It's been 12 years since he's threatened to put spiders into the bed of Julie Andrews in Salzburg, and now, he has the ability to climb like one. Nicholas Hammond, aka Frederic Von Trapp is all grown up now, and he's gone from escaping from Nazis to chasing bad guys. He had the help of Anna Lee, the future Lila Quartermaine of "General Hospital", in that film, and in this film, his beloved Aunt May is Jeff Donnell who would soon be spending a decade making bad coffee for Lila as housekeeper Stella Fields. Future "GH" costar Bob Hastings is here too, quite a ways from McHale's Navy.
As novice photographer Peter Parker, Hammond is being barked at by the former Larry Tate of "Bewitched", David White, and while developing photos, is bitten by a spider that somehow got into the developing fluid, giving him superpowers. Okay, it's probably a lot more complex than that, but nonetheless, this TV movie led to a half season action series based on the Marvel comics that had already been an animated series the decade before. We wouldn't get the blockbuster Spider-Man for nearly another 25 years, and of course, the notorious Broadway musical where stunt people needed much more than General Hospital after a series of accidents.
Put aside the necessity for CGI and high tech effects because this is prior to the Hulk on TV and Superman and Batman in the movies. We hadn't even gotten "Star Wars" in the theater yet so it effects were not as advanced. What you get is a humorous version of the comic book, and lots of delightfully campy dialog and situations, especially Hammond climbing the wall in a way that seems a bit more in tune with the comic book, and certainly closer to how I've seen spiders climb buildings. I don't recall if I watch the TV series or not, but after seeing this movie, I'm anxious to revisit it, hoping that I can find it.
As novice photographer Peter Parker, Hammond is being barked at by the former Larry Tate of "Bewitched", David White, and while developing photos, is bitten by a spider that somehow got into the developing fluid, giving him superpowers. Okay, it's probably a lot more complex than that, but nonetheless, this TV movie led to a half season action series based on the Marvel comics that had already been an animated series the decade before. We wouldn't get the blockbuster Spider-Man for nearly another 25 years, and of course, the notorious Broadway musical where stunt people needed much more than General Hospital after a series of accidents.
Put aside the necessity for CGI and high tech effects because this is prior to the Hulk on TV and Superman and Batman in the movies. We hadn't even gotten "Star Wars" in the theater yet so it effects were not as advanced. What you get is a humorous version of the comic book, and lots of delightfully campy dialog and situations, especially Hammond climbing the wall in a way that seems a bit more in tune with the comic book, and certainly closer to how I've seen spiders climb buildings. I don't recall if I watch the TV series or not, but after seeing this movie, I'm anxious to revisit it, hoping that I can find it.