like many of us in our late thirties or, ahem, early to mid-forties, i grew up with cbs' wonderful live-action spider-man show. now, obviously, if compared to the comic or any movie, this show comes up seriously lacking. but in terms of its' portrayal of peter parker, the show is aces. i've been recently re-watching it, and am just in love with it. as great as the movies are, there is something very special in this humble little show.
i just watched the pilot to the amazing spider-man live-action show from 1977. i grew up with this short-lived show, and frankly, it's pretty good. once you adjust what you're looking at, it's sort of like spidey for the real world. each swing feels like a big deal, opening locked doors is an act of herculean strength, and changing into costume takes actual time. spidey/peter parker must figure out why respectable citizens are robbing banks and then crashing their cars into brick walls. guess what? might be a self-help cult involved.
nicholas hammond is the most adult spider-man yet, and he is engaging and capable. what i like about him is he isn't a loser or a nerd, he's unencumbered by any "uncle ben" and even aunt may isn't much of a presence. it's just him and science and photography. he's more or less a grown-up, and he behaves as such. the influence of another late seventies show, the hardy boys, is clearly felt, as peter does lots of sluething in the pilot. david white plays jjj, and he does a pretty good job of it.
there is much to love in this imperfect show. i will be watching the rest of the series in the upcoming weeks. i have a bootleg that's pretty decent quality, but it's clearly made from quality television recordings. why isn't this on dvd?
our survey of the original spider-man live-action show continues with
the deadly dust, parts one and two. totally wonderful. a trio of students, out to prove how easy it is to build a bomb as a means of exposing the military industrial complex and their own university's apathy, swipe some plutonium, build an atom bomb, and promptly have it stolen. everyone suspects peter because, of course, he's the only one anyone believes is actually smart enuf to do the deed. so peter, mr. jameson, and the ridiculously gorgeous joanna cameron of isis fame as miami reporter gayle hoffman, head out to LA to try and save the world.
there are many things that make the deadly dust first rate. the first is we really get a good dose of the brilliant, impassioned scientist that is peter parker. from arguing against the university handling plutonium in the first place, to breaking down the potential ramifications to the police and feds, here we get a legitimate scientist in peter, something the movies really only pay lip service to. i believe that nicholas hammond knows what he's talking about when he says the dust might turn unstable do to collapsing density, and that he really is against nuclear power. and who should know more about the dangers of radiation than peter parker, reluctant, radioactive spider-bite victim?
it is here, while trying to deflect gayle's desire to procure an interview with his alter-ego, that peter launches into a stan lee-esque soliloquy about the moral drive and the loneliness--he imagines--that spider-man feels being a superhero. "do you realize," he asks the rapt gayle, "that he has to lie to everyone he knows? how could anyone ever really get to know him?" gayle gives him a knowing look and says "i doubt spider-man could have said it better himself." nicholas hammond is really good, and i like the exploration of a spider-man who is driven from the get go to use his powers responsibly, not because anyone died due to his inaction to teach him the lesson, but because he already knew it.
the episode ends with a very strong implication that peter is gonna get a little nookie time with gayle, and the two deserve each other: resourceful, tenacious, and caring, these two forgotten teevee characters from the seventies deserve the happiness that they likely bring one another.
another element that can't go unmentioned, it is in the live-action show where spidey actively uses his spider tracers, a nice element of the comic totally left out of the movies. it speaks to peter's scientific intellect, something this show does consistently.
i will post my impressions of other episodes shortly, but, in the meantime, please discuss and share!
i just watched the pilot to the amazing spider-man live-action show from 1977. i grew up with this short-lived show, and frankly, it's pretty good. once you adjust what you're looking at, it's sort of like spidey for the real world. each swing feels like a big deal, opening locked doors is an act of herculean strength, and changing into costume takes actual time. spidey/peter parker must figure out why respectable citizens are robbing banks and then crashing their cars into brick walls. guess what? might be a self-help cult involved.
nicholas hammond is the most adult spider-man yet, and he is engaging and capable. what i like about him is he isn't a loser or a nerd, he's unencumbered by any "uncle ben" and even aunt may isn't much of a presence. it's just him and science and photography. he's more or less a grown-up, and he behaves as such. the influence of another late seventies show, the hardy boys, is clearly felt, as peter does lots of sluething in the pilot. david white plays jjj, and he does a pretty good job of it.
there is much to love in this imperfect show. i will be watching the rest of the series in the upcoming weeks. i have a bootleg that's pretty decent quality, but it's clearly made from quality television recordings. why isn't this on dvd?
our survey of the original spider-man live-action show continues with
the deadly dust, parts one and two. totally wonderful. a trio of students, out to prove how easy it is to build a bomb as a means of exposing the military industrial complex and their own university's apathy, swipe some plutonium, build an atom bomb, and promptly have it stolen. everyone suspects peter because, of course, he's the only one anyone believes is actually smart enuf to do the deed. so peter, mr. jameson, and the ridiculously gorgeous joanna cameron of isis fame as miami reporter gayle hoffman, head out to LA to try and save the world.
there are many things that make the deadly dust first rate. the first is we really get a good dose of the brilliant, impassioned scientist that is peter parker. from arguing against the university handling plutonium in the first place, to breaking down the potential ramifications to the police and feds, here we get a legitimate scientist in peter, something the movies really only pay lip service to. i believe that nicholas hammond knows what he's talking about when he says the dust might turn unstable do to collapsing density, and that he really is against nuclear power. and who should know more about the dangers of radiation than peter parker, reluctant, radioactive spider-bite victim?
it is here, while trying to deflect gayle's desire to procure an interview with his alter-ego, that peter launches into a stan lee-esque soliloquy about the moral drive and the loneliness--he imagines--that spider-man feels being a superhero. "do you realize," he asks the rapt gayle, "that he has to lie to everyone he knows? how could anyone ever really get to know him?" gayle gives him a knowing look and says "i doubt spider-man could have said it better himself." nicholas hammond is really good, and i like the exploration of a spider-man who is driven from the get go to use his powers responsibly, not because anyone died due to his inaction to teach him the lesson, but because he already knew it.
the episode ends with a very strong implication that peter is gonna get a little nookie time with gayle, and the two deserve each other: resourceful, tenacious, and caring, these two forgotten teevee characters from the seventies deserve the happiness that they likely bring one another.
another element that can't go unmentioned, it is in the live-action show where spidey actively uses his spider tracers, a nice element of the comic totally left out of the movies. it speaks to peter's scientific intellect, something this show does consistently.
i will post my impressions of other episodes shortly, but, in the meantime, please discuss and share!
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