Original French poster for THE SPIDER WOMAN.


What is most remarkable


about THE SPIDER WOMAN is its second half, which consists of four extended sequences which unfold on single sets in real time: when Holmes and Lestrade provide the bait for Spedding’s spider in a Langdon Flats apartment (23:25- 28:57); the sequence in which Baker Street is visited first by en- tomologist Adam Gilflower (Arthur Hohl), then by Ms. Spedding and her Renfield-like nephew Larry (Teddy Infuhr, one of the most uncanny child performances of its era; 29:13-42:20); Holmes and Watson’s call on spider specialist Matthew Ordway (43:08-50:25); and finally, the arcade climax which finds Holmes placed inside a shooting gallery target in the tempting likeness of Adolf Hitler (50:26-62:40). The Baker Street sequence is a particular tour de force, veering from comedy (Watson ini- tially mistakes the bearded and be- spectacled Gilflower as one of


gambling and contemplating suicide, Holmes baits the inter- est of beautiful socialite Adrea Spedding (Gale Sondergaard), who has developed a sophisticated scam in which financially embar- rassed men temporarily sign their life insurance policies over to her, and are driven to suicide before the funds are reversed. In a se- quence that combines elements of Doyle’s “The Speckled Band” and THE UNHOLY THREE, the suicides are explained by the in- troduction of a deadly lycosa car- nivora spider into the victims’ bedrooms through air shafts, car- ried there by compact arcade at- traction “Bongo the Pouncing Pygmy” (Angelo Rossitto), who is himself carried to the crime scenes in a suitcase by a burly strongman (Harry Cording).


24


Holmes and Watson flank their deadly but alluring adversary Adrea Spedding (Gale Sondergaard) in this promotional shot for THE SPIDER WOMAN.

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