| The Spider Woman
|
|
Original Theatrical Poster
|
| Country
|
 USA
|
| Directed by
|
Roy William Neill
|
| Release Date
|
1944
|
| Studio
|
Universal Pictures
|
|
|
The Spider Woman is an American 1944 (filmed 1943) detective movie, directed by Roy William Neill and starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. This is the seventh installment to the series of fourteen Sherlock Holmes films starring Rathbone and Bruce. The story incorporates elements from several Arthur Conan Doyle's works: "The Sign of the Four", "The Final Problem", "The Adventure of the Empty House", "The Adventure of the Speckled Band" and "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot". Sherlock Holmes confronts Adrea Spedding (Gale Sondergaard), "a female Moriarty" who commits murders, using a deadly poisonous spider.
The following weapons were used in the film The Spider Woman:
Revolvers
Colt Detective Special
Like in several other films of the series, Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) carries a Colt Detective Special. Adrea Spedding's henchmen Fred Garvin (Harry Cording) and Radlik (Alec Craig) also use Colt DS revolvers.
Colt Detective Special 1st Gen with Square Butt - .38 Special
Holmes holds his Colt Detective Special during the shootout with Fred Garvin on a rooftop.
Garvin is also armed with a Colt Detective Special.
Another view of Holmes' revolver.
Gavin's revolver runds dry, and the villain preferes to run away.
Holmes fires after escaping Gavin.
Holmes aims a Colt at Radlik who poses himself as arachnologist Matthew Ordway. This revolver Holmes deftly pulled from Radlik's hip pocket.
Now Radlik holds Holmes at gunpoint.
Radlik holds Holmes at gunpoint on a promotional still.
Colt Police Positive
When Holmes gives his Colt Detective Special to Dr. Watson, and the latter is disarmed by Radlik, the revolver swtiches to a larger Colt Police Positive.
Colt Police Positive with 4" Barrel - .38 Special
When the Detective Special falls on the floor, it switches to a Police Positive.
Escaping Radlik drops a glass jar with poisonous spiders over the revolver.
Holmes holds a Colt Police Positive on a promotional image (he doesn't holds this revolver in the movie).
Colt 1877 Thunderer Shopkeeper Model
Adrea Spedding's half-brother and accomplice Norman Locke (Vernon Downing) uses a Colt 1877 Thunderer Shopkeeper Model revolver in the scene in a shooting gallery. A Colt Shopkeeper revolver is also seen in hands of a man commiting suicide in the opening scene. Possibly this is the same prop, used in one of the previous films of the series, Sherlock Holmes Faces Death.
Colt Lightning Shopkeeper - .38 Colt. Colt Thunderer Shopkeeper looks generally the same, except for slightly larger size and chambering in .41 caliber.
A Colt Shopkeeper is seen in hand of a man who shot himself, combined with a newspaper, describing a wave of night suicides in London.
Norman Locke holds his revolver.
Locke with Colt Shopkeeper and Radlik with Colt Detective Special hold Holmes at gunpoint.
Another view of Locke's revolver.
Pistols
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket
A Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket pistol is used by Holmes when he poses under disguise of an officer of Maharaja of Bengal Col. Rajni Singh.
Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket - .25 ACP
Holmes, posing as Rajni Singh, imitates an attempt to shoot himself in order to draw attention of Adrea Spedding.
Rifles
Several small caliber rifles are used in the scene in a shooting gallery. Those that are seen clear enough are described below.
A number of small caliber rifles are seen in a shooting gallery on a fair. Three at the left are definitly bolt action, the next one appears to be pump action, and the fifth one is seen only partially. Cartoons of Hitler, Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito are used as targets.
Unidentified bolt action rifle
A sailor at the far left shoots a bolt action rifle. The straight bolt handle is seen.
Remington Model 34
Another bolt action rifle appears to be a Remington Model 34, identified by the underbarrel tube magazine, turned-down bolt handle and a large groove on stock.
Holmes takes the rifle but doesn't shoot. Note the underbarrel tube magazine.
Artie (Donald Stuart), shooting gallery attendant, suggests Waston to shoot at targets.
Watson takes the rifle. The bolt handle is seen.
Watson aims, not knowning that bound and gagged Holmes is tied behind a moving target.
Another view of the rifle.
One more view of the rifle.
Pump action small caliber rifle
A small caliber pump action rifle is also used in the scene in a shooting gallery. This is a hammerless model, and it lacks long underbarrel tube magazine (or has a very short one); that excludes such popular models of that time as Remington Model 12, Savage Model 29 or Winchester Model 61.
After Watson several times doesn't shoot at the target, behind which Holmes is tied, Norman Locke (
Vernon Downing) takes another rifle from Artie and fires himself.
This rifle is pump-action, hammerless and lacks (or has very short) tube magazine.
Astonished Locke holds the rifle.
Another view of aiming Locke.
He operates the pump, reloading the rifle.
Join our Discord!
