releases it out on DVD this cult following could be explained along with the episode in which Spiderman saved the towers in 1978, but how in September of 2001 real life proved to be different from the movies. I like to follow the news, but I also like Science Fiction/Fantasy. Therefore I am eagerly awaiting the release of "The Amazing Spider-Man on DVD".
I remember this show. I honestly wish I didn't...
dwacon-220 July 2006
I was excited at the concept of my favorite comic book hero being on television... and sorely disappointed at the end result.
The only "amazing" thing was the wall crawling (despite the visibility of the cable). I didn't think Nick Hammond was Peter Parker... and he was visibly of a different build than the guy who did the stunts in the spider suit. You could tell they were two different actors.
Granted, I can also spot in the modern Spider-Man movies when I am looking at Tobey Macguire and when I am looking at CGI. But that is from a trained eye and experience working with CGI. Still, the 70's version could have been better despite lack of Special FX.
The webs were hokey and looked like ropes that seemed to wrap around things rather than stick to them. And what was up with giving him a spider mobile to ride around in. Hello? He's the web slinger people.
Sorry... didn't mean to get so worked up, but our beloved wall crawler deserved better.
The only "amazing" thing was the wall crawling (despite the visibility of the cable). I didn't think Nick Hammond was Peter Parker... and he was visibly of a different build than the guy who did the stunts in the spider suit. You could tell they were two different actors.
Granted, I can also spot in the modern Spider-Man movies when I am looking at Tobey Macguire and when I am looking at CGI. But that is from a trained eye and experience working with CGI. Still, the 70's version could have been better despite lack of Special FX.
The webs were hokey and looked like ropes that seemed to wrap around things rather than stick to them. And what was up with giving him a spider mobile to ride around in. Hello? He's the web slinger people.
Sorry... didn't mean to get so worked up, but our beloved wall crawler deserved better.
A great live action superhero series
Indyfan8228 October 2001
I have caught this show in reruns on SCI-FI before, and I have to say I enjoyed it. Okay, so maybe the special effects aren't the best in the world, but it was still a fun series. Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite superheroes and I really enjoyed watching him fight crime in this series. I wish they could have brought in more of the supervillians for him to fight though. But it was still a fun series to watch.
Worst Spider-Man of Marvel
afonsobritofalves13 September 2018
Too bad this wasn't given any time to stay alive.
The_Light_Triton11 February 2008
Some people think this was a rather bad TV series, with cheesy effects. (considering it was filmed between 1977-1979) but really, look back at those years and think, "We didn't have computers back then." so if you think about it, it's a rather good TV series.
I always figured bad ratings killed the show, but no. the network did. they canceled out their theme as "The superhero network" and abandoned a short lived spider-man series. if it had gone on, it probably would have run well into the 80's, and if it was really lucky (And i mean really lucky), the early 90s.
And no one wanted to pick this series up.
Anyways, Jolly old (or young) Nicholas Hammond, of The sound of music fame, is brought to the TV screen as peter parker, the Secret identity of the amazing spider-man. along the series, peter deals with a clone, a beautiful girl from a foreign country, and a corrupt politician.
while the series is way out of timeline (being that peter is already graduated from university, and thats when he gets bit, and uncle Ben is already dead,) The audience is treated to action, suspense, and the attitude that the characters have towards peter and his alter ego, spider-man.
While it's also slightly disappointing that Robert. F Simon looks nothing like J.J.Jameson, it's not so disappointing that Betty grant isn't Betty grant, but a hot African American girl (who reminds me of Halle berry, who is one of the hottest women on the planet) so really, this one wasn't so bad.
but considering the time, and how much drama they packed into this one, it kind of foreshadows what bad TV is today. either way, it's entertaining, even for today.
8/10
I always figured bad ratings killed the show, but no. the network did. they canceled out their theme as "The superhero network" and abandoned a short lived spider-man series. if it had gone on, it probably would have run well into the 80's, and if it was really lucky (And i mean really lucky), the early 90s.
And no one wanted to pick this series up.
Anyways, Jolly old (or young) Nicholas Hammond, of The sound of music fame, is brought to the TV screen as peter parker, the Secret identity of the amazing spider-man. along the series, peter deals with a clone, a beautiful girl from a foreign country, and a corrupt politician.
while the series is way out of timeline (being that peter is already graduated from university, and thats when he gets bit, and uncle Ben is already dead,) The audience is treated to action, suspense, and the attitude that the characters have towards peter and his alter ego, spider-man.
While it's also slightly disappointing that Robert. F Simon looks nothing like J.J.Jameson, it's not so disappointing that Betty grant isn't Betty grant, but a hot African American girl (who reminds me of Halle berry, who is one of the hottest women on the planet) so really, this one wasn't so bad.
but considering the time, and how much drama they packed into this one, it kind of foreshadows what bad TV is today. either way, it's entertaining, even for today.
8/10
Awful adaptation
Thorsten-Krings20 November 2009
Spiderman was one of the first comic books to initiate a change in the genre: in spite of being a very well made superhero comic book this is the first series ever that added a real psychological depth to the main character, had complex moral issue, round characters and also highlighted social and political issues. in other words: Spiderman was the comic book's coming of age. This TV series lacks all of those components. It's just a straightforward good buy / bad guy TV series suffering from obvious budgetary rerstraints that make the action scene moderately exciting. Spiderman nylon webbing is about as convincing as the cardboard rocks in Star trek. Nicholas Hammond is way too old for the role at that point in time. I think he was well into his thirties wheras Spider,man was really teenager at the time. For some unfathomable reason the writers also changed names and deleted important characters from the comic book which again just resulted in the tension between characters basically disappearing.
One of my favourite Spider-Man adaptations to date...
Yugi-Muto5 July 2013
Honestly I can't get over how so many people disliked this show. I can understand why, but I still think they're being a bit unfair. Granted, the lack of actual comic book villains may be off-putting, and there are a great deal many differences between the comic book Spider-Man and this Spider-Man adaptation BUT the core of the character is still intact and and that is the most important thing. Also, you have to remember that this TV-Series was made in the 70's. You honestly can't expect to be wowed by special effects. And hey, I'm a 90's kid and yet I still love it.
Nicholas Hammond actually fits the role of Peter Parker rather perfectly, he even looks like him from the 90's animated series. Granted, he lacks Spidey's witty humour that we all love but I think in this show's case, that's a good thing. This show can be a lot of fun and has a very catchy theme song.
I hope that someday this show will get an official DVD release but until that day comes I'll just have to make do with my VHS copy.
Nicholas Hammond actually fits the role of Peter Parker rather perfectly, he even looks like him from the 90's animated series. Granted, he lacks Spidey's witty humour that we all love but I think in this show's case, that's a good thing. This show can be a lot of fun and has a very catchy theme song.
I hope that someday this show will get an official DVD release but until that day comes I'll just have to make do with my VHS copy.
Just for kids.
swedzin9 September 2011
This TV series were strictly for kids from he 70s. (You ever wondered why Kelso is so retarded?) As you grow up, you do realize that this can't appeal on your intellect? The comic book was extremely popular at the time. Even animated TV series were good and popular. But, this... kids stuff. The same story, Peter Parker, a schoolboy gets bitten by a radioactive spider, that glows red! Wow! And he turns into a... ummm... let's just say that he has a bad costume and amazingly bad movements, it's slow and dumb. Well... the series didn't have any budget at all, so they did it desperately as much as they can to please audience... but, fans were mad and kids were like "love that"... Arrrgghh!! I enjoyed this stuff when I saw it as a kid... my first Spiderman experience! But, then... saw it again... Dear me... that was horrible! Just like Power Rangers! Let go of these TV series... you are done with them for sure!
this show should be on DVD
fish4spider-127 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
the amazing spider-man TV series had had 15 episode's all together and did not last that long as a live action series it was shame as nicholas hammond wanted the incredible hulk and spider-man to team up but it never happened, the series did have its comic book moments j.j shouting at parker robert f simon was great as jameson he had the voice. aunt may was played by irene tedrow and was terrible as aunt may in the first episode she is constantly moaning at peter to take his pills for his allergy some of my favourite comic book moments spider-man's web shooter is broken and he goes to a taxi and ask' him to take him home the taxi driver refuses because spider-man has no pockets in his costume spider-man jumps on top of Capt. Barbera's car and puts his head down to speak to him, spider-man gets cloned and at the end j.j is dressed in a spider-man costume and capt barbera arrests spider-man but it not the real spider-man its jameson in the costume
Nostalgia only goes so far.
thefuzzydan21 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I was four or five when this series originally aired and I was super excited to watch whenever I could catch it (which was difficult considering how sporadic its schedule was). But, even back then I could see how lackluster the effects were. That, combined with the lack of comic book super villains, makes it all that more of a disappointment to watch as an adult. Even with the obvious low budget they were dealing with, it just feels so pedestrian when Spider-Man is constantly fighting street level bad guys in office building apartments. Spider-Man versus the evil coin dealer is considerably less thrilling than fighting the Green Goblin. The only thing that still holds up is the cast, especially Nicholas Hammond's portrayal as Peter Parker, which is so earnest. He truly embodies the character even though they took away a major part of his motivation to become a superhero in the first place (the murder of Uncle Ben that he could have prevented). For that reason alone, I would at least recommend one viewing. It will be up to the viewer to decide whether or not that this is a interesting look back at the times when superhero television did not have millions of dollars for effects or if it is something that is so awful they want to wipe it from their memory.
The Other Spider Man
Chase_Witherspoon16 July 2010
Like "The Incredible Hulk", "Spider Man" (played here by Nicholas Hammond) was another in the superhero stable that entertained legions of fans (adults too) in the late seventies, myself included. My review here refers to the pilot in which mild mannered Peter Parker inherits the senses and agility of a spider, after coming into contact with radioactive waves during an arachnid experiment. His boss at the local rag (David White, post-Larry Tate on "Bewitched") is eager for him to cover the story of how seemingly random citizens are suiciding, which leads both Parker and his alter ego to discover an elaborate mind control plot involving the evil Edward Byron (Thayer David) whereby he commits crimes vicariously through his hypnotised victims.
What distinguishes the pilot from its peers, in my opinion is the cast - Mike Pataki and Bob Hastings as the cops, Jeff Donnell as Aunt Parker, Len Lesser (future uncle Leo on "Seinfeld"), Ivor Francis and Harry Caesar. Lisa Eilbacher is so-so as the love interest in a role not too distant from her signature performance in "Beverly Hills Cop". It's definitely young adolescent material, but even as an adult, I found plenty of drama, action and light comedy to enjoy.
Less pretentious than the recent remakes, I'm still a little confounded as to why the three feature-length titles (the other two are "Spider Man Strikes Back" and "The Dragon's Challenge") haven't been re-distributed for DVD, to enjoy some residual popularity (and just plain ride the coat-tails of the Raimi success wagon). Anyway, probably still available on VHS, so if you're spider mad or just curious about this now 'ancient predecessor', it shouldn't disappoint.
What distinguishes the pilot from its peers, in my opinion is the cast - Mike Pataki and Bob Hastings as the cops, Jeff Donnell as Aunt Parker, Len Lesser (future uncle Leo on "Seinfeld"), Ivor Francis and Harry Caesar. Lisa Eilbacher is so-so as the love interest in a role not too distant from her signature performance in "Beverly Hills Cop". It's definitely young adolescent material, but even as an adult, I found plenty of drama, action and light comedy to enjoy.
Less pretentious than the recent remakes, I'm still a little confounded as to why the three feature-length titles (the other two are "Spider Man Strikes Back" and "The Dragon's Challenge") haven't been re-distributed for DVD, to enjoy some residual popularity (and just plain ride the coat-tails of the Raimi success wagon). Anyway, probably still available on VHS, so if you're spider mad or just curious about this now 'ancient predecessor', it shouldn't disappoint.
The Pilot for the 1977 Television Series
Uriah4316 October 2016
"Peter Parker" (Nicholas Hammond) is a bright, young, college student who accidentally gets bitten by a radioactive spider and soon finds out that he has gained great strength and can climb buildings because of it. At first, he doesn't know what to do with his special powers, but when prominent citizens begin doing bizarre things upon the command of a master criminal, he realizes that he has little choice but to investigate the situation in order to stop him. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this film served as the pilot for a television series aired back in 1977 and, because of that, it clearly shows its age. Not only is it quite dated but the special effects were extremely basic, and the overall plot definitely suffers from the made-for-television format. Having said that, while I don't necessarily believe that this particular movie is a complete waste of time, I honestly have difficulty rating it any higher than I have. Slightly below average.
A great, early take on my favorite superhero...
dee.reid21 September 2012
Along with "Wonder Woman" and "The Incredible Hulk," "The Amazing Spider-Man" was the only other live-action superhero TV series to make a splash during the 1970s. It's really pointless to describe the plot since if you know the Marvel Comics comic book series that inspired Spider-Man, then you already know the story, with Nicholas Hammond as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. This series always had great death-defying stunts, which were great for the time it was made, when everything had to be done using live, flesh & blood human beings and not a computer. Many other iterations of Spider-Man would follow in the later decades after "The Amazing Spider-Man's" debut on television, most notably three animated series and two live-action movie series. Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" movie series - with Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man - was my favorite incarnation of the character ever, with "Spider-Man 2" (2004) as my favorite superhero movie and my #2 favorite movie of all time. Spider-Man is my all-time favorite superhero. This show was just another reason why.
10/10
10/10
WHY DOES NOBODY BUT ME LIKE THIS SHOW?
Big Movie Fan8 March 2002
For starters, I think this show was great fun and had great storylines but not many people seem to like it.
I guess whether you like it depends on your age. If you're a young kid who's been brought up on a diet of CGI and all those amazing special effects then it probably doesn't appeal to you. But I think it was fun.
The stories were great. In one two part episode Spider-Man battles an evil villain by the name of Mr White who has stolen an atomic bomb which he plans to detonate. There's plenty of fun as Spidey battles dangerous henchmen and performs some unbelievable stunts. Another great episode featured Spidey in Hong Kong but my favourite episode was where Spidey investigated a bogus haunting.
Nicholas Hammond was good as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and he played the part of man with huge responsibilities on his shoulders very well. The late Robert F. Simon played the grumpy but good hearted Jonah Jameson and did a good job.
There were no super villains in the shows which I think was a good thing. The Incredible Hulk series of the 1970's didn't feature super villains either. Spidey got involved in real situations with believable people and in a superhero TV series I think that is much better than having a super powered villain every week.
All in all, highly recommended. There's some good stunts in the series too. Whilst I am quite sure this series will pale in comparison to the new Spidey film due to hit UK cinemas in June 2002 I would have no problem in recommending it to superhero fans.
I guess whether you like it depends on your age. If you're a young kid who's been brought up on a diet of CGI and all those amazing special effects then it probably doesn't appeal to you. But I think it was fun.
The stories were great. In one two part episode Spider-Man battles an evil villain by the name of Mr White who has stolen an atomic bomb which he plans to detonate. There's plenty of fun as Spidey battles dangerous henchmen and performs some unbelievable stunts. Another great episode featured Spidey in Hong Kong but my favourite episode was where Spidey investigated a bogus haunting.
Nicholas Hammond was good as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and he played the part of man with huge responsibilities on his shoulders very well. The late Robert F. Simon played the grumpy but good hearted Jonah Jameson and did a good job.
There were no super villains in the shows which I think was a good thing. The Incredible Hulk series of the 1970's didn't feature super villains either. Spidey got involved in real situations with believable people and in a superhero TV series I think that is much better than having a super powered villain every week.
All in all, highly recommended. There's some good stunts in the series too. Whilst I am quite sure this series will pale in comparison to the new Spidey film due to hit UK cinemas in June 2002 I would have no problem in recommending it to superhero fans.
Really great!
AnnaPagrati31 August 2021
Underrated
richcoates-3141417 November 2020
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