REEL RETRO CINEMA | 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture

Jul03

The Not Exactly Amazing 1977 SPIDER-MAN TV Pilot

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jul 3, 2019

The Not Exactly Amazing 1977 SPIDER-MAN TV Pilot

REEL RETRO CINEMA: The Spectacular Mediocre Spider-Man swings onto the screen… — UPDATED 7/3/19: Hey, guess what! Spider-Man: Far From Home is out! Perfect time to re-present Rob Kelly’s REEL RETRO CINEMA column from our 2017 SPIDER-MAN WEEK! For the complete index of features, click here. — Dan — — By ROB KELLY For those who have never seen the original 1978-79 Spider-Man TV show (and that’s most of you, since it has never been released on Blu-ray, DVD or streaming), it was commissioned as a TV movie that would serve as a “backdoor pilot” to an ongoing series. The movie, which debuted in September 1977, was a ratings success, and after some post-pilot tinkering (cast changes, mostly) the series launched in April 1978. For some reason, instead of giving it a regular time slot, though, CBS used it as a heat-seeking missile, airing episodes in clumps to run against other networks’ hit shows, hopefully draining some of their audience away. In an age where you had to actually sit in front of your TV and watch a program lest you miss it forever, this was an insane, maddening strategy, and it couldn’t have done Spider-Man any favors. Anyway, Spider-Man tells the story you’re all familiar with, but with some major changes: Peter Parker (Nicholas Hammond) works as a photographer for the Daily Bugle, where he is on the receiving end of blustery abuse from publisher J. Jonah Jameson (David White). He is also a grad student, and one day while working on some experiments involving radiation, he sees an unwanted visitor. Peter gets bit, you know the rest. Except here, there is no Uncle Ben, so our hero’s decision to become Spider-Man is mostly done on a whim. Not too long after the spider bite, he notices he can climb walls, crawling all over the outside of the townhouse he shares with his Aunt May (Jeff–yes, Jeff–Donnell). After stopping a mugging by scaring the bejeezus out of the crook by scampering up an alleyway wall, he attracts the attention of random passersby — and then the Daily Bugle. Jameson wants pictures of this “Spider-Man” of course, so Peter goes home and makes himself a snazzy suit. For the most part, Hammond is fine in the part, if bland. He’s not given a lot of character stuff to work...

Jun29

The Kitschy Greatness of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Jun 29, 2019

The Kitschy Greatness of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD

REEL RETRO CINEMA: New looks at old flicks — and their comic-book adaptations! — UPDATED 6/29/19: The late Ray Harryhausen was born 99 years ago. This piece first ran in 2016 but it’s as fitting now as it was then. Enjoy. — Dan — OK, so there’s a special reason Rob Kelly’s latest REEL RETRO CINEMA column is focused on this Sunday-matinee staple. See, over the last year or so, ever since Sir Christopher Lee died, he and Caroline Munro have become minor obsessions of mine. It’s because I’m convinced that the two of them should have been Ra’s al Ghul and Talia in a ’70s Batman movie that should have been made but wasn’t. (Read about that here.) This is an idea that goes back to childhood. (Read about that here.) Anyway, we’re right now in the thick of NEAL ADAMS MONTH (again, click here) in which the legendary artist provides us with daily commentary on every variant cover he’s done for DC in February, each one based on one of his Bronze or Silver Age classics. But during our lengthy discussions, I made sure to ask him about the Lee-Munro idea — and he was really into it. (You can read about that here.) So the timing seemed right to revisit The Golden Voyage of Sinbad in all its Munrovian glory… — Dan — By ROB KELLY “Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel.” 1973’s “The Golden Voyage of Sinbad” was producer Charles H. Schneer and Ray Harryhausen’s second Sinbad film, following 1958’s The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. This time around, John Phillip Law (Diabolik himself!) plays the world-traveling, sword-wielding adventurer. Let’s set sail! Directed by Gordon Hessler (who helmed many fine films, plus KISS Meets The Phantom of the Park), the movie opens aboard Sinbad’s ship as it cruises the high seas. A small winged homunculus flies above, dropping a golden tablet. Sinbad wears it around his neck, and that night has a strange vision of a mysterious woman with an eye tattooed on her hand. A strange storm blows the ship off course, and Sinbad and his crew find themselves at a coastal town in the country of Marabia. While on land, Sinbad is accosted by a stranger in black who demands the tablet, showing off his sword for emphasis. Sinbad refuses, escaping to...

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