Celebrating Spider-Man's original 1967-69 cartoon

Along with its pop culture phenomenon theme song, the original ABC run of Spider-Man, and its many reincarnations in syndication around the world (but especially in native-content-loving Canada!), gave the superhero a platform which I think launched his popularity ever skyward! Already a surprise smash hit for Marvel Comics from his 1962 inception by writer/editor Stan Lee and designer/plotter Steve Ditko, the wallcrawler's exposure through the Grantray/ Lawence animated series took him into homes for Saturday mornings- and then, afternoons ever after- to fascinated children of all ages everywhere.


The series debuted on September 9th, 1967, which prompted me to share a bit of my re-discovery of the hero's famous, jazzy, funky and sometimes hilarious adventures. The second regular series writer on Amazing Spider-Man in 1972, a teen named Gerry Conway, told me he was eager to consume any iteration of his favorite Marvel characters. He watched Spider-Man every week, following its (barely) animated predecessor, the memorable Marvel Super Heroes series, with its thirteen installments of half hour adventures of Captain America, the Hulk, Iron Man, mighty Thor, and Prince Namor, the Submariner. Now, some fans of the comic couldn't take it very seriously when it came out, true. My advice is, don't take it too seriously.


Someone at Marveltoonzone.net, fifteen years ago after the DVD re-release, described the series once as "a comedy featuring an action hero." Take it in that spirit and you can appreciate both aspects! (That's arguably the approach to Spider-Man: Homecoming!) I eagerly watched and tape-recorded (so long as I had cassettes!) the longer straight-adventure episodes of the last two seasons, too- and they have a charm all their own. Funny- a lot of fans of the first season, with its Marvel villains in preponderance, don't like those much at all! Yes, it did get a little too "swingy" plot wise, and the original villains got more and more strange, culminating in the Rocket Robinhood-originated Infinata. His episode, "Revolt in the Fifth Dimension," is mentioned after a Season Two rehash called Spider-Man battles the Mole Men. That super-eery cartoon, it's often said, was too creepy for ABC to air it originally. History seems unclear on how much of Season Three was aired on ABC and how much went straight to syndication- I don't know why.

Maybe more interesting is the way a definitive cast list of voices eluded us for so long. The voice of Spider-Man/ Peter Parker, Paul Soles, went on to numerous acting jobs, such as Gemini-winning supporting actor turn in 2005's Terminal City on Canadian TV- even the recently-award-nominated web-based comedy shorts series, My Ninety-Year-Old Roommate. (Paul actually celebrated his 88th birthday on the day I made my first post assembling the great score music of Spider-man: August 11th!)

Paul really didn't have much to do with the famous cartoon, which was an extra job he picked up besides his regular day jobs like the afternoon topical series Take 30. A new father, Mr. Soles didn't sit down to watch the debut on September 9th, 1967. He did, however, play a cameo as Stanley the pizza-shop owner in Ed Norton's 2008 Hulk movie. A few years later, Paul attended his first comics convention in 2015, in a Golden Hawks fighter jacket designed by his son, Robert, with a great Spider-Man '67 logo and art! He's embraced the spotlight from the role at long last.

He does, however, recall his fellow thespians on the show, who all came from Canadian radio, a troupe assembled by, and directed by, his cousin Bernard "Bunny" Cowan. Cowan, Paul (J. Jonah Jameson) Kligman, and Peg (Betty Brant and EVERY woman on the show, it seems) Dixon were the few show regulars to receive an end show credit, but I've uncovered many other actors. One that bears notation was part of the troupe's first smash success: Billie Mae Richardson, who voiced Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in the 1964 television Christmas special beloved around the world to this day. Billie Mae played Billy Connors on Spider-Man, as well as the corner newsboy. Extra, extra, read all about this: Hermie the Dentist on Rudolph is...Paul Soles. Burl Ives, the singer, hosted the show as a snowman; Top 40/ Adult Contemporary disc jockey Carl Banas played the spotted elephant. Banas also gave us the voice of Spider-Man foe, the Scorpion!
Here's Vulcan from "Trubble"!

Ed MacNamara (I think, husband to Peg Dixon) played the Rhino, plus Blackbeard from Night of the Villains, and Vulcan from Paul's favorite episode, the mythology-referencing Here Comes Trubble (ep. 20). Len Carlson played the mysticism-loving, Halloween-like Green Goblin, as well wax-creep Parafino, and one of the Patterson twins you might know as STan and Lee, the Fly Brothers! He was also Martian thunder god Bolton. Speaking of Parafino's wax villains, the Executioner of Paris was played by Max Ferguson, who was the Fifth Avenue Phantom a couple of episodes earlier. When you know the cast list, you get an idea of the loose confederation of friends who pulled together to voice the classic cartoon- who had time to drop by and lend a hand!
Trick or Treachery! The last Season One episode under Grantray, with Carlson and Kligman as the Flies.
OH yes, I learned all this and more, including Soles and Kligman's roles on Wayne and Shuster's comedy sketch variety show, something of a Canadian Carol Burnett Show. Wayne and Shuster, according to Paul, were Johnny Carson's most frequent Tonight Show guests, so afficianadoes of that program most certainly saw them and wingman Kligman. I know this because I contacted Edna Talent to speak with Paul Soles, and began researching like mad to be prepared to discuss voice work like The Wonderful Adventures of Professor Kitzel, an educational shorts series written by Kligman with comedy intros and outros of each segment voiced by Kitzel, a.k.a., Paul Soles.
By the way, Paul doesn't take credit for being Dr. Banner. He says he's often mistaken for British actor Chris Wiggins, who played on Friday the 13th: The Series. Chris was also Thor in Marvel Super Heroes- and Mysterio! OH yeah! He's also the sinister Infinata.

I'll dig a bit deeper into the prospective cast list next time. I'll also find you a link to the cool tribute site with Paul's narration!


So, at the risk of attempting a "Best of" that two people could hardly quite agree on (including many cheeky folks who'd say "none of them!"), how about I share a few of my favorites, then pick up that idea maybe later?


We had two Doctor Octopus episodes. I enjoy Spider-Man's wisecracks in the very first episode of the series, and it's got Betty Brant involved in uncovering Doc Ock's hideout (I know, wouldn't it have been cool if she got to do more than be taken hostage? But she DOES run for help. Hey, why didn't that cop who found her looking for Peter stick with her in the first place?). The first Doc Ock is voiced by Vern Chapman, who comes back as Dr. Curt Connor (no 's) and the Lizard in episode three. Yeah, it's got the sort of questionable logic comics stories were partially known for, but that series debut is fun, too, especially if you have a soft spot for the tentacled mad scientist. But I'm going with this one today because "Terrible Triumph of Dr. Octopus" is one of the best for sheer action- AND it's based on Amazing Spider-Man #53! This one features the voice talent of Tom Harvey, who provides the show with its memorable Electro, Dr. Stillwell, The Sandman, and the many iterations of The Master Technician. And more!

Speaking of episodes based on Amazing Spider-Man issues, the first full=length installment of the series, Episode Five, finds its genesis in Amazing #13, from 1964. Spidey gets framed rather a lot in the first season's thirty-eight stories- and JJJ gets in on plans to eliminate the wall-crawler a few time, too. This one really captures the aspect that made Mysterio dangerous and interesting to start: if you don't know he's an illusionist, he's a much bigger threat! His actual ability to go toe-to-toe with Spidey seems much more convincing in this one. Spider-Man can't get the drop on him in their initial showdwon- and that's after Mysterio's impersonation of Spider-Man has made him New York's Most Wanted!
I'm quite fond of a touch that originated with the cartoon: the electronic voice lines that appear on his helmet when he speaks! It's kinda cool!
He comes back a couple more times, and if you're looking for something rather different in a plot, he threatens the seashore in "Return of the Flying Dutchman!" in Episode Twenty-three. Partly because of the full length, I think Mysterio's story is the most awesome of the initial appearances of rogues from Spidey's comic book. We haven't gotten into the seemingly endless stock footage filler, so there's more twists and action.



Now this one's really different: Blackwell the Magician's motives are not quite what they seem, as is apparently true of all we see here! It's not a profound story, but it touches upon a theme with variety from the perpetual good v. evil axis of adventure cartoons. The actresses mentioned at the beginning were real people. I like the resolution, too. Plus, it spawned a silly meme with Spider-Man held captive while his arms are obviously free, but whatever. It's always kind of fun to see a story world where illusionist stage magic is impossible to separate from something like real powers. Captures a child-like imagination nicely, it does.

A later episode that also doesn't get lost in stock footage- at least, not from this series, but probably some from another Bakshi production - is this kinda cool adventure story, "Cloud City of Gold." It's a terrific example of a story outside of what we most often think of as Spider-Man's milieu: for one, none of it's in New York City! Foreign Exchange student Peter Parker crash lands during an expedition in South America that leads to another very action-filled story. No Peter/ Spider-Man identity hassles, though I do agree with the YouTube commenter who suggested they should've parachuted out before the crash, to better protect the connection between Pete and Spidey. I can't say for sure, but I'm inclined to say this one was written by Lin Carter, who created the fantasy barbarian in prose, Thongor, later adapted by Marvel Comics. (Carter also produced work for the Conan the Barbarian paperback series, after its '60's revival under the covers of Frank Frazetta.) I mean, giant spider web in a volcano? Lost tribe in a city of gold? At least something new and different happens in each scene, so it's much more exciting than the more recycled low-budget entries.

The next episode, Neptune's Nose Cone, has some lost-land similarities, plus a gutsy female pilot, Penny. That one also has JJJ at either end, too- though "Cloud City" does have Kligman doing what sounds like Jameson with a quirky Spanish accent. Either one's pretty different than your usual Spider-Man and among the better-produced Season Two entries. IT's the one after that, #52, that stuck out in my mind after many decades though, the science fiction Spider-People of "Home." You finally meet a nice girl and she's from another planet. Parker luck.

Got to give it up for the Bakshi and company take on The Origin of Spider-Man, too. I'll pick it up next time.