Yet Another Retrospective: Spider-Man on television

d_Galloway · July 25, 2008, 1:31am

Alright, here we go. We’re tackling a BIG subject here, one that will consume my life, forcing me to sever all ties with the outside world and become an Internet hermit.

Wait, that’s for the next retrospective. Oh well.

Today’s topic will be Spider-Man. You know, the guy that does whatever a spider can and all that. Anyway, our main topic of discussion will be his many television series and appearances, not his comic books. Because if I focused on that, I would spend all day complaining about Clone Saga and Brand New Day, and I think I’ve done enough of that.

Anyway, here we go…

Table of Contents:

Spider-Man’s 1967-1970 series(es)
The Electric Company: Spider Super Stories
Spider-Man fails to live up to the Hulk: The 1970s live action series
The Spider-Ranger: The 1978 Touketsu series
The 1980s Spider-Man cartoons: Spider-Man and Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends
The 1990s Spider-Man series: Spider-Man and Spider-Man Unlimited
The 2000s: Spider-Man goes MTV and Spectacular Spider-Man

The main retrospective will start tomorrow.

Wilfredo_Martinez · July 25, 2008, 4:45am

Good! I was really hoping you’d tackle Spidey, d. And I’m probably the only one here who has personally seen all these shows WHEN THEY ORIGINALLY CAME OUT, so I have plenty to say about them.

(Yikes, I’m old! )

Anyway, looking forth to it!

GG_Crono · July 25, 2008, 11:55am

munches popcorn

Mabatsekker · July 25, 2008, 12:24pm

Hmmh… all these retrospectives make me want to flaunt my massive cache of trivia, but the only thing at the moment that pops to my brain is “The evolution of the Blue Mage ~ An FF class retrospective.” which would include the obvious class, sidetracking (Materia, named characters with Blue Magic) and other series with characters and/or a monster skill learning system. Would that sound reasonable? (It would probably be an FFCompendium thread, too…)

Cidolfas · July 25, 2008, 2:00pm

How about writing one up and I’d put it in the Features section?

Heaven_s_Soldier · July 25, 2008, 2:15pm

Hmm… I really want to see this retrospective, Spiderman was one of the things I was quite into when I was younger. Of course I only came into in time for the 90s stuff mostly, and a few shots of things from the 80s.

sits back and waits with chocolates and a drink

d_Galloway · July 25, 2008, 2:21pm

Let’s get this trainwreck a’ rollin!

Chapter One: The Original Spider-Man series

Spider-Man really needs no introduction. He premiered in Amazing Fantasy #15, became an immediate hit, and soon would become Marvel’s premiere comic series. His immense popularity could only mean one thing: a Saturday morning cartoon, one that would serve as a means of increasing the character’s already immense popularity.

What we got was a standard kid’s show with an extremely twisted history behind it. For all intents and purposes, it was actually two shows, with the first constituting the first season and the second making up the second and third season. We’ll be treating them as individuals, except when otherwise applicable.

Spider-Man '67 was an immediate follow-up to Marvel’s previous Marvel Super Heroes show. As explained in the Hulk retrospective, that show was the most limited animated product ever created, utilizing comic stills with rotoscaping mouth movements. Spider-Man’s show had better animation; characters could actually move their fingers in one or two frames! All kidding aside, the budget for the first season was just as abysmally low as ever, and it has definitely begun to show its age.

The first season chose to place its focus on Spider-Man’s many adventures and battles. Peter Parker’s life is relegated to working in the Daily Bugle; Aunt May shows up once or twice, but otherwise his entire supporting cast consisted of J. Jonah Jameson and Betty Brant. There was no school, no girlfriends, no villains dropping said girlfriends off of bridges, no druggie best friends, etc. The only thing Spider-Man had to worry about was which villain was going to attack him next.

In fact, this is what I really have to commend the series for; it incorporated a huge portion of Spider-Man’s classic rogues gallery into the series. Over the course of the show, Spidey faces the likes of the Green Goblin, Scorpion, Electro, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, and others. Obviously, all these guys are presented in the classic “we eat puppies for breakfast” style, but considering this was also how they were in the comics (villains didn’t get character development until 11:49 AM, June 20, 1973). Of course, this wasn’t enough, so the show made its own enemies as well. The two that stand out the most are Dr. Noah Body and Dr. Magneto…

Noah Body, obviously, had no body; he was simply an invisible guy, which would work well if Spider-Man didn’t have his Spider-Sense. Now, if he buried some C4 in a fake floor, he might have had a chance, but the show claims he’s Spider-Man’s deadliest enemy simply because he’s invisible. As I said, when your nemesis can still more or less sense when you’re going to attack, and can still bind you with spiderwebs, just being unseen isn’t that much of an improvement.

Dr. Magneto…ugh. I can’t tell if he was meant to be an entirely original character, or if they wanted to use a certain other villain but couldn’t get the rights. Basically, it’s supposed to be Magneto. The key word is “supposed,” because this guy is nothing like everyone’s favorite evil mutant. He was a little Albert Einstein lookalike that wants revenge on the world because some scientists wouldn’t honor him or something, so he invents a magnetic ray gun and uses it to cause devastation on an untold scale. Um…huh. Needless to say, he sucked, his episode sucked, and let’s not dwell on it any longer.

Anyway, the show was a hit, and should have continued undaunted…except the studio went bankrupt. Oops. So, Marvel handed the series over to Krantz Studios, where it went under the helm of legendary animation director Ralph Bakshi.

The second season was a complete reboot. The show’s budget having been slashed even further, Bakshi decided to throw out the entire first season and focus on creating his OWN version of Spider-Man. Then he OD’ed on a semitruck full of LSD, threw together a bunch of random colors, and passed off the final product as the show. This isn’t meant to be an insult to Bakshi or the show; I’m just saying this whole show started to look like someone was ingesting SOMETHING.

The music in the first season was fairly generic upbeat tunes, with only the legendary opening credits standing out. However, the second season changed to jazzy tunes, bongo drums, and general psychedelic tracks. The animation was also filled with dark pastel colors and bizarre angels, like looking at a painting. The whole thing looked nothing like any other kids show on the air at the time, for both good and ill. When the animation worked, it was a sight to behold; when it often didn’t, however, it was an absolute mess of a final product.

Because of the reduced budget, the big supervillian fights of the first season couldn’t be replicated. Instead, the emphasis had to be placed on Peter Parker’s life. Commonly, each episode would begin with Parker trying to advance socially, or get a girlfriend, or join the sports team, or get a better scoop with the Bugle. This would invariably force him to cross paths with the villain of the week, forcing him to give up whatever his goal was so he could swing in and save the day.

Also, this was notably the first appearance of Spider-Man’s origin in any outside media. (The first season skipped the event altogether, instead focusing on Spider-Man having already become an established superhero.) The cartoon version was actually an extremely faithful adaptation, and easily became the best episode of the whole series.

However, not all was roses with the show. The budget was obviously limited, so there was a lot of recycled footage. A lot. A WHOLE LOT. Hell, TWO WHOLE EPISODES were actually episodes from a previous Krantz Studios cartoon, Rocket Robin Hood, only with Spider-Man imposed in place of the other show’s characters. And when they weren’t cannibalizing their other works, the animators frequently padded episodes with montages of Spider-Man swinging from place to place, flipping over flagpoles, snagging webs on clouds, jumping around completely random areas of Manhattan, etc. In one episode, he’s trying to go to the Kingpin’s penthouse, the route to which requires him to swing OVER THE OCEAN, ACROSS TIMES SQUARE, AND OVER HALF OF THE FREAKING CITY. He could have WALKED in the time it took him to swing there!

Also, outside of the Kingpin, Spider-Man didn’t face many of his usual villains. Instead, he faced whatever monsters Krantz wanted him to fight, all of which were so lame and one-dimensional that I don’t want to spend any time on them. At all. The third season brought the villains back in force, but considering how I haven’t seen much of that season, I can’t really comment on that much. (Wil, maybe?)

Oh, and before I forget, here’s the classic Spider-Man theme song, aka the main reason anyone remembers this show:

Next time: Spidey does edutainment!

Wilfredo_Martinez · July 25, 2008, 5:58pm

villains didn’t get character development until 11:49 AM, June 20, 1973)
Wow, that’s a pretty specific dating, d. What happened then? Was it the death of Gwen Stacy? (many people consider it the end of Marvel’s Silver Age.)

Now, if he buried some C4 in a fake floor, he might have had a chance,
No he wouldn’t. Give it up, d, that trap shouldn’t have worked on Spidey and everybody knows it.

only the legendary opening credits standing out
True; it’s amazing how many know the tune BUT not the exact lyrics to this song, specially considering it was a cartoon theme.

I can’t really comment on that much. (Wil, maybe?)
Sadly, I was like 6 when I first saw this show, so I only vaguely remember it. I DO remember an episode with another set of original villains: aliens who JUST HAPPENED to look like Spider-Man, including having all his powers PLUS the ability to dissolve his webs. Even at that age, I remember saying “OH, COME ON!”

here’s the classic Spider-Man theme song
Thanks, Gallo! That brought much nostalgia!

d_Galloway · July 25, 2008, 8:20pm

Wil: I was being sarcastic.

Cidolfas · July 26, 2008, 7:24pm

Somebody has to listen to Moxy Fruvous’s take on the opening credits. It’s awesome. 8p

d_Galloway · July 27, 2008, 1:50am

Okay, let’s continue…

Chapter Two: Spidey Super Stories

The Electric Company was an educational television program, first airing on PBS in 1971. Created by the same minds as Sesame Street, the show focused on developing young reading skills, especially in early elementary school children. Although it never quite matched the greatness and longevity of its parent program, it nonetheless ran for six successful seasons, and was subsequently aired in rerun form for another eight years.

So what does this have to do with Spider-Man? Well, Marvel agreed to let the Children’s Television Workshop use Spider-Man in a series of skits, appropriately called “Spidey Super Stories.” Obviously, this was a bit of marketing genius. I mean, what did kids usually read? Comic books. What did kids turn to for advice on spending their ten-cent allowance? Television. Who was plastered on “that nice reading show?” Spider-Man. Who owns Spider-Man? Marvel. Congratulations, whoever-approved-that-decision!

Okay, ulterior motives aside, the Spidey Super Story segments became a fixture of The Electric Company’s last three seasons, and Spider-Man was soon treated as just another zany character. In addition to having his own segments, Spider-Man would occasionally appear in other skits, often screwing around with whoever was around at the time. In fact, his first appearance consisted of J. Arthur Crank trying to find him, only to have Spider-Man keep ducking around behind him! And THEN Spidey calls him an idiot! Geez, what is it with kids shows and being dicks? (I’m looking at you, 4Kids…)

The Spider-Man in Electric Company looked similar to his comic book counterpart, save for a sloppier costume. (The show was more or less run on a tight budget, and they couldn’t afford an extravagant costume for a character that didn’t appear in every episode.) However, everything else was fundamentally scaled down to make the character more accessible for the show’s extremely young demographic. There was no Peter Parker; it was assumed that Spider-Man was always Spider-Man. Spider-Man also rarely used his webs, again for budget reasons; when he had to leave the screen, he simply JUMPED TO THE SIDE LIKE THE HULK! Also, when he snared his enemies (more on that later), he shot an incredibly cheesy superimposed cartoon web (that often barely covered his target), which then transformed into a regular net in the next frame.

Finally, and most importantly, Spidey never spoke. At least, not verbally. In keeping with the show’s focus on reading, Spidey spoke only in word balloons. Furthermore, the radiation must have destroyed the linguistic part of his brain, because he only exclaimed simple sentences like “I know!” or “This is bad!” I know, this was for first graders, but it’s just too funny to ignore.

And let’s not forget his dangerous enemies. Yes, a rogues gallery this heinous has not been recorded in the history of super heroes! Fear the mighty fury of…THE SPOILER! Or how about…MR. FRIGHT?! Gasp! But surely you can not survive the might of…THE BIRTHDAY BANDIT! THE WALL! THE CAN CRUSHER! THE HUM! Sure, Doctor Doom might have captured the Fantastic Four and aimed a nuclear warhead at New York City, but Spidey has more important things to do…like stop a gay guy from running off with a spoiled kid’s birthday presents!

Okay, it’s not really fair making fun of this show. I mean, it was off the air before I was born, and was aimed at a much lower age demographic than where I am right now. It may have been just for selling comics, but it was still a good cause, and I do commend Marvel for allowing Spidey to be used free of charge. The skits are silly, but still entertaining on some level. They may not be high art, but it’s far from Spidey’s lowest. (I’m looking at you, Japan.)

It’s also worth noting that Spidey Super Stories was spun off into its own comic book. Much like the segments, it was based around improving reading skills, with four-panel pages, simply writing, and straightforward plots. However, in the comic, Spider-Man also teamed up with other established Marvel heroes, including Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and others. These comics also included short one-page biographies of each hero and villain, glossing over who they were, what their powers or weapons were, and whether they were a hero or villain. And hell, the thing apparently had THANOS! Seriously, if you can link me up with the Thanos issue, PLEASE DO! I’ve got to see that thing with my own eyes!

Next time: We delve into true horror…with the Japanese version. So sue me, I don’t want to touch that live-action show until I HAVE to!

Wilfredo_Martinez · July 27, 2008, 4:32am

The only memory I have of Spidey Super Stories is precisely of somebody reading his word balloons to understand what he was saying. Even back then I thought that was annoying (though I understood the idea was to promote reading among kids) Still, I think it would’ve been more fun to hear Spidey talk.

I DO remember the comic version better, it was still being printed by the time I discovered American comics. While it was beneath my dignity to buy, I still think it was better than the TV version.

And no, sadly I don’t have the Thanos issue.

Other Superheroes appeared in EC/Sesame Street segments. I remember Superman, Batman and Robin, and some guy with a football outfit and the power of- spelling? (Obviously made up for the show.) Anybody know who this was?

I seriously doubt that the Japanese Spider-Man was worse than the SSS one. And yes, I’ve seen it too. But I’ll wait for your comments on it…

d_Galloway · July 28, 2008, 8:51pm

Let’s keep moving on, folks!

Chapter Fo- I mean, Three: The Japanese Spider-Man

Admit it; you watched the Power Rangers. At some point, you had to have seen that…ugh…show. You remember loving it as a small, dumb child, and then seeing it as an adult…caused you to melt into the cynical monstrosity that you are today. Well, guess what? There’s a TON of these shows out there, and nearly all of them come from that lovely little chain of islands known as Japan. The sheer number of programs is incalculable, but suffice to say, they’re all just about the same. A monster attacks Japan (why they don’t attack anywhere else is beyond me), a Japanese guy or teams of Japanese guys arrive, they can’t defeat the monster, and end up using a giant robot to save the day. There, you have just watched over one hundred shows in two sentences.

Back in the mid-1970s, Marvel wanted to break into the extremely-difficult-to-penetrate Japanese market. (A modern equivalent would probably be Microsoft’s hopeless attempts to sell the Xbox 360.) The first attempt was the rather unsuccessful Spider-Man: The Manga, which ran from 1970 to 1971. The second attempt was a licensing deal with Toei , to turn Spider-Man into a tokusatsu. (If my understanding of the term is correct, any show or movie that relied excessively upon special effects was considered a tokusatsu. Please correct me if I’m wrong.) Spider-Man hit the Japanese airwaves on May 17, 1978.

Now, take a look at the opening. Do you see anything…out of place here?

If you laughed, screamed, cried, or threw your computer aside at the sight of a giant robot, you aren’t alone. The show’s producers, Tôru Hirayama and Susumu Yoshikawa, wanted to more or less make a direct adaptation of the comics. However, one of the show’s sponsors was Bandai (you know, the giant robot people). So…they were forced to make the show somehow involve Spider-Man using a war machine. So, they added giant monsters. BUT, those monsters had to come from somewhere! So, they created an entirely new set of villains. And of course, this meant the hero had to have a different motivation than before, so the origin got rewritten, too. In the end, you had a show called Spider-Man that had absolutely nothing to do with Spider-Man.

And people bitch about Robotech.

The Japanese Spider-Man was Takuya Yamashiro, motorcycle rider and son of brilliant scientist Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro. One day, a meteor crash lands in Japan (of course), so Dr. Yamashiro heads out with Takuya’s hot reporter girlfriend to investigate. Turns out the meteor was a spaceship called “Marveller,” (snort) and has attracted the attention of the evil Professor Monster (snicker) and his Iron Cross Army. (laughter) So, being the constructive thinkers they are, they send out a monster that kills Dr. Yamashiro. Takuya comes to the murder sight shortly afterwards, where he gets his ass handed to him by Monster’s beak-nosed putties.

But, of course, he falls into a cave and is saved by a mysterious old man. Turns out the old man is actually a “Spider Warrior” or something, and has chosen Takuya to succeed him as Spider-Man. Armed with a costume and new powers, Spider-Man defeats the putties at a dam, saving some guy I can’t remember in the process. However, the monster that killed his father soon grows to giant size! If only Spider-Man had a giant robot…oh wait, he does now! So, he calls in the Marveller, which then turns into the mighty Leopardmon, and beats the shit out of the monster. And that ends the mighty origin of the Japanese Spider-Man.

The only reason I recapped this episode was the show exactly what this show is, because every other episode I’ve seen has been an exact repeat of this. Monster comes in, Spider-Man fights it, monster gets big, Spider-Man calls in Leopardmon, special effects, cheap explosion, roll credits. Spidey’s foes are no more inspiring, either, except for one time where he fights THE THING!

Spider-Man’s powers were actually kept intact, as was his costume. In fact, the only difference in his appearance was a drastic reduction in the eyes; otherwise, everything was the same. His powers actually came from a rather large bracelet; his increased strength, agility, and endurance was because of an initial injection. Furthermore, he could still climb walls, and still had his Spider-Sense. And of course, he could shoot webbing (here called “Spider String”); of course, it looked exactly like regular robe, but compared to the Spidey Super Stories, this was miles ahead.

However, like any other show with giant robots, the budget ran out quickly; by the fifth episode, in fact. Furthermore, the Leopardmon costume was stolen after the tenth episode was filmed, meaning no new footage could be filmed. So, from that day on, whenever Leopardmon blew up the monster-of-the-week, they simply used some stock footage of an attack, followed by a big explosion.

The show wasn’t a total failure, and isn’t terrible. It’s just that most fans, including me, can’t get around the idea of Spider-Man having a giant robot. He even had a rocket car…which reminds me of the Spider-Mobile, further increasing my hatred. Still, who am I to complain? I mean, Stan Lee even said he liked the show, and would love to work on a sequel. I only pay money for the comics, so that I can enjoy Spider-Man, and pray that someone does him justice and doesn’t muck him up with crap like giant robots and monsters and creates a Spider-Man show that doesn’t involve Spider-Maninanywayshapeorformand-

Excuse me, I’m going to tranq myself. I’m sure Wil will disagree with me, but…this show was a horrible interpretation of Spider-Man, cultural differences be damned. At least Spider-Man India more or less kept to the key themes of the character.

END OF DISCUSSION.

Next time: We look at the failed American live-action show.

Wilfredo_Martinez · July 29, 2008, 6:47am

d: I indeed would rather watch an episode of the Japanese Spider-Man than the Spidey Super Stories Electric Company segments- EVEN as a child- though I admit that it would get pretty boring after a while. The one thing I liked about these Tokusatsu shows, is their creativity when it comes to monster designs… some are very inspired, and some are just plain BIZARRE (I remember a typewriter-headed monster on Power Rangers… :thud: )

(And yes, Tokusatsu means Special FX, which means even Japanese Horror movies could be considered Tokusatsu. Though the term is mostly used for Superhero shows.)

It’ll be interesting to see how “Supaida-Man” compares to the American Live Action TV show version…

Leareth45 · July 29, 2008, 7:19am

…Oh my freaking god…has a 5 second Emo moment after reading about SSS and JSS Must…resist…cutting…wrists! >_< I never want to see a show that ruins my ideals about Spider-Man

GG_Crono · July 29, 2008, 7:13pm

Silly Galloway! EVERYTHING is better with giant robots! Ahahahahahah. Silly American.

d_Galloway · July 29, 2008, 8:17pm

Chapter Four: Spider-Man: The 1977 Live Action Series

Way back in the 1970s, CBS had no less than three superhero shows. The first was Wonder Woman, which premiered for a poor first season on ABC before being picked up by the other network. The third was the legendary Incredible Hulk series, which premiered in TV movie format in 1977 and became a regular series in 1978. The bastard middle child of the lot has to be Spider-Man’s stab at a television action series, an attempt so disastrously horrid in execution that Stan “The Man” Lee has vocally expressed his displeasure! And the bastard LOVES the Japanese show!

I’m not going to spend much time on this show, not only because my accessible episodes can be counted on one hand (it has never been released on DVD, and all VHS copies went out of print in the early 1990s), but because it’s a really, REALLY bad show.

First off, you know those lovely supporting characters, like Aunt May, JJJ, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, Joe Robertson, etc.? Well, forget about everyone but the first two, because THEY ARE NOT IN THE SHOW. I mean, I can understand axing the last two (even though Joe apparently showed up in the pilot but nowhere else), but why didn’t they include Mary Jane? It’s not like she’s some minor character in an obscure issue; she’s one of the most important characters in the comics! And don’t get me started on their Jameson! He’s gone from a Spider-Man-hating media tyrant to a rough-but-good-natured grandfather! Such blasphemy cannot be allowed!

The show starred Nick Hammond as Peter Parker, and he actually wasn’t bad when he was playing Peter Parker. The Peter of this show was similar to George Reeve’s famous portrayal of Clark Kent; a tough, inquisitive, go-to action of a man, while also mild mannered enough to throw people off the trail. Even when he’s forced to wear a YELLOW JACKET for almost every scene, Hammond does show some acting skills.

Then they dress him up as Spider-Man. And the whole show goes straight down the crapper.

The Spider-Man costume in this show is HORRENDOUS! The basic design is similar, but the shape of Hammond’s body, coupled with some extremely questionable design decisions, makes the thing look dumber than Galactus in the second Fantastic Four movie. It seems the producers didn’t think anyone could see through white fabric, so they replaced Spider-Man’s eyes with what are either empty holes or plastic; I can’t really tell. Spider-Man’s webshooters are combined into a bracelet, much like the Japanese Spider-Man; however, the bracelet does nothing else, so…how does he justify lugging that giant thing around? Especially since, half the time, it doesn’t show HOW he hid his costume; he might be shirtless in a prison cell one scene, and then escaping in full Spider-Man garb the next! The whole thing looks so ridiculous, I feel the urge to hunt down whoever made this thing and kill them. Hold on, I need some pills.

Ah, much better. Anyway, the episodes, much like those of Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk, rarely involve any superpowered threat; instead, Spidey faces off against common goons, burglars, thieves, insurance scams, etc. And since he wouldn’t splatter people when he punches them (unlike the Hulk), he was allowed to use the full extent of his horribly clumsy acrobatic moves against everyone he came across. This meant the show’s villains would be dealt with in about five minutes, if the writers hadn’t padded the remaining forty with incredibly pointless dialog, extensive chase scenes, and more padding than an entire season of Dragonball Z.

This leads to the show’s biggest fault: it’s simply BORING. The few episodes I’ve seen have nearly driven me into a boredom-induced coma. Never before has so little been happening for so long. It’s so incredibly mind-numbing, I want to hunt down whoever made this and kill them…AND their families. Hold on, I need more pills.

two dozen pill bottles, a night in Vegas, and numerous car-related hijinks later

Ugh…what happened? Oh yeah, we were talking about that show. Well, it’s done. At last, everything is finished. There’s no way things could get any worse…

Next time: Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends OR It Gets Worse

Leareth45 · July 30, 2008, 6:08am

pops in again Huh? Spider-Man the live action sh-actually watches an episode OH MY GOD!!! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP!!!runs away from the show Holy crap, that was horrible. I thought my eyes were going to melt off my face!

I have one thing to say to the person that created this monstrosity. FUCK YOU!!!

Wilfredo_Martinez · July 30, 2008, 6:15am

If I remember correctly, the eyes of Spider-Man’s mask in the American show were made out of wire. Made him look like he was going to fencing class. :thud:

Thankfully I remember next to nothing about this show, other than the awful costume, and how boring it was. Where was Doctor Octopus???

I’d much rather watch Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (and I did.) Hey, it gave us Firestar, at the least!

Have faith, d, things will get better as the reviews progress. I especially want to hear your thoughts on Spectacular Spider-Man; at first this show annoyed me, but since then they’ve come up with some neat twists.

Mabatsekker · July 30, 2008, 6:52am

And in the next episode of RPGC Task Force: Galloway ups Mabatsekker’s drunken antics at getting wasted WITH PILLS!

I remember watching the live-action spidey movie from the 70’s… I remember it being rather boring, except when Spider-sense was in place: It showed Peter THE FUTURE instead of just being a tingle. And the webshooting was PSHW~hoa, the villains are netted up!