Steve apologizes for referencing Harry""s wife after he realizes he spoke wrongly.(Later in the film, he describes how she was hit by a drunk driver "who crossed the center line" late one night.As the clock mechanism moved, the web holding Gwen was cut between the teeth of two adjoining gears.When the web-line snapped, Gwen plummeted downward in a dizzying free-fall.Although Spidey managed to dive after her and catch her with a strand of webbing, the sudden impact of the rescue broke her neck, and she died instantly.The plot hickens when the clerk realizes that his building""s elevator operator (MacLaine) is being taken for trysts by his married boss (MacMurray) o his apartment.She unloaded her cleaning supplies and a boom box from the back of her car, when she happened to notice a bright red sign across the street.