The Black Widow (serial)
Encyclopedia
The Black Widow is a Republic
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
hires amateur
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Sombra to the United States
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
a prototype
Atomic Rocket Engine
.
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Source:
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
hires amateur
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Sombra to the United States
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
a prototype
Atomic Rocket Engine
.
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Source:
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
hires amateur
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Sombra to the United States
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
a prototype
Atomic Rocket Engine
.
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Source:
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
Plot
The Editor of the Daily Clarion newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
hires amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
Sombra to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
Atomic Rocket Engine
Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft...
.
Cast
- Bruce Edwards as Steve Colt, AmateurAmateurAn amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist on the trail of a series of bizarre murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s - Virginia Lindley as Joyce Winters
- Carol Forman as Sombra, daughter and agent of King Hitomu
- Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
as Nick Ward, a gangster working with Sombra - Ramsay AmesRamsay AmesRamsay Ames was a leading 1940s American B movie actress, model, dancer, comediene, pin-up girl and host of a television show....
as Ruth Dayton - I. Stanford JolleyI. Stanford JolleyIsaac Stanford Jolley, Sr., known as I. Stanford Jolley was a prolific American character actor of film and television, primarily in western roles as cowboys, law-enforcement officers, or villains...
as Dr Z V Jaffa, scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
working with Sombra - Theodore GottliebBrother TheodoreBrother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
as Hitomu, intent on World Domination - Forrest Taylor as Bradley, gang lawyer
Production
The Black Widow was budgeted at $168,995 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
Stunts
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
as Steve Colt (doubling Bruce Edwards) - Dale Van SickelDale Van SickelDale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
) - Bud WolfeBud WolfeRoland 'Bud' Wolfe was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland....
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
)
Theatrical
The Black Widow's official release date is 1 November 1947, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.Television
In the early 1950s, The Black Widow was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Chapter titles
- Deadly Prophecy (20 min)
- The Stolen Formula (13min 20s)
- Hidden Death (13min 20s)
- Peril in the Sky (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Lair (13min 20s)
- Glass Guillotine (13min 20s)
- Wheels of Death (13min 20s)
- False Information (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Venom (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
- The Stolen Corpse (13min 20s)
- Death Dials a Number (13min 20s)
- The Talking Mirror (13min 20s)
- A Life for a Life (13min 20s)
Source:
External links
The Black Widow (1947) is a RepublicRepublic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
Plot
The Editor of the Daily Clarion newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
hires amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
Sombra to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
Atomic Rocket Engine
Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft...
.
Cast
- Bruce Edwards as Steve Colt, AmateurAmateurAn amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist on the trail of a series of bizarre murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s - Virginia Lindley as Joyce Winters
- Carol Forman as Sombra, daughter and agent of King Hitomu
- Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
as Nick Ward, a gangster working with Sombra - Ramsay AmesRamsay AmesRamsay Ames was a leading 1940s American B movie actress, model, dancer, comediene, pin-up girl and host of a television show....
as Ruth Dayton - I. Stanford JolleyI. Stanford JolleyIsaac Stanford Jolley, Sr., known as I. Stanford Jolley was a prolific American character actor of film and television, primarily in western roles as cowboys, law-enforcement officers, or villains...
as Dr Z V Jaffa, scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
working with Sombra - Theodore GottliebBrother TheodoreBrother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
as Hitomu, intent on World Domination - Forrest Taylor as Bradley, gang lawyer
Production
The Black Widow was budgeted at $168,995 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
Stunts
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
as Steve Colt (doubling Bruce Edwards) - Dale Van SickelDale Van SickelDale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
) - Bud WolfeBud WolfeRoland 'Bud' Wolfe was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland....
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
)
Theatrical
The Black Widow's official release date is 1 November 1947, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.Television
In the early 1950s, The Black Widow was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Chapter titles
- Deadly Prophecy (20 min)
- The Stolen Formula (13min 20s)
- Hidden Death (13min 20s)
- Peril in the Sky (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Lair (13min 20s)
- Glass Guillotine (13min 20s)
- Wheels of Death (13min 20s)
- False Information (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Venom (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
- The Stolen Corpse (13min 20s)
- Death Dials a Number (13min 20s)
- The Talking Mirror (13min 20s)
- A Life for a Life (13min 20s)
Source:
External links
The Black Widow (1947) is a RepublicRepublic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
Movie serial. Thirteen episodes were made.
Plot
The Editor of the Daily Clarion newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
hires amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist Steve Colt to solve a series of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s, all involving poisonous spider bites.
Meanwhile, King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Hitomu has sent his daughter
Daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl, woman, or female animal in relation to her parents. The male equivalent is a son. Analogously the name is used on several areas to show relations between groups or elements.-Etymology:...
Sombra to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to fulfill his plan for global domination. There she poses as a fortune teller and, with a gang of henchmen, attempts to steal
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
Atomic Rocket Engine
Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)
Project Orion was a study of a spacecraft intended to be directly propelled by a series of explosions of atomic bombs behind the craft...
.
Cast
- Bruce Edwards as Steve Colt, AmateurAmateurAn amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
criminologist on the trail of a series of bizarre murderMurderMurder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s - Virginia Lindley as Joyce Winters
- Carol Forman as Sombra, daughter and agent of King Hitomu
- Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
as Nick Ward, a gangster working with Sombra - Ramsay AmesRamsay AmesRamsay Ames was a leading 1940s American B movie actress, model, dancer, comediene, pin-up girl and host of a television show....
as Ruth Dayton - I. Stanford JolleyI. Stanford JolleyIsaac Stanford Jolley, Sr., known as I. Stanford Jolley was a prolific American character actor of film and television, primarily in western roles as cowboys, law-enforcement officers, or villains...
as Dr Z V Jaffa, scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
working with Sombra - Theodore GottliebBrother TheodoreBrother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
as Hitomu, intent on World Domination - Forrest Taylor as Bradley, gang lawyer
Production
The Black Widow was budgeted at $168,995 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $186,314 (a $17,319, or 10.2%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1947.
It was filmed between 11 April and 8 May 1947. The serial's production number was 1697.
This was one of only four 13-chapter serials to be released by Republic. Three of the four were released in 1947, the only original serials released in that year. The fourth serial of the year was a re-release of the 15-chapter, 1941 serial Jungle Girl. This marked the first time Republic had re-released a serial to add to their first run serial releases.
Stunts
- Tom SteeleTom Steele (stuntman)Tom Steele was a stunt man and actor, best remembered for appearing in serials, especially those produced by Republic Pictures, in both capacities.-Early life:...
as Steve Colt (doubling Bruce Edwards) - Dale Van SickelDale Van SickelDale Harris Van Sickel was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years...
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
) - Bud WolfeBud WolfeRoland 'Bud' Wolfe was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland....
as Nick Ward (doubling Anthony WardeAnthony WardeAnthony Warde was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964.-Career:A native of Pennsylvania, Warde started his Hollywood career in Escape by Night , appearing in a handful of undistinguished feature films before gaining popularity as one of the hardest working...
)
Theatrical
The Black Widow's official release date is 1 November 1947, although this is actually the date the sixth chapter was made available to film exchanges.Television
In the early 1950s, The Black Widow was one of fourteen Republic serials edited into a television series. It was broadcast in six 26½-minute episodes.The Black Widow was one of twenty-six Republic serials re-released as a film on television in 1966. The title of the film was changed to Sombra, the Spider Woman. This version was cut down to 100-minutes in length.
Chapter titles
- Deadly Prophecy (20 min)
- The Stolen Formula (13min 20s)
- Hidden Death (13min 20s)
- Peril in the Sky (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Lair (13min 20s)
- Glass Guillotine (13min 20s)
- Wheels of Death (13min 20s)
- False Information (13min 20s)
- The Spider's Venom (13min 20s) - a re-cap chapter
- The Stolen Corpse (13min 20s)
- Death Dials a Number (13min 20s)
- The Talking Mirror (13min 20s)
- A Life for a Life (13min 20s)
Source: