The Secret of the Black Widow (Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe)

The Secret of the Black Widow (Das Geheimnis der schwarzen Witwe) is a 1963 German-Spanish B&W crime thriller directed by Franz Josef Gottlieb and based on the novel "The Queen of the Night" by Louis Weinert-Wilton. A London journalist Wellby (O. W. Fischer) is involved in the investigation of a series of strange murders. Former members of an expedition in Mexico are killed by poison darts with the image of black widow spider. The investigation leads Wellby to the acquaintance with Clarisse Avery (Karin Dor), the daughter of the expedition leader who died in the jungles under mysterious circumstances.
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= Revolvers =
== Arminius HW-1 ==
Boyd (Klaus Kinski) draws a revolver when he saves Wellby who is assaulted by Selwood's bouncers. This revolver is an Arminius model, most likely HW-1.
= Pistols =
== Walther LP-53 ==
A Walther LP-53 is the murder weapon throughout the movie. The ajustable rear sight is removed from the gun (the screws on the top strap can be seen), and the pistol has a shorter barrel than the standard model. It's worth noting that the usage of LP-53 for shooting poisoned darts is a common plot item in 1960s films (for example, That Man from Rio and The Majordomo).
== Llama II ==
Wellby (O. W. Fischer) owns a bright chrome plated Llama II pistol. In the final scene this gun is used by Helen Osbourn (Doris Kirchner). The exact model of this pistol can be estimated judging by the lack of the grip safety that exists on generally similar Llama III.
== Arrizabalaga Sharp-Shooter ==
When Clarisse Avery (Karin Dor) comes into William Osbourn's house, she is armed with an Arrizabalaga Sharp-Shooter pistol, a Spanish gun of 1920s with tip-up barrel. The size of the gun and the position of the safety allows to identify a version chambered in .32 rather than in .25.
== Astra 400 ==
Bryan (Angel Menéndez), one of the members of the expedition, owns an Astra 400 pistol. Inspector Terry (Felix Dafauce) and Boyd (Klaus Kinski) hold Astra pistols in the final scene. In the same scene Helen Osbourn's Llama pistol switches to the Astra due to a continuity error, and then back to the Llama.
== Astra 300 ==
Wellby (O. W. Fischer) holds a compact Astra 300 during the boat chase.
== Antique Pistols ==
Several antique pistols are seen on the wall in Selwood's apartments. They aren't seen clear enough for positive identification but at least the bottom one appears to be a percussion cap gun. Possibly these pistols are non-firing wall-hangers.
= Submachine Guns =
== MP40 ==
In the final scene two plainclothes police detectives are armed with an MP40.
= Rifles =
== Garate El Tigre ==
A photo of the expedition shows some of the members with rifles in their hands. William Osbourne's (Werner Peters) rifle is the only one that is seen clear enough for the identification. This is a lever-action Winchester-style rifle, and following the fact that the movie was filmed in Spain, we can make the assuption that Garate El Tigre is most possible guess.
== Unidentified rifles ==
On the same photo rifles are seen in hands of Morton (uncredited), Cartwright (José María Caffarel) and Broomfield (Antonio Casas). This guns hardly can be identified.
= Trivia =
== Mauser C96 Light Gun ==
In the scenes, set in Selwood's club, several light gun shooter games are seen. One of these light guns is a very faithful copy of Mauser C96. Note: the best known shooting gallery with Mauser-style light gun is Dale Gun Shooting Gallery, but it looks different.
== Light Gun ==
Category:Movie
Category:B&W
Category:Detective
Category:Crime
Category:Thriller
Category:German Produced/Filmed
Category:Spanish Produced/Filmed