Polar Blair's Den- Amazing Spider-Man: Chinese Web

Return to Polar Blair's Den Menu Page

The Amazing Spider-Man:
Episode #13- The Chinese Web
(July 6, 1979)

Back to "The Amazing Spider-Man" Main Page

Cast:

Nicholas Hammond as Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Fred Waugh as Spider-Man (stunts)
Robert F. Simon as J. Jonah Jameson
Chip Fields as Rita Conway
Ellen Bry as Julie
Benson Fong as Min Lo Chan
Ted Dansen as Major Collings
Rosalind Chao as Emily
Richard Erdman
Hagan Beggs
John Milford
Anthony Charnotta as Quinn
George Cheung as Dr. Pai
Tony Clark as Joe
Myron Healey as Lt. Olson
Michael Mancini as Bertino
Robert Mayo as Lou
Arnold F. Turner as Abbott
Herman Tweeder as Hot Dog Vendor

This is a prime example of a series that wasn't given enough of a chance. Chinese Web was a two-hour reunion movie that incidentally became the last episode of the series. And it was one of the best shows they ever did if not THE best. I think they really upped the anty this time around. The acting is great and there's a bit more action than a lot of the previous episodes. You've got to watch it with an open mind and NOT try to compare it with the new movies. It's an unfair comparison. The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies are awesome, but you're talking a lot of years newer and superior budgets and special effects. This is TV...1970s TV.

The first half of the show is set in New York City. The second half in Hong Kong, China. An old Chinese friend of J. Jonah Jameson comes to New York to ask for help in clearing his name of heinous charges. Jameson recruits Peter Parker (secretly Spider-Man) who, in turn, recruits secretary Rita Conway (Chip Fields) and rival photographer/reporter Julie Masters (Ellen Bry) in defending the honor of Min Lo Chan. Incidentally, Min Lo Chan is played by Benson Fong, who is my favorite of the actors to play movie detective Charlie Chan's sidekick sons. From Chan to Chan!

Min Lo Chan's niece is Emily, played by the beautiful Rosalind Chao. She's really cute. Of course I had to show her off in pictures.

The series always had outside filming, but this episode really opened it up. We see Spider-Man on buildings, in buildings, in subways, all over Chinese temples, in the docks...everywhere. He also takes quite a beating in this show. He's shot in the arm with a bullet, nearly run over by a train, shot in the arm with a tranquilizer dart, falls into the water from a dizzying height, let alone all the fighting he does. And he also uses his webs a lot more this time around than in some shows. The web effects are also a bit better by this show.

    The major players are even a bit more developed personality wise. Nicholas Hammond seems really comfortable in his role as Spider-Man. He plays it good. I think he would've gotten better all the time.

    Chip Fields' (Rita Conway) afro really sprouted this time around. I always liked Rita. A bit hip, but no stereotype to pander to the audience. Just like a real person.

    Julie is not at all a pain in the butt in this show. In a lot of her earlier appearances, she's almost annoying because she was always causing or getting into trouble. Here, she is an actual aide to Spider-Man and a caring person. You can kind of start to see a romantic play between the two. It seems Julie is more attracted to Peter than the other way around. Peter's a fool, because Julie Masters (Ellen Bry) is HOT! I've got many gorgeous pictures of her here.

    The coolest thing I think they ever did with the characters in this series is make J. Jonah Jameson a good guy. He's still a grump, to an extent, but he's more like a grandfather than the jerk in the comics. Robert F. Simon, actor of Jameson, is truly, truly likable and a cool dude.

Ted Danson made a small appearance in this episode as Major Collings. He's a cool character who helps Peter Parker find information on the three missing Marines. Here's some rare Ted Danson pics I'm positive you won't find anywhere else on the Net.

Myron Healey was one of the great action stars of the 1940s-50s. By this time he was an older man, and he played Lieutenant Olsen. As you know, Michael Pataki played Captain Barbera in the Season 1 episodes of the series. This was the producers attempt to get a regular cop character back. Olsen is cooler, though. Barbera, although funny, was a jerk. Olsen was a guy you could like.

The major crime boss of the episode is a hoot! I like the guy as an actor. But his character is goofy. He's a shrimpy old white man who thinks he's a real player with the ladies and a real "man about China". Seeing him absorbed in the Chinese culture while living the high life is just too funny. I must admit he's one of the more entertaining villains of the series.