[Sirens wailing]
(Narrator) Crime, stalking our city by night and day,
is on the increase.
Our undermanned police force is helpless to cope with the situation.
But they have an ally, Batman.
Who, with the faithful Robin,
wages unending war against all criminals.
With their mission accomplished,
these glamorous figures vanish as suddenly as they appear.
Where do they go?
What strange place can conceal their identities?
(Narrator) In the suburbs of Gotham City is the home of Bruce Wayne,
known to his neighbors as a wealthy playboy.
Only the faithful Alfred knows the closely guarded secret
of what lies beneath the house:
The batcave.
Famed headquarters of those relentless crusaders for law and order.
Batman and Robin.
Good evening, miss Vale.
Hello, Alfred.
Is your hardworking boss in?
He's somewhere about.
I'll let him know you're here.
Will you go right in?
[Phone buzzing]
Yes?
(Alfred) Miss Vale is here, sir.
Give it the usual tests for invisible ink.
I'll change and go entertain Vicki.
You'd better be careful,
I think she's beginning to get wise
that Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same.
Well, if she gets too close,
we know how to throw her off the track.
Hello, Vicki.
Hello, Bruce.
[Sighing]
Oh, you poor boy.
Worn out with your social duties, I suppose.
Utterly.
Don't you ever go anywhere without this camera?
Well, that is how I make my living, you know.
How strenuous.
You should join the police department.
Well, perhaps you'll speak to your friend commissioner Gordon about me
I'll be glad to.
This is commissioner Gordon.
I have confidential information from Washington
that you've perfected your remote-control machine,
it's the biggest thing we've ever done
it will revolutionize transportation.
Well, Washington wants me to, uh, furnish you
with protection for your plant.
We have plenty of guards. I know how short-handed you are.
I know, mr. Williams, but Washington is very insistent,
I'll send a man out tomorrow to check your guard system.
OK, if it'll make you feel better.
Thank you. Goodbye, Gordon.
Mr. Williams, you told me to let you know
when the armored car with the payroll is arriving.
It's just now entering the gates.
Well, it's about time. Thank you, Norwood.
[Guns firing]
[Gunfire continues]
Get me the Gotham City police. Hurry.
Right.
Right. I've got it.
Sergeant, radio all cars in district 4 to get to the research plant.
Armed robbery.
[Car engine starting]
[Siren wailing]
[Phone buzzing]
Yes?
(Alfred) The bat signal is on and miss Vale is still here.
OK. I'll get rid of her.
[Telephone ringing]
Mr. Wayne's residence.
Yes, she's here.
I'll tell her at once, sir.
Pardon me, miss.
Your office wishes you to cover an accident on Harbor Blvd.
Come along, Bruce.
The excitement will be good for you.
Oh, Vicki, please. I'm so tired.
I'm not the least bit surprised.
Poor old man.
Take care of him, Alfred.
I'll do my best, miss.
Is the Batman signal still on?
Yes, sir, but... but what?
Suppose there is no accident on Harbor Blvd.
Unfortunately, there's at least one every night.
[Car engine starting]
Where is it?
It's the electronic research plant on South Main Street.
I got it over the police radio.
[Siren wailing]
[Gun firing]
[Engine starting]
[Sirens wailing]
[Tires screeching]
The armored car must have been stolen.
We didn't suspect anything until the men started shooting.
Then one of them came in here and tied me up.
It was a smartly planned job.
No trace of the car has been found yet.
The loss of the remote-control machine is a serious matter.
In criminal hands it will be a very dangerous weapon.
Didn't prof. Hammil design it?
Yes. But after he became ill and, uh,
rather eccentric, we completed it.
Where is he now?
At home, in retirement.
[Door opening]
(Williams) Prof. Hammil.
So, you let my machine be stolen,
my life work.
You're a pack of careless idiots.
We're doing everything we can to get it back.
Whoever stole it probably has more brains than all of you.
You'll never see it again.
Take me home, Carter.
[Door opening]
Did you tell professor Hammil
that his machine was stolen?
No.
Then how could he know it so soon?
I'll look into that.
Will you work with us on the job of recovering the machine?
Yes. But I'd like to know more about it
and what it can do.
If you're free to tell me.
Why, certainly.
We have a small working model over here.
This machine operates on an entirely new electronic principle.
Any moving vehicle can be brought under control.
And guided to any destination the operator desires.
[Machine buzzing]
What's the machine's range?
About 50 Miles.
We're trying to extend that.
The possibilities of this thing
in criminal hands are appalling.
Why, one man could control the industry of an entire city.
What keeps the machine in operation?
Diamonds.
Even the industrial kind.
Without them, the machine is useless.
Then every place where diamonds can be had
must be closely guarded.
Why, that's almost impossible.
You must make it possible
even if you have to hire special police.
It's our chance to get a lead on those responsible
for the theft of this dangerous machine.
That's all, Carter, leave me alone.
But you haven't had your dinner, sir.
You heard me, get out.
Yes, sir.
[Lock clicks]
[Door closes]
[Sighs]
[Chair humming]
[Humming stops]
[Lock clicks]
[Clicking]
Take it easy.
I don't want to turn any juice
into this million-dollar baby
till the boss gives the word.
The Wizard.
You've done very well.
Your reward will be a share
of the great power this machine will give me.
The plan worked exactly as you said it would, sir.
Of course it did. With this in operation,
I'll be able to control everything that moves,
including man himself.
[Switch clicks] Don't touch that!
Oh, I'm sorry, sir,
being sorry is stupid.
When you've made a mistake, learn what's right
so you won't make the same mistake again. Yes, sir.
We'll need a lot of diamonds
to operate this machine.
Our next job will be to get those diamonds.
You... You have a plan, sir?
I always have a plan.
[Brakes squealing]
[Lock rattling]
[Beeping]
This is Barry Brown, your radio newscaster,
with another exclusive, sensational summary of world and local events.
It's a quiet Sunday afternoo in Gotham City.
(Barry) The police state
that the recent wave of crime has been brought under control
now, this may be so.
But somehow I believe that it's just the calm before the storm.
(Barry) There are always sinister forces at work
to disrupt public peace.
And now for a peek at the foreign news.
He might have given Batman credit
for helping the police.
Batman gets too much publicity as it is, Vicki.
How can you say that?
Nobody even knows who he is.
I get tired just hearing about him.
You get tired, period.
[Explosion]
[Brakes squealing]
Wasn't that an explosion?
Sounded like somebody blasting to me.
- On Sunday? - Could be
I doubt it.
If it was blasting, there's no picture.
And if it wasn't, it might be dangerous.
Well, dangerous or not, I'm going to find out what it was.
Let me out, please.
We'll look into that explosion as Batman and Robin.
Take over.
(Man) Attention all cars in Central District.
Investigate explosion in vicinity of 217 Ellsworth Ave., code 3.
[Siren wailing]
[Engine starting]
[Machine humming]
[Tires screeching]
[Crashing]
[Grunts]
[Groans]
[Zipper slides]
Diamonds!
That proves it's the same bunch
who stole the remote-control machine.
We'll turn them over to the police
then check with com. Gordon.
[Lid clattering]
[Tires screeching]
[Sirens stop]
[Machine running]
[Crackling]
I doubt if we'll get anything
out of those men we caught.
We can try.
At least they're out of circulation, thanks to you.
Now you can see how important it is
to guard every place where diamonds are kept.
I certainly do. We can get a line
on who's after the diamonds, and where they're taking them.
[Radio beeps]
Nolan and Evans are on their way from rendezvous C.
Very well, Gabe.
[Hatchway locking]
[Shrill beeping]
[Continues humming]
[Submarine gurgling]
It gives me a funny feeling,
cruising in this sub with no crew aboard,
the Wizard directs it to headquarters by electronic control.
Where is headquarters? On some island?
None of us knows.
It's not too healthy to get curious.
[Electronic buzzing]
[Continues buzzing]
[Buzzing stops]
We ran into trouble.
Batman was there and he... I know all about it.
You didn't get all the diamonds. No, sir.
Our next job will be better planned.
A shipment of industrial diamonds
is leaving the Gotham City airport tomorrow morning.
I'm going to get those diamonds
and no one's going to stop me.
Not even Batman.
I shall publicly defy him.
(Barry on radio) Good evening, everybody.
Today, a group of scientists and high officials
discussed the daring theft of a vital invention.
It may interest them to know
that this stolen control device
will be used tomorrow morning,
when a plane carrying valuable diamonds
is scheduled to leave the Gotham City airport.
Diamonds again.
Yes, I noticed that.
How could Brown know they're going to be stolen?
He knew about the theft of the remote-control machine.
Then he could be right about tomorrow.
I'd better check with Gordon.
Com. Gordon, this is Batman.
Did you hear Brown's broadcast?
Yes, I heard it.
(Batman) What do you think?
Well, either Brown's having bad dreams,
or he should be investigated.
When that plane takes off tomorrow,
Batman and Robin will be in the place of the regular pilots.
All right, I'll make all arrangements.
[Airplane roaring]
There's a big plane coming in behind us.
That cargo ship's a fast job.
He's getting away from us.
I'll fix that.
Nolan calling headquarters.
(Nolan) Nolan calling headquarters.
Come in, Nolan.
We're trailing the plane, but it's too fast for us.
Mmm. I just saw it. Batman and Robin are in it.
Keep following.
I'll take control of their plane and bring it down.
[Machine humming]
The controls aren't working.
But we're flyin' all right.
We're being flown by remote control.
We're in the hands of the man who stole the machine.
The Wizard's got 'em. They're goin' down.
We'll land near them.
Get back in that plane and throw out those diamonds,
and no tricks.
Evans, you know all about gems.
Take a look at 'em.
Yeah, these stones are the real thing.
Jimmy!
Tell headquarters it's OK.
(Jimmy) Plane one calling headquarters.
Plane one calling headquarters.
Come in, plane one.
We have the diamonds.
Splendid. We won't keep Batman waiting any longer,
[Machine humming]
[Gas exploding]
[Hissing]
It's going to blow!
[Gas whistling]
[Crackling]
(Narrator) Who is this mysterious Wizard?
What new villainy are his men up to?