Spider-Man

A wave of strange crimes hits New York City, committed by ordinary, respectable people who seem to have lost control of their own actions. Behind it stands a man who bends minds to his will, turning law-abiding citizens into criminals and threatening a mass suicide unless a fortune in ransom is paid. Peter Parker, a young science student, is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superhuman strength, agility and the ability to climb walls. Taking photographs for the newspaper where he works, he meets Judy Tyler, the daughter of one of those arrested for the robberies, and decides to put on a disguise and use his new abilities against the extortionist.

This 1977 American television film was directed by E.W. Swackhamer, the first of the three features he made, followed later that same year by Night Terror and in 1980 by Reward. Alvin Boretz wrote the screenplay, Edward Montagne produced, and Nicholas Hammond plays Peter Parker and his alter ego. David White appears as J. Jonah Jameson, with Michael Pataki, Hilly Hicks, Lisa Eilbacher and Dick Balduzzi among a credited cast of twenty-seven.

Made for CBS and running 88 minutes, the film blends action, adventure, crime and science fiction. On TMDB it holds a rating of 6.3 out of 10 from 218 votes, a moderate score for a small-screen production of its era.