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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 6, 2006 23:03:44 GMT -8
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 Harris .... McLeod
Bryant Washburn .... Westfall
Charles F. Miller .... Mr. Van Sloan (as Charles Miller)
Anthony Warde .... Henchman Trigger
Harry Harvey .... Stephen
1. The Stolen Plans
2. The Fatal Time Bomb
3. The Secret Meeting
4. The Smoke Dream
5. The Gargoyle's Trail
6. The X-Ray Eye
7. The Radio Boomerang
8. The Mysterious Message
9. The Cup of Doom
10. The X-Ray Belt
11. Lips Sealed By Murder
12. A Money Bomb
13. Almost a Confession
14. Suspicious Telegrams
15. The Pay Off
i'm looking forward to this serial. Dan, you better participate! 
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 6, 2006 23:54:11 GMT -8
the Spider is on the trail of the Gargoyle and his gang. he interupts a bank/secret plan robbery, and a fight breaks out. he drives them off, and takes the plans. as they drive off, Jackson tells Dick he's in big trouble with Nita.
back at his house, they. along with Jenkins and Ram Singh discuss what to do with the plans. the Gargoyle's Gang decides they must get rid of Brown (whom the Spider captured). the Gargoyle gives them orders about the sabotage and Brown.
Comissioner Kirk tells Holden to call on Dick for help. Nita arrives and has a chat with Dick, but relents. Dick puts on his "Blinky McQuade" persona to get info from the underworld. he gets put in jail right away. he gets put in Brown's cell, how coincidental!
Dick talks to Kirk about Brown and what was going on. they plan on offering Brown a ton of money to see if he will talk. Dick gets tailed but shoots the car off the road. Dick and Kirk then give Brown the "good cop/bad cop" routine. but right before Brown spills the beans, he gets offed!
the sabotage continues, lots of things are wrecked. later, at a meeting of businessmen, Dick explains what's going on. the gang jumps in and kidnaps one of the men.
there's already a difference from the first serial- the Spider doesn't shoot first, the villians do. this Nita is not as fun as the first one, though. obviously one of the businessmen is the Gargoyle. they go to an airport, but Dick arrives and a fistfight breaks out. Dick gets KO'd and put him in the plane, then the pilot bails out and the plane crashes!
next- the Fatal Time Bomb
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Post by Shonokin on Oct 7, 2006 11:49:40 GMT -8
This is starting out a little more promising than what I was expecting, since it has such a bad wrap compared to The Spider's Web.
The only thing that is bothersome so far is the repetition of the coweled evil mastermind who meets his henchmen in basically the same conference room as in Web and as in The Shadow, also directed by James W. Horne.
Also Blinky seems somehow less of a character than he was in Web. Like Warren Hull isn't really interested in getting into the part. His voice is less gruff and the make-up seems less built up.
Otherwise this first episode is rolling along well and like in Web, has a lot of similarities to issues found in the pulps. Such as Wentworth trying to retire from being the Spider so he and Nita can have a normal life together. Of course her saying "yeah what the heck, let's do it" to Wentworth returning to a life of crimefighting happened so easily that even having this issue in the serial at all seems pretty much moot.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 16, 2006 18:16:13 GMT -8
Dick awakes just in time, knocks the pilot out of the plane and uses the parachute to get down safely. the Gargoyle's man reports Wentworth dead, and Dick hitches a ride in the trunk to the hideaway. the Gargoyle meets with Holden, who uses his "electric chair" to try to get the plans from Holden.
the Spider climbs down the chimney, rescues Holden and a fight breaks out. the Gargoyle runs out, and tattles to the police about the Spider and where he is! the Gargoyle warns his men, but the Spider escapes back up through the chimney. Ram Singh picks up the Spider.
Dick returns and assumes the role of Blinky to find out some more information. the Gargoyle has stolen a cylinder of 1167, a new explosive. Blinky listens in on the outside line, and finds out the Gargoyle's plan!
the Spider follows the Gargoyle's men to the factory, where a fight breaks out. naturally, the bomb has a five minute timer on it! the Spider takes a conk on the bean, and the bomb goes off!
next- the Secret Meeting
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 16, 2006 20:21:18 GMT -8
the Spider hops down the hole the gang used and is spared death from the explosion. the cops arrive in time to give chase to the Spider. Dick shows up to allay suspicion.
the Gargoyle talks to his men. he also yells at his men for letting the Spider escape.
Dick gives Nita some people to call while he retrieves the plans. one of the people she phones is the Gargoyle's real identity! one of his men comes to Dick's place and a fight breaks out. they fail to get the papers though.
later, the Spider returns the papers to Holden. they plan to keep them safe in a bank vault. the Gargoyle phones his boys and tells them of the plans. off they go to use the ol' gas plan. good thing Dick is following behind the armored car. Dick grabs the plans but falls for the next plan of the gang- is a fiery end his?
next- the Smoke Dream
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 20, 2006 18:56:29 GMT -8
Dick survives the explosion, and pulls the ol' costume switcheroo on one of the gang. Dick then returns the papers again.
the Gargoyle's head scientist invents a chemical that can be primed to explode at any certain sonic frequency. Blinky then goes and gets "in" with the gang. they want Blinky to "take care" of Wentworth! good thing they have it planned for.
everything goes as planned- complete with a cop getting "shot"! the Gargoyle then plans to destroy van Sloan's new (hybrid) engine. they leave Blinky at the hideout. Blinky drugs the crooks, and Dick speeds off to the house! the Spider shows up, scares off the crowd and a fistfight breaks out. the Spider gets clobbered and the house explodes!
next- The Gargoyle's Trail
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 20, 2006 23:09:19 GMT -8
an arch of debris protects the Spider from death. but now he's trapped by Kirk and his men. he pulls the ol' costume over the dummy and gets in the car with Ram Singh. they go after the crooks. then Blinky returns to the hideout. Trigger is upset at the men for being asleep.
the Gargoyle wants Blinky eliminated for "killing" a cop. naturally, a fistfight breaks out. then the cops arrive, and Blinky lets Trigger go. Trigger vouches for Blinky, and the Gargoyle put a special belt on him and sends him away.
in the board room Dick tells the businessmen he suspects ALL of them. Dick and Jackson find a trap set for them. they go to the hideout, and Jackson gets captured. Dick runs in and a fistfight breaks out. they chase the gang out, and find Van Sloan dressed as the Gargoyle. this is another trap!
Dick falls through a trap door, which starts to drop him into a fiery pit!
next- the X-Ray Eye
the comedy bit with Trigger was funny! i'm quite enjoying the comedy interplay. i don't know why Horne gets the blame for this stuff, he didn't write the serials he directed.
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Oct 31, 2006 19:30:47 GMT -8
Dick uses his Spider costume to escape the fiery pit (naturally, the gang leaves without seeing if he gets burnt or not). he put the Spider costume on another thug.
the Gargoyle is very annoyed his gang was having a wild party and makes them put on the tv belts so he can watch them constantly. he also wants to use Blinky in a new plan. they take Blinky to a plant to crack a safe to steal plans for the new bombsight, but the Spider shows up and foils them by stealing the truck, but ends up driving off a cliff!
next- The Radio Boomerang
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 1, 2006 18:03:48 GMT -8
the Spider leaps out before the truck crashes off the bridge. the Gargoyle's Spy Eye has a meltdown when the crooks take off in too many directions for it to follow.
later on, Kirk tells Dick he is going to storm the gang's hideout, so Blinky goes and warns them. he later tells Trigger he has the bombsight plans. Dick uses the captured radio to try to contact the Gargoyle, who plans to eavesdrop on back in on him!
the Gargoyle has his men surround the house, then a fight breaks out. the gang kidnaps Nita and Dick gives chase in his Daimler. they do the old "tie him up and leave him on the train tracks" routine! and a train is coming!
next- the Mysterious Message
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 18, 2006 23:51:59 GMT -8
Dick manages to untie himself and roll free before the train hits him. Trigger takes Nita to his Mom to keep an, er, eye on her. Dick wants the underworld to think he's dead, so he can operate more freely. Blinky goes back to work.
the Gargoyle threatens Nita's uncle, he wants papers of ID. he tells Van Sloan he'll release Nita, but plans on keeping her for use later. Blinky goes and gets the papers, but pulls a fast one and they end up taking Van Sloan to where Nita is.
Blinky heads back and gets pulled over, and back he goes to rescue the Van Sloans. the Spider takes over! Nita takes care of "Mom" easily, but a fistfight breaks out! then a gun battle breaks out! the thugs tie the Van Sloans to a rail, and prepare to drop a load of steel chains on the Spider!
next- the Cup of Doom
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 19, 2006 0:37:06 GMT -8
right before the chains drop on the Spider, he leaps out the window and into the water. the Spider rescues the Van Sloans, and a small fistfight breaks out, but is curtailed as the cops show up.
later, the Gargoyle yells at his men. Trigger vouches for Blinky. Dick and Kirk grill the captured thug, but he gets poisoned before he can talk. Dick plans a trap for the stockholders, to find out which of the committee is the Gargoyle.
later, the Spider saves the Sloan Motor and Dick wants the entire committee to watch the test flight. the Gargoyle plants a pilot on the plane to make it explode, but Dick catches on and takes the ship up himself. he hits 600 MPH and the bomb goes off, and the plane goes down!
next- the X-Ray Belt
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Post by Shonokin on Nov 19, 2006 10:53:00 GMT -8
I wonder if Horn had reoccuring dreams of construction materials falling on him. Because he really really seems fascinated with that motif!  |
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 19, 2006 23:51:44 GMT -8
Dick miraculously survives the crash. later on he examines the x-ray belt taken from the spy pilot. the Gargoyle plans to use it against Dick and his friends by keeping a secret eye on him.
later Blinky goes back to find out what's going on. he gets sent along with the gang to hit another bank. while breaking open the vault, Blinky "accidently" makes the alarm go off. the Gargloyle is furious at his men, again, for bungling the job.
the Gargoyle then threatens to off Mr Gaylord, but the Spider stops the execution with a fistfight! Trigger knocks the Spider out, they drop him through a trap door and moves toward the furnace!
next- Lips Sealed By Murder
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 20, 2006 23:38:07 GMT -8
Mr Gaylord escapes while the thugs are watching the Spider get ready to burn, and the cops show up to further complicate things. Gaylord pulls the Gargoyle's mask off, but then gets shot. he dies before he can tell the Spider who the Gargoyle really is.
Kirk shows up to find Dick there, and the explanation of why Gaylord is dead. later thugs break into Dick's place for the belt. Dick arrives in time to enjoy the fistfight that breaks out. the gang gets away with the belt, and the Gargoyle sends Trigger out to "get" Blinky!
they set the trap, but Dick plans for it. Blinky arrives right on time. Blinky takes Trigger's gun, then a fistfight breaks out. the Spider shows up to bail Blinky out! Blinky does the old "get in the trunk" and gets taken to the hideout, but the Gargoyle "sees" Dick in the trunk and warns the gang. naturally, a fistfight breaks out, and Dick gets conked in the head. they send the car off the road!
next- A Money Bomb
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 21, 2006 15:39:03 GMT -8
the car goes off the cliff and into a lake. Jackson and Ram Singh arrive in time to save Dick. later, Dick tells Kirk he made an exact duplicate belt, which "has something to do with television". the Gargoyle is furious that Trigger didn't kill Dick. the Gargoyle is SURE Dick is the Spider, and sends Trigger out in a Spider costume.
the "Spider" kidnaps Kirk. the plan for Dick is set. Dick drops the money off from a plane, and then the gang's pilot Hayes begins an aerial dogfight with Dick, who's plane is of course unarmed. somehow Dick manages to ace the other pilot.
of course, the gang thinks Dick is dead. the Spider races in, and a battle of Spiders breaks out! the gang takes off on a boat and the Spider follows. they hit a gas can and the boat explodes!
next~ Almost a Confession
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 21, 2006 23:18:20 GMT -8
it seems like the recap is a chapter off.
the Spider sees them about to fire the flare gun, and leaps off the boat and swims to safety. Dick returns, and they take Trigger-Spider into custody, which scares the Gargoyle. he sends his men to kidnap Nita (again). they want to exchange Nita for Trigger, which Dick refuses, since he has a plan.
the Gargoyle wants Nita to write Dick and tell him to surrender Trigger. the Gargoyle watches through the belt, and sends his men to save Trigger. they arrive just in time to "save" him, but it's BLINKY's gang that has saved him! he wants $50K from the Gargoyle to not kill him. the Gargoyle will give him $20K and Nita if he doesn't kill Trigger.
after seeing Nita, Blinky doesn't think she's worth $30K! Blinky finally gets to meet the Gargoyle. Blinky unmasks and tries to capture the Gargoyle, and a fistfight breaks out! he unmasks the Gargoyle, but it's a trap! fire and spiked walls threaten our heroes!
next- Suspicious Telegrams
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 22, 2006 23:16:27 GMT -8
the cops show up just in time to save Dick and Nita. Kirk thinks they captured the Gargoyle but it's another decoy. the Gargoyle's inventor hopes the next plan fails!
Dick uses the fake Gargoyle to trick the captured thug into talking, but the real Gargoyle kills Cahill. the prints on the gun match Dick's, but he gets away before Kirk can reluctantly arrest him. later on, Dick explains to Kirk what really happened. he plans on staying a "fugitive" to draw the Gargoyle out!
the Gargoyle tricks the businessmen into meeting so he can destroy them all. the Spider arrives and a fistfight breaks out, while the acid eats through the cannisters of gas. the businessmen jump out the window and the Spider gets conked on the head- the chemicals meet and the place explodes!
next~ the Pay Off
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Post by Xenorama ™ on Nov 22, 2006 23:37:44 GMT -8
Ram Singh runs in and digs the Spider out. Dick is sure he knows which one is the Gargoyle. the businessmen are sure Cartwright is the Gargoyle.
Dick impresses Kirk with his deductive reasoning. they pick up Cartwright, who wants to be arrested for safety's sake! the goons also pick up Van Sloan and Nita as well. Jackson tails the car and phones Dick where the hideout is- the old abandoned gas tank!
Nita gives the Gargoyle the stirring patriotic speech. the Gargoyle plans to gas the people he has kidnapped, but the Spider shows up and a fistfight breaks out! the cops show up to get the rest of the gang! the Spider catches the Gargoyle, who gets shot by the inventor who finally realized the Gargoyle was "a bad man".
Nita's happy that the Spider didn't kill the Gargoyle, but unhappy the Spider will still be fighting the spies.
overall, it's a lot of fun, but not nearly as good as the first one. not enough action until the end, and the Spider is far too nice to the hoods. this Nita is far too girlie as well, but the rest of the cast is very good, most returning from the first serial as well. i do really like this Spider's costume.
next- we take a break from costumed heroes. SOS COASTGUARD! (the term SOS is 100 years old today, FYI)
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