Spider-Man's First Non-Animated Adaptation Wasn't On Television Or In The Movies

Many an actor has portrayed Spider-Man in live action, from Nicholas Hammond in the short-lived CBS show that managed to upset Stan Lee, all the way up to Tom Holland's Marvel Cinematic Universe interpretation. But the most dedicated fans will know that the very first actor to portray web-head on-screen was Danny Seagren in the "Spidey Super Stories" skits that appeared as part of the series "The Electric Company" from 1974 to '75. However, this wasn't the first time somebody played a non-animated version of the character. That came in an obscure stage show from 1972, of which very little is known. 

Spidey's first TV appearance came with the 1967 animated series "Spider-Man" which ran for three seasons until 1970. The character wouldn't return to screens until the fourth season of "The Electric Company," the educational children's series which aired on PBS from 1971 to 1977. During its run, the show introduced young audiences to the first live-action Spider-Man by way of the "Spidey Super Stories" skits. Puppeteer Danny Seagren donned the mask for the role — a mask he never once removed on-screen.

Between the end of the "Spider-Man" animated series and the beginning of "Spidey Super Stories," however, a mystery man was playing the wall-crawler in a traveling show that technically counts as the first time someone was paid to dress as the character for entertainment purposes.

Today, Spider-Man is a cultural phenomenon and one of the only characters who seems to be able to bring out the crowds for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie (just look at how "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" ruled the box office). But he wasn't always such a reliable draw. Having debuted in the pages of "Amazing Fantasy" #15 in August 1962, by the early '70s Spidey was yet to make his big screen debut. He had, however, been introduced to TV audiences via the animated 60s series, which no doubt helped influence the decision to include him in an incredibly obscure stage show called "The Bullwinkle Show" in 1972.

The existence of this show is confirmed via a niche website named Tellshiar, which covers Marvel ephemera of the past. This site has a flyer for the show in question, which, alongside characters from the popular series "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends," features a photo of a man in a Spider-Man costume (and, for some reason, someone dressed as Dracula). The site also includes a written description of Spidey's role in the show which according to the notes involved the character becoming "frighteningly alive."

"Frightening" is the operative word. As you might expect, further information on the stage show is hard to come by. But it turns out some people actually do remember seeing "The Bullwinkle Show," and based on their recollections, as well as contemporaneous reports from the time, the whole thing might just have been some horrible fever dream.

"The Bullwinkle Show" is a bit of a mystery but there are a few clues as to what it entailed scatted around the internet. Aside from the website with the flyer, a Spider-Man collector on Facebook claims to have seen the show during its original tour. Bruce Wechtenhiser who runs the site Spideyandme.com, recalled seeing "The Bullwinkle Show" at the age of eight when it came to Johnstown, Pennsylvania. According to Wechtenhiser, the performance was split into two acts, with Spidey appearing during the "last couple of minutes and capturing Dracula in his web!" Yep, turns out Dracula was there to face off against the wall-crawler.

Another Facebook user tracked down a short newspaper story reporting on Count Dracula's "return to Athens" in the stage show. The Dracula in question was evidently Ohio University graduate Denny Miller, who according to the report appears in the show alongside other characters including "King Kong, Tom and Jerry, Spider-Man and Deputy Dawg." A description of the on-stage action promises a story in which Bullwinkle and Deputy Dawg capture Dracula after he steals Rocky the Squirrel's nuts. If that doesn't sound upsetting enough, just take a quick glance at the costumes involved.

So there you have it — the first live-action Spider-Man. It's still unknown who played the superhero in "The Bullwinkle Show" or whether multiple performers donned the haunted Spidey suit. Perhaps more information will come to light in future so we can complete the live-action Spider-Man actors list, though it's probably for the best "The Bullwinkle Show" has been mostly lost to history.