Batman (1966–1968): Season 1, Episode 27 - The Curse of Tut - full transcript
A former academic who thinks he is really King Tut has returned. Batman and Robin seek his capture. A twist occurs, however, when King Tut's gang kidnaps Bruce Wayne. They are taking the millionaire in an ambulance. As Bruce tries to get free, the rear doors of the ambulance open and Bruce rides a cart toward a cliff.
Afternoon in Gotham
Central Park...
noble sanctuary of nature in the
midst of the teeming metropolis.
Tranquility, peace, quiet.
The deceptive quiet of the jungle where
a criminal beast is to about to spring.
Now, hear this.
Now, hear this.
It is written in the stars that on this
day shall the great king of the Nile...
rise up from the tomb.
And he shall claim his
kingdom of Gotham City.
And all who oppose
him shall be smitten dead.
"Giant Sphinx."
"Uttering demented threats in Gotham
Central Park in a woman's voice"?
Sure, and it could
be harmless, sir.
Uh, how so, Chief O'Hara?
There was a piece in
the paper this morning.
The Gotham City museum
is unveiling a new exhibit...
of Egyptian antiques
this very day.
Of course.
- And this could be just a publicity stunt.
- Yes, sir.
Is there no limit to the brazen
effrontery of the press agent?
I'll put paid to their stunts.
Yes?
Bonnie, get me my good
friend, millionaire Bruce Wayne.
I expect he'll be at his stately
residence, Wayne Manor.
Well, time to leave for
the museum, one and all.
Mercy, yes.
Let's not be late, Bruce.
There isn't anything I enjoy
more than a nice fresh exhibit...
- of Egyptian antiquities.
- Ahem.
- What is it, Alfred?
- The telephone, madam.
Police Commissioner Gordon
wishes to speak with, uh, Mr. Wayne.
- With me, Alfred?
- Yes, sir.
He was most distinct,
"With Mr. Bruce Wayne."
Excuse me, Aunt Harriet.
Bruce Wayne speaking.
Oh, uh, sorry to
bother you, Bruce.
But you're on the board of trustees
of the Gotham Museum, aren't you?
Certainly. I'm
treasurer, in fact.
Well, you've gone
too far, Bruce.
This Sphinx which has reared itself at the
park, this terrifying publicity stunt, it...
This what?
You mean it isn't
a publicity stunt?
My dear commissioner, I think
you've taken leave of your wits.
Goodbye.
Imagine, the idea of the Gotham
museum pulling a publicity stunt.
- So if it's not a stunt...
- Precisely, Chief O'Hara.
This phenomenon takes on new dimensions,
strange and sinister dimensions.
In fact, there's only one man
alive who can take its measure.
I'll summon him, sir.
Bruce, come on.
What on Earth's the
matter with you two?
I don't know, Aunt Harriet.
It's just that... A Sphinx, he said.
Gosh, Bruce, if that
means what it could mean...
- We'll know soon enough.
- Excuse me, sir.
Something in red, Alfred?
Precisely, sir.
Great heavens,
how forgetful of me.
This new volume by Professor Red
on ancient Egyptian cat worship cults.
I'd promised the museum
committee I'd look through it.
- Come on, Dick.
- Bruce.
Those antiquities have waited
thousands of years for us, Aunt Harriet.
They'll wait a little longer.
Mercy alive, such
an impetuous pair.
There should be some
way to harness such energy.
Yes, commissioner?
A strange and terrible
threat to Gotham City.
An ultimatum from
the remote past.
We're on our way.
Holy hieroglyphics, this
might mean a battle royale.
Not the first,
Dick, nor the last.
To the Batpoles.
There's no doubt at all.
We're faced with that
arch criminal King Tut.
Gosh. And everyone thought
he died in that warehouse fire.
We were mistaken it seems.
He's risen like a phoenix
from the ashes to...
Just what was his
threat, commissioner?
Grandiose, Batman.
He claimed Gotham
City for his own.
In a greedy female voice.
So our mad pharaoh has
found himself a Nefertiti.
Some hapless female
entrapped in a life of crime.
The situation is grim, Batman.
We've cordoned off the park but I
fear panic will soon rear its ugly head.
We could call out
the National Guard.
Have them blast that pagan
Sphinx with their artillery.
No, Chief O'Hara. No.
- No?
- No.
If that were our objective, I could do it
more simply with the Batmobile's Batbeam.
Batman is right. King Tut may be a
super crook but he's a sick man too.
Precisely, Robin.
Let's not forget that he was once an
eminent professor at Yale University.
That he was struck on the
head during a student riot...
and awoke with a
strange double delusion...
that Gotham City is the
reincarnation of ancient Thebes...
and he himself, the pharaoh
known to history as King Tut.
This man is to be pitied.
Pitied, Batman? Ha.
How can one pity a criminal who
threatens our entire citizenry with death?
Pitied, commissioner,
tempered with caution.
Our first aim is to
thwart his criminal plans.
What could it be?
A mad dream to
make subjects of us all.
But why tip us off?
Why warn us that he's
trying to make a comeback?
Maybe the Sphinx
will give us a clue.
Robin's right.
And we don't have
a moment to lose.
Let's take a close look
at that inscrutable lady.
Be careful, Batman. Be careful.
Meanwhile, in the
palace of King Tut...
bizarre remnants of last
year's Gotham City exposition.
Chief O'Hara's question is echoed
inside the moldering great hall.
I don't get it.
If you're gonna move in on
somebody's territory, why tip him off?
How should I know?
I'm only the Grand Vizier.
Why don't you ask
his royal highness?
You may rise.
Loyal subjects...
we are pleased to inform you that
phase one of our royal master plan...
has succeeded as prophesied.
Hey, that's great, boss.
I mean, your royal highness.
Phase two will now
be put into being.
- Are there any questions?
- I got one.
You may speak, Royal Scrivener.
Like why?
Why put that hunk
of rock in the park...
and tip off what we're gonna do?
You're a twit.
It's merely a
sovereign subterfuge...
to exterminate a winged
rodent once and for all, Batman.
He should be biting
at the bait about now.
Oh, boy.
All hail to King Tut.
Great lord of Thebes,
nemesis of the Nile.
Thank you, Grand
Vizier, thank you.
It was delightfully spoken.
However, just on
the off chance...
that the dynamic duo should
elude our snick-snack-snare...
battle stations.
To the royal barque.
We'll lend our sinister
Sphinx support.
What do you make of it, Batman?
A rather good imitation of the
fourth dynasty Sphinx of Giza.
Holy hurricane, what's that?
I think it means the Sphinx is going
to make another pronouncement.
Now, hear this.
Now, hear this.
Whosoever transgresses
upon the Sacred Sphinx...
shall be smitten down by Anubis, the
jackal god, guardian of the cemeteries...
and that goes double for Batman.
- Challenge?
- So be it. Up we go.
What do you think, Batman?
Could it be full of
King Tut's henchmen?
If it is, there must be a
secret entrance somewhere.
Look here.
- This must be it.
- Don't touch that handle, Robin.
- We don't know what we're up against yet.
- You're right.
The Sphinx could
be booby trapped.
Let's play it safe.
Holy whiskers!
That was a close shave.
There's no longer
any doubt, Robin.
The brilliant, warped mind
of King Tut is bent on murder.
Signal from Nefertiti.
Indeed.
What does great Ra, god of
the sun, have to inform us?
- Dynamic duo escaped.
- Pfft.
Curses of Amenhotep!
Your pharaoh speaks.
Slaves and helot
swordsmen, prepare for action.
What's our next move, Batman?
Destroy this crooked Sphinx?
No. I don't think so, Robin.
It's better to leave it here under
police observation so they...
Robin, look over there.
Holy masquerade.
That's a pretty odd getup
for a walk in the park.
Odd indeed.
It's a costume of
the 14th dynasty.
King Tut's dynasty.
Wow, let's get her.
Halt, you deluded creature.
We've got you.
Escape is impossible.
Holy asp! A trick
Egyptian snake.
Look out, Robin.
- Quick. Let's hotfoot it after them.
- No, Robin. Wait.
- I think that's exactly what they want.
- Why?
An old game to draw us
away from the real target.
Of course.
- The Egyptian exhibit at the museum.
- Right.
The museum where Bruce Wayne
will deal them a small surprise.
A short while later at
the Gotham City museum.
You will note the twin
emblems of the two lands.
The large carnelian
cobra here...
which is representative
of Upper Egypt...
and the vulture, which is the cult sign of
Lower Egypt and carved from lapis lazuli.
- Mr. Wayne?
- Yes?
What is the value of the crown?
I don't really know except that
as a rare and historic art treasure...
it's undoubtedly priceless.
Oh, you might inform your readers
that it's very well-guarded at all times.
Now, ladies and gentlemen...
in deference to the press here
which has deadlines to meet...
I'm sure, I propose now to offer
to you the piece de resistance...
the mummified remains of...
All we know about this
particular gentleman...
is that he was a king in the 14th
dynasty and reigned in 1500 B.C.
Now, if my
arithmetic is correct...
that would mean that he's been
dead approximately 3500 years.
And I believe
it's safe to state...
that this particular pharaoh
fellow will not rise again.
It's alive. The Sphinx's
prophecy was right.
The king has risen again.
Is there a doctor in the house?
It is impossible.
Isn't it, Bruce?
It's fantastic, incredible.
The preservation techniques,
what a man he must have been.
The imagination boggles.
The ambulance is here.
Make way for the
stretcher bearers.
I'll leave you to
restore order here.
I think I should go
along to the hospital.
Mr. Wayne, what
happened? Is he still alive?
What about the prophecy now?
No comment.
Hey, he's coming to.
I rather expected he would.
He may wanna tell us something.
- What do you think he's saying?
- Shh. Shh.
- Maybe this will help.
- Shh.
All hail your majesty.
Phase two has worked perfectly.
Naturally.
It was foreseen in the scrolls.
To the palace with this helot.
- Your whim is our command, oh, Majesty.
- Heh, heh.
Nefertiti, you abandoned wench.
How many times must I tell you,
queens consume nectar and ambrosia.
Not hot dogs.
So I get hungry.
Living on nothing but figs
and dates and pomegranate.
- You wanna bite?
- Aah! Unclean.
I must proclaim my
reincarnation to the faithful.
Give me the telephone.
Osmond Abu, switcher of
messages, your pharaoh speaks.
What is your desire,
great pharaoh?
Connect me to the voice box of the
Sphinx in Gotham Central Park, please.
It shall be done, great pharaoh.
Instruct the royal charioteer,
to my palace with haste.
Home, toots, and step on it.
Now, hear this. Now, hear this.
As it was written in the
stars, so it has come to pass.
The great king of the Nile has
risen from the sands of time...
to reclaim his lost kingdom.
The next voice you will
hear will be King Tut himself.
Loyal subjects and
helots, this is your king.
As our first royal act, we have
perpetrated the abduction...
of your millionaire
philanthropist, Bruce Wayne.
He will be held prisoner until
our royal demands are met.
These demands will be made known to you
by our inscrutable Sphinx at a later date.
In the meantime, the police
are warned not to interfere...
and this includes
the dynamic duo.
And pass my words on,
all ye within my reach.
Remember, Batman...
Bruce Wayne's
life is in your hand.
I wonder how much he's
gonna ask for Bruce Wayne.
I hear he's a rich millionaire.
You know, Harry, that Tut's
a kook but he's got brains.
I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't
wind up with the keenest gang...
- since old Moe got the hot squad.
- Heh, heh.
Robin speaking.
Uh, put Batman on, boy wonder.
It's a crisis.
Bruce Wayne has
just been kidnapped.
Bruce Wayne
kidnapped? How? When?
Only minutes ago.
The King Tut resurrection was
just an elaborate smokescreen...
to conceal his crime.
Let me speak to Batman.
Oh, I wish I could, but I
don't know where he is.
Soon as you hear from him,
there's not a minute to be lost.
Bruce Wayne is one of our
most prominent millionaires.
- So I've heard.
- This abductor may ask a king's ransom.
We've got to move fast.
I can't understand
where Batman could be.
Neither can I.
Goodbye, commissioner.
You've heard the calamitous
news, master Robin?
- Yes. Does Aunt Harriet know?
- On the 3 o'clock news.
I'm afraid she's badly shaken and I
must admit, it's left me a bit shaken too.
Is there nothing to be done?
Don't lose heart, Alfred.
Batman is, well, Batman.
He'll get a message
to us somehow.
Central Park...
noble sanctuary of nature in the
midst of the teeming metropolis.
Tranquility, peace, quiet.
The deceptive quiet of the jungle where
a criminal beast is to about to spring.
Now, hear this.
Now, hear this.
It is written in the stars that on this
day shall the great king of the Nile...
rise up from the tomb.
And he shall claim his
kingdom of Gotham City.
And all who oppose
him shall be smitten dead.
"Giant Sphinx."
"Uttering demented threats in Gotham
Central Park in a woman's voice"?
Sure, and it could
be harmless, sir.
Uh, how so, Chief O'Hara?
There was a piece in
the paper this morning.
The Gotham City museum
is unveiling a new exhibit...
of Egyptian antiques
this very day.
Of course.
- And this could be just a publicity stunt.
- Yes, sir.
Is there no limit to the brazen
effrontery of the press agent?
I'll put paid to their stunts.
Yes?
Bonnie, get me my good
friend, millionaire Bruce Wayne.
I expect he'll be at his stately
residence, Wayne Manor.
Well, time to leave for
the museum, one and all.
Mercy, yes.
Let's not be late, Bruce.
There isn't anything I enjoy
more than a nice fresh exhibit...
- of Egyptian antiquities.
- Ahem.
- What is it, Alfred?
- The telephone, madam.
Police Commissioner Gordon
wishes to speak with, uh, Mr. Wayne.
- With me, Alfred?
- Yes, sir.
He was most distinct,
"With Mr. Bruce Wayne."
Excuse me, Aunt Harriet.
Bruce Wayne speaking.
Oh, uh, sorry to
bother you, Bruce.
But you're on the board of trustees
of the Gotham Museum, aren't you?
Certainly. I'm
treasurer, in fact.
Well, you've gone
too far, Bruce.
This Sphinx which has reared itself at the
park, this terrifying publicity stunt, it...
This what?
You mean it isn't
a publicity stunt?
My dear commissioner, I think
you've taken leave of your wits.
Goodbye.
Imagine, the idea of the Gotham
museum pulling a publicity stunt.
- So if it's not a stunt...
- Precisely, Chief O'Hara.
This phenomenon takes on new dimensions,
strange and sinister dimensions.
In fact, there's only one man
alive who can take its measure.
I'll summon him, sir.
Bruce, come on.
What on Earth's the
matter with you two?
I don't know, Aunt Harriet.
It's just that... A Sphinx, he said.
Gosh, Bruce, if that
means what it could mean...
- We'll know soon enough.
- Excuse me, sir.
Something in red, Alfred?
Precisely, sir.
Great heavens,
how forgetful of me.
This new volume by Professor Red
on ancient Egyptian cat worship cults.
I'd promised the museum
committee I'd look through it.
- Come on, Dick.
- Bruce.
Those antiquities have waited
thousands of years for us, Aunt Harriet.
They'll wait a little longer.
Mercy alive, such
an impetuous pair.
There should be some
way to harness such energy.
Yes, commissioner?
A strange and terrible
threat to Gotham City.
An ultimatum from
the remote past.
We're on our way.
Holy hieroglyphics, this
might mean a battle royale.
Not the first,
Dick, nor the last.
To the Batpoles.
There's no doubt at all.
We're faced with that
arch criminal King Tut.
Gosh. And everyone thought
he died in that warehouse fire.
We were mistaken it seems.
He's risen like a phoenix
from the ashes to...
Just what was his
threat, commissioner?
Grandiose, Batman.
He claimed Gotham
City for his own.
In a greedy female voice.
So our mad pharaoh has
found himself a Nefertiti.
Some hapless female
entrapped in a life of crime.
The situation is grim, Batman.
We've cordoned off the park but I
fear panic will soon rear its ugly head.
We could call out
the National Guard.
Have them blast that pagan
Sphinx with their artillery.
No, Chief O'Hara. No.
- No?
- No.
If that were our objective, I could do it
more simply with the Batmobile's Batbeam.
Batman is right. King Tut may be a
super crook but he's a sick man too.
Precisely, Robin.
Let's not forget that he was once an
eminent professor at Yale University.
That he was struck on the
head during a student riot...
and awoke with a
strange double delusion...
that Gotham City is the
reincarnation of ancient Thebes...
and he himself, the pharaoh
known to history as King Tut.
This man is to be pitied.
Pitied, Batman? Ha.
How can one pity a criminal who
threatens our entire citizenry with death?
Pitied, commissioner,
tempered with caution.
Our first aim is to
thwart his criminal plans.
What could it be?
A mad dream to
make subjects of us all.
But why tip us off?
Why warn us that he's
trying to make a comeback?
Maybe the Sphinx
will give us a clue.
Robin's right.
And we don't have
a moment to lose.
Let's take a close look
at that inscrutable lady.
Be careful, Batman. Be careful.
Meanwhile, in the
palace of King Tut...
bizarre remnants of last
year's Gotham City exposition.
Chief O'Hara's question is echoed
inside the moldering great hall.
I don't get it.
If you're gonna move in on
somebody's territory, why tip him off?
How should I know?
I'm only the Grand Vizier.
Why don't you ask
his royal highness?
You may rise.
Loyal subjects...
we are pleased to inform you that
phase one of our royal master plan...
has succeeded as prophesied.
Hey, that's great, boss.
I mean, your royal highness.
Phase two will now
be put into being.
- Are there any questions?
- I got one.
You may speak, Royal Scrivener.
Like why?
Why put that hunk
of rock in the park...
and tip off what we're gonna do?
You're a twit.
It's merely a
sovereign subterfuge...
to exterminate a winged
rodent once and for all, Batman.
He should be biting
at the bait about now.
Oh, boy.
All hail to King Tut.
Great lord of Thebes,
nemesis of the Nile.
Thank you, Grand
Vizier, thank you.
It was delightfully spoken.
However, just on
the off chance...
that the dynamic duo should
elude our snick-snack-snare...
battle stations.
To the royal barque.
We'll lend our sinister
Sphinx support.
What do you make of it, Batman?
A rather good imitation of the
fourth dynasty Sphinx of Giza.
Holy hurricane, what's that?
I think it means the Sphinx is going
to make another pronouncement.
Now, hear this.
Now, hear this.
Whosoever transgresses
upon the Sacred Sphinx...
shall be smitten down by Anubis, the
jackal god, guardian of the cemeteries...
and that goes double for Batman.
- Challenge?
- So be it. Up we go.
What do you think, Batman?
Could it be full of
King Tut's henchmen?
If it is, there must be a
secret entrance somewhere.
Look here.
- This must be it.
- Don't touch that handle, Robin.
- We don't know what we're up against yet.
- You're right.
The Sphinx could
be booby trapped.
Let's play it safe.
Holy whiskers!
That was a close shave.
There's no longer
any doubt, Robin.
The brilliant, warped mind
of King Tut is bent on murder.
Signal from Nefertiti.
Indeed.
What does great Ra, god of
the sun, have to inform us?
- Dynamic duo escaped.
- Pfft.
Curses of Amenhotep!
Your pharaoh speaks.
Slaves and helot
swordsmen, prepare for action.
What's our next move, Batman?
Destroy this crooked Sphinx?
No. I don't think so, Robin.
It's better to leave it here under
police observation so they...
Robin, look over there.
Holy masquerade.
That's a pretty odd getup
for a walk in the park.
Odd indeed.
It's a costume of
the 14th dynasty.
King Tut's dynasty.
Wow, let's get her.
Halt, you deluded creature.
We've got you.
Escape is impossible.
Holy asp! A trick
Egyptian snake.
Look out, Robin.
- Quick. Let's hotfoot it after them.
- No, Robin. Wait.
- I think that's exactly what they want.
- Why?
An old game to draw us
away from the real target.
Of course.
- The Egyptian exhibit at the museum.
- Right.
The museum where Bruce Wayne
will deal them a small surprise.
A short while later at
the Gotham City museum.
You will note the twin
emblems of the two lands.
The large carnelian
cobra here...
which is representative
of Upper Egypt...
and the vulture, which is the cult sign of
Lower Egypt and carved from lapis lazuli.
- Mr. Wayne?
- Yes?
What is the value of the crown?
I don't really know except that
as a rare and historic art treasure...
it's undoubtedly priceless.
Oh, you might inform your readers
that it's very well-guarded at all times.
Now, ladies and gentlemen...
in deference to the press here
which has deadlines to meet...
I'm sure, I propose now to offer
to you the piece de resistance...
the mummified remains of...
All we know about this
particular gentleman...
is that he was a king in the 14th
dynasty and reigned in 1500 B.C.
Now, if my
arithmetic is correct...
that would mean that he's been
dead approximately 3500 years.
And I believe
it's safe to state...
that this particular pharaoh
fellow will not rise again.
It's alive. The Sphinx's
prophecy was right.
The king has risen again.
Is there a doctor in the house?
It is impossible.
Isn't it, Bruce?
It's fantastic, incredible.
The preservation techniques,
what a man he must have been.
The imagination boggles.
The ambulance is here.
Make way for the
stretcher bearers.
I'll leave you to
restore order here.
I think I should go
along to the hospital.
Mr. Wayne, what
happened? Is he still alive?
What about the prophecy now?
No comment.
Hey, he's coming to.
I rather expected he would.
He may wanna tell us something.
- What do you think he's saying?
- Shh. Shh.
- Maybe this will help.
- Shh.
All hail your majesty.
Phase two has worked perfectly.
Naturally.
It was foreseen in the scrolls.
To the palace with this helot.
- Your whim is our command, oh, Majesty.
- Heh, heh.
Nefertiti, you abandoned wench.
How many times must I tell you,
queens consume nectar and ambrosia.
Not hot dogs.
So I get hungry.
Living on nothing but figs
and dates and pomegranate.
- You wanna bite?
- Aah! Unclean.
I must proclaim my
reincarnation to the faithful.
Give me the telephone.
Osmond Abu, switcher of
messages, your pharaoh speaks.
What is your desire,
great pharaoh?
Connect me to the voice box of the
Sphinx in Gotham Central Park, please.
It shall be done, great pharaoh.
Instruct the royal charioteer,
to my palace with haste.
Home, toots, and step on it.
Now, hear this. Now, hear this.
As it was written in the
stars, so it has come to pass.
The great king of the Nile has
risen from the sands of time...
to reclaim his lost kingdom.
The next voice you will
hear will be King Tut himself.
Loyal subjects and
helots, this is your king.
As our first royal act, we have
perpetrated the abduction...
of your millionaire
philanthropist, Bruce Wayne.
He will be held prisoner until
our royal demands are met.
These demands will be made known to you
by our inscrutable Sphinx at a later date.
In the meantime, the police
are warned not to interfere...
and this includes
the dynamic duo.
And pass my words on,
all ye within my reach.
Remember, Batman...
Bruce Wayne's
life is in your hand.
I wonder how much he's
gonna ask for Bruce Wayne.
I hear he's a rich millionaire.
You know, Harry, that Tut's
a kook but he's got brains.
I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't
wind up with the keenest gang...
- since old Moe got the hot squad.
- Heh, heh.
Robin speaking.
Uh, put Batman on, boy wonder.
It's a crisis.
Bruce Wayne has
just been kidnapped.
Bruce Wayne
kidnapped? How? When?
Only minutes ago.
The King Tut resurrection was
just an elaborate smokescreen...
to conceal his crime.
Let me speak to Batman.
Oh, I wish I could, but I
don't know where he is.
Soon as you hear from him,
there's not a minute to be lost.
Bruce Wayne is one of our
most prominent millionaires.
- So I've heard.
- This abductor may ask a king's ransom.
We've got to move fast.
I can't understand
where Batman could be.
Neither can I.
Goodbye, commissioner.
You've heard the calamitous
news, master Robin?
- Yes. Does Aunt Harriet know?
- On the 3 o'clock news.
I'm afraid she's badly shaken and I
must admit, it's left me a bit shaken too.
Is there nothing to be done?
Don't lose heart, Alfred.
Batman is, well, Batman.
He'll get a message
to us somehow.