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That was a fun episode. Good job Chris! I agree that Barry White (aka "Larry Tate") was never a good fit as J Jonah Jameson. It was clear, even by 70's standards, he was overacting the role in an effort to appear combative and difficult with Parker. It was like watching Mr. Rogers act like a jerk. You just didn't believe what you saw. Robert Simon was more believable. But I do remember when it was new, I felt like they were trying and rooted the show on. I still have a great fondness for the costume though. That first moment when he walks in front of the mirror is still a classic moment in TV for me. He looked good. That was a real comic book moment they pulled off. What I didn't like (and hate now) was this strange insistence the director had in making him crawl like a crab on the walls and essentially act silly by sticking his head between his legs (with equally bad music in tow). That was so daffy, it really undermined the material. It especially hurt the common sense of the story when he's suppose to be getting from point A to point B and he's outside on the wall sniffing his farts while he crawls side to side.
I often thought that was the disconnect between the studio and audience. It was painfully obvious they were trying to broaden the scope of the show to include the average viewer who watched Kojak or Columbo and it just never worked on that level. And that's where I really agree with Dwayne here. Spider-man was so very difficult to bring to life (as intended) by television standards of the day. Unfortunately what ended up making him so pedestrian were the common thugs he had to fight. It was like a Marvelized version of Shazam. I like the enthusiasm Nicholas Hammond brought to the role and Spidey was fun with his accessories outside his costume. But having no one to fight on equal terms made it a tough sell. It would have been fun to see him team up with the Hulk back in those days. Seeing Lou Ferrigno break free from Spidey's "Crazy String" webbing would have been a fun and hammy moment to get from the 70's.
I often thought that was the disconnect between the studio and audience. It was painfully obvious they were trying to broaden the scope of the show to include the average viewer who watched Kojak or Columbo and it just never worked on that level. And that's where I really agree with Dwayne here. Spider-man was so very difficult to bring to life (as intended) by television standards of the day. Unfortunately what ended up making him so pedestrian were the common thugs he had to fight. It was like a Marvelized version of Shazam. I like the enthusiasm Nicholas Hammond brought to the role and Spidey was fun with his accessories outside his costume. But having no one to fight on equal terms made it a tough sell. It would have been fun to see him team up with the Hulk back in those days. Seeing Lou Ferrigno break free from Spidey's "Crazy String" webbing would have been a fun and hammy moment to get from the 70's.
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