SOMBRA, THE SPIDER WOMAN (1966)
Feature Film Version of the serial THE BLACK WIDOW
Article 1932 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-29-2006
Posting Date: 11-26-2006
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred C. Brannon
Featuring Carol Forman, Bruce Edwards, Virginia Lee

An evil woman who is actually an alien from another planet is trying to get the plans for a gyro rocket with which her people can attack the earth.

These feature-film versions of serials made in the mid-sixties were intended for TV viewing, and I suspect that’s the best way to enjoy them. Watching them straight through, all I’m really aware of is the lack of story flow and the abrupt editing as the editors do their best to jump to the next action sequence by cutting as much exposition as they possibly can. If you imagine commercials popping up between these jumps, they seem less annoying. It actually might be fun to take some of these feature versions, and edit in commercials (from Ronco or K-Tel) or TV spots for movies or maybe some dialing-for-dollars footage. I’d enjoy them more that way, anyway.

Biggest non-surprise: Anthony Warde plays the main henchman.

Biggest surprise: Gene Roth plays a good guy.