Spider-Man (1967 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spider-Man |
|
|---|---|
Opening title
|
|
| Genre |
|
| Created by | Stan Lee |
| Voices of |
|
| Narrated by | Bernard Cowan |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "Spider-Man" |
| Composer(s) | |
| Country of origin |
|
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
|
| Distributor | ARP Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 9, 1967 – June 14, 1970 |
Spider-Man is an exciting animated TV show about a superhero. It was the very first cartoon series based on the famous Spider-Man comic books. These comics were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. The show was made by teams in both Canada (for the voices) and the United States (for the animation).
The main character, Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man, was voiced by Paul Soles. The first two seasons of the show were shown on the ABC television network. The third season was shown on different TV channels across the country. The series aired from September 9, 1967, to June 14, 1970. Many people still remember its catchy theme song: "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can..."
Contents
What is Spider-Man About?
This series follows the adventures of a teenager named Peter Parker. He gains amazing strength and spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Peter decides to use his new powers to fight crime as a costumed superhero. But he also has to deal with everyday problems, like family issues and being a young person.
As Spider-Man, Peter bravely fights super-powered bad guys. Some of these villains include Doctor Octopus, Mysterio, and the Green Goblin. Peter also works as a photographer for a newspaper called the Daily Bugle. However, the newspaper's editor, J. Jonah Jameson, thinks Spider-Man is a criminal. He often writes headlines criticizing Spider-Man's actions.
In the first season, much of the story focused on Peter's job at the Daily Bugle. It showed his relationship with Jameson and his friend, receptionist Betty Brant. Peter often had to quickly change into Spider-Man to save the day. His life outside the newspaper office and his Aunt May's home was not shown as much in early episodes.
The first season featured many classic Spider-Man villains from the comic books. After catching a villain, Spider-Man would often leave a note signed by "your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Stan Lee helped guide the stories for this season.
Later seasons (two and three) were produced by Ralph Bakshi. To save money, these seasons used fewer villains from the comic books. Instead, they often featured generic, green-skinned monsters. This allowed them to reuse animation clips from another cartoon called Rocket Robin Hood.
Meet the Voices Behind the Heroes and Villains
Many talented actors gave voices to the characters in Spider-Man. Here are some of the main voice actors:
Main Voice Actors
- Paul Soles – He was the voice of Peter Parker / Spider-Man. He also voiced other characters like Ox, Fakir, and the Vulture.
- Bernard Cowan – He was the Narrator for the show. He also voiced characters like Cowboy, Dr. Matto Magneto, and Dr. Von Schlick.
- Paul Kligman – He voiced J. Jonah Jameson, the Fiddler, and a Hippie Poet.
- Peg Dixon – She voiced Betty Brant, Mrs. Conners, and May Parker.
Other Voice Actors
Many other actors also lent their voices to the show, often playing different characters in various episodes.
- Carl Banas – He voiced Scorpion and Dr. Manta.
- Len Carlson – He was the voice of the Green Goblin and Captain Ned Stacy.
- Vern Chapman – He voiced Doctor Octopus in one episode.
- Gillie Fenwick – He voiced the Lizard Man/Dr. Curtis Conners and the Vulture in some episodes.
- Tom Harvey – He voiced many characters, including Electro, Doctor Octopus, Kingpin, and Sandman.
- Chris Wiggins – He voiced Mysterio and Blackwell the Magician.
When Spider-Man Aired
Spider-Man first aired in the U.S. on Saturday mornings on ABC. The very first episode, "The Power Of Doctor Octopus"/"Sub-Zero For Spidey," was shown on September 9, 1967.
During the first two seasons, the show was broadcast at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. ABC stopped showing Spider-Man on Saturday mornings on August 30, 1969. There were 39 half-hour episodes, many with two stories in each.
The show took a break until March of the next year. A third season then aired from March 22 to September 6, 1970, on Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.
In the 1970s, the show was rerun in different parts of the United States. It was often shown as part of after-school cartoon blocks. In Canada, the series aired on CTV Network channels during the 1970s and 1980s.
The series also aired in Japan on TV Tokyo in 1974 and again in 1986. Different voice actors were used for the Japanese versions.
In 1977, Spider-Man was shown in many other countries for the first time. The Spanish and Italian versions used a different theme song.
The series was shown again in the U.S. on ABC Family in 2002. This was part of a "Spidey-Mania" marathon to celebrate the release of the first Spider-Man movie. It was shown again in 2004 for the release of Spider-Man 2.
In September 2008, the series appeared in Canada on Teletoon Retro. A French version also aired on Radio-Canada.
Spider-Man on Home Video
You could watch Spider-Man episodes at home in different ways over the years.
VHS Tapes
Many episodes were released on VHS tapes in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. These tapes often included cartoons of other Marvel Comics characters. Some later VHS releases were even included as bonus episodes with the 1990s animated series.
DVDs
In 2008 and 2009, Morningstar Entertainment released some episodes on DVD in Canada. These were older versions, copied from VHS and Betamax tapes, so the quality wasn't always the best.
On June 29, 2004, Buena Vista Home Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1. This was a six-disc box set called Spider-Man – The '67 Collection. It had all 52 original episodes and an introduction by creator Stan Lee. This set is no longer made, so used copies can be expensive online today.
| DVD Name | Number of Episodes | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man – The '67 Collection | 52 | June 29, 2004 |
In the UK, Liberation Entertainment released the first season on Region 2 DVD in 2008. Another UK company, ClearVision, later took over the rights to release it there.
Spider-Man in Pop Culture
The 1960s Spider-Man series has become very popular on the internet. Because of its lower budget and some funny still images, many memes have been created from the show. These memes often show Spider-Man acting like an "online troll," which is actually the opposite of his real character.
In the "Spider-Verse" comic book storyline, a version of the TV show's universe is called Earth-67. The Spider-Army recruits the Spider-Man from Earth-67 to help them fight villains called the Inheritors.
The show was also referenced in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In the movie, Spider-Man 2099 travels to Earth-67 and meets the Spider-Man from this classic TV show. This scene is a fun reference to a popular internet meme where two Spider-Men point at each other.
See also
In Spanish: Spider-Man (serie de televisión de 1967) para niños
