GIDGET’S EPISODE REVIEW
For Whom the Bell Klangs
(part 1 of 2)
5 out of 5 Krakatoa Specials
Summary
Baloo and Louie are on
vacation, presumably before the events of Plunder and Lightning (for instance,
Louie has more hair). After escaping a murderous
walrus in the Arctic, they try to relax somewhere warmer… like the desert. A short distance away, Katie Dodd (Ellen
Gerstell), a dedicated archaeologist, has just discovered a great find: Three bells that are the key to finding the
lost city of Tinabula. Unfortunately,
she is interrupted by the evil Klang (the wonderfully hammy-yet-menacing Tim
Curry), a black-robed reptilian dude who snatches the treasure from her as his
men close in. Katie’s going for a
little ride…
Sometime later, a stampeding camel with a screaming
passenger charges into Baloo and Louie’s sunbathing site twice before the boys
decide that they should do something about it
“…just for the sake of the chairs”.
Baloo and Louie manage to rescue Katie and are
immediately smitten by the lovely vixen.
She is grateful for the rescue, but extremely impatient when they both
vie for her affection. She demands
that they drop her off at the police station in Ghaphia so she can report the
theft of her bells. She then explains
the legend: Long ago, the lost city of
Tinabula possessed a mighty weapon and worshipped giant scarabs (big beetles)
and carved statues that guarded the city.
One day the desert swallowed the evil city, leaving nothing but sand ---
no weapons, no people…nothing. After
five years of searching, she’s finally found the key: The three bells, the ringing of which will uncover the lost
city. Lust-struck Baloo and Louie
don’t take her seriously, but humor her by taking her to the police station,
hoping she’ll be grateful enough to go out with one of them.
Katie reports the theft of the bells, but the
police scoff at her story. Slamming the
door on her way out, she stomps over to retrieve her camel and supplies,
angrily brushing off Baloo and Louie when they ask her for a date.
Katie: “Thank you for saving me. Now I’ve got a lost city to find, and I
can’t afford to be patronized by a couple of girl-crazy buffalo like you two!”
Then she storms off, leaving them staring after her.
Louie: “So was that a yes
or a no?”
Gidget:
Gee, you’re welcome, Katie!
Cody:
Well, she did say thank you.
Meanwhile, Klang is furious that his men sent Katie
packing without telling him. He has the
bells, but needs the archaeologist to translate the ancient writing. Katie is the only one who knows how to use
them.
Later that night, Baloo and Louie suit up and go to
the Café, a ritzy restaurant, where they almost get kicked out by the snooty
maitre d’ and ‘Brutus’, the bouncer (reminiscent of similar characters in A
Star is Torn), but luckily spot Katie seated alone at a table. Reluctantly, she assures Brutus that they’re
with her, then tries unsuccessfully to brush them off after the bouncer
leaves. Thanks to their lovable charm,
though, she leaves the restaurant with them to spend a night on the town. No sooner do they escort her back to her
hotel room when they hear her scream.
They rush back, break down the door and try to save Katie from the
red-robed thugs, but to no avail.
Baloo and Louie are knocked out and Katie is carried off. The guys give chase on the rooftops, but the
baddies have horses waiting for them and ride off with their prisoner.
Louie: “Now how are we gonna catch ‘em, man?
They’ve got horses!”
Baloo: “But we’ve got a ‘duck’!
Later, the boys find the Klang’s campsite (the
tents and campfire are a dead giveaway) and swing overhead, trying to spot
Katie. Below, Klang rejoices with his
men over their plans to raise the lost city and the wealth that will almost
certainly follow. He then commands his
men to bring her to him. He smugly
tells her of his plans.
Katie sneers, “I’m the only one who can read the
ancient writing. Hurt me and you’re out
of luck!”
“Well, it seems that people don’t frighten
you…” Klang then opens a box to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes. She screams.
Baloo sees the campfire and swings the plane closer
for a better look, but Klang spots it.
He orders his men to load catapults with the nasty bugs and send them
flying, landing on the Duck. They promptly
chow down, eating their way through the roof and hull. With the Duck crippled, Baloo is forced to
land some distance away. The thugs rush
over and two of them search the plane.
Inside, Baloo and Louie manage to knock them out and steal their robes. Now in disguise, they follow the group back
to the camp. Satisfied that he is rid
of them, Klang makes plans to find the weapon the next day.
Baloo and Louie attempt to rescue Katie (who is
tied up in the tent). Now disguised as
a passably voluptuous ‘dancing girl’, complete with veil, grass skirt and
coconuts (Gidget: he-he…coconuts!),
Louie distracts the guards Baloo sneaks into the tent to from her bonds. Knowing the bells are too dangerous to leave
behind with a madman like Klang, Katie insists on taking them along. By this time, the racket of cheering thugs
brings an angry Klang back, demanding an explanation. Louie pushes the envelope and forces him to ‘dance’ with him,
entangling him in his streaming scarves.
Baloo and Katie attempt to slip past them, but in their haste, they trip
in the dark and Katie drops the bells.
Within moments, all three are captured, with Katie looking on in horror
as Baloo and Louie are tied to pegs, spread-eagled in the hot desert sun, where
they will surely die a slow, agonizing death.
Klang decides to test the weapon, aiming it at the
city of Gaphia. He fires and causes an
earthquake; Baloo and Louie are uprooted from the sand and swallowed by the
sandstorm. How will our heroes get out
of this one?
Quibbles and Bits
Gidget:
When we first see our heroes, they’re bundled up in winter coats and
snowshoes (with summer hats and no scarves).
Then after they’re chased into the plane by ‘Mr. Grumpy’, they’re
magically suited up in their sunny tropical clothes.
Cody:
And why didn’t they get hypothermia just from being in the water? They
ain’t exactly in the tropics. There were ice floes in the background!
Gidget:
And why would they vacation in
the Arctic anyway? Maybe living in a
tropical paradise like Cape Suzette and Louie’s island make the cold look like
the perfect weekend getaway? O_o
Gidget: When the guys are washed into
the Duck, the plane is flooded inside.
Wouldn’t that wreck the controls?
And when they have to shake off the walrus, they drop him into the
water. Why not make him land on the ice
instead? Ker-splat!
Cody:
He’d probably cause an earthquake that would destroy wherever they
are.
Gidget: Baloo and Louie sunbathe,
drinking pineapple juice. No pineapple
trees around in the desert. Maybe
Louie brought some? And who sunbathes
in the desert, anyway? That’s one hell
of a tan they’re asking for.
(as Sarah Connor)
Anyone not wearing one million sun block is going to have a real bad
day, get it?
Gidget:
In her first scene, how did
Katie manage to dig that big hole without tools all by herself? Even Indiana Jones needed diggers to unearth
the Well of Souls.
Cody:
She did say she’d been searching for five years. Maybe she’s been
digging that hole for that long?
Gidget:
Maybe she’s not an
archaeologist at all. Maybe she’s just
burying a bone. Arf!
Gidget: After they rescue Katie from
the stampeding camel, how did the camel know to meet them at the police station
in Ghaphia?
Cody: He’s a super intelligent
desert camel with homing pigeon modifications. And how come Katie could scream
through the gag while she was on the camel, but was unable to say a word until
Louie “ungagged the purty lady”? But that glare she gives them while she’s
gagged is great.
Gidget:
Yeah, I love it when she
demands to be put down and tells Louie not to call her ‘sweet stuff’.
Cody:
I noticed something. Louie's
hair keeps disappearing. When he and Baloo meet Katie in the restaurant, he has
hair, but when they're on the Sea Duck and being swept away by the sand storm,
he doesn't. Weird, huh?
Gidget:
Wow, I didn’t notice that and I
saw this thing twice when I was fact checking.
And as soon as Baloo and Louie join Katie at the table, they leave
without eating a bite. Guess a pretty
girl can make the Big Guy forget about food.
And when they escort Katie to her room, what exactly did she mean by,
“And thanks for an interesting evening”? What did they do that night? And none of the hotel rooms have numbers. How do they know which is which?
Cody: It was the trail of breadcrumbs.
Gidget:
Notice how Katie’s strapless gown miraculously doesn’t slide down
during the rough kidnapping? Good
thing, too, because with her wrists bound, she wouldn’t be able to fix it.
Cody:
Bet there were a lot of disappointed thugs in the camp that night. :P
Gidget: Um, these are the same thugs
who found Louie disguised as a dancing girl attractive! O_o
Gidget:
One swipe of the goon’s sword and the ends of both of Baloo and
Louie’s bow ties are shredded. That’s
impossible.
Cody: Especially since Baloo and Louie both have big noses that stick out
way past their collars.
Gidget:
The removable tile in Katie’s ceiling was awfully convenient for the
thugs to gain entry to her room. And Katie’s
wearing her evening gown when the thugs carry her off to Klang. Next time we see her, she’s wearing the
khakis and pith helmet from her first scene.
How did she change her clothes?
She didn’t take them along.
Cody:
Yeah, I’ve always wondered about that, too. Klang doesn’t seem to be
the type to stock women’s clothing.
Gidget: You never know. His flunkies wear robes. It must get real lonely in the desert.
(slaps herself)
Cody:
Ew. Guess they’d look at anything so long as it had coconuts.
Gidget: After Katie is kidnapped by
the thugs by horseback, Baloo and Louie follow with the Duck. Given the seriousness of the situation,
Baloo rolls the plane, shouting joyfully, “Yahoo!” I’ve heard of looking at the bright side,
but that’s ridiculous.
Cody:
Maybe he thinks this is the way to Katie’s heart (or at least to a
kiss).
Gidget:
Katie is bound by loose chains around her wrists.
Joanna: She could easily slip those
babies over a goon’s head and strangle him.
Gidget: Shut up.
Joanna: (hurt) Geez, only trying to help.
Gidget:
And in showing her his choppers by snapping the chains in
half, Klang frees her! Some
villain. And when Katie and Baloo are
escaping the tent, she holds the bells by the top handles. To muffle the sound, she should have wrapped
her arms around them. The clappers
inside the bells wouldn’t chime and attract attention otherwise. And the weapon has some drawbacks, IMO. When Klang pulls the log back to strike, I
was reminded of those primitive log missiles the Ewoks used in Return of the
Jedi. You know, he’s only
dangerous as long as he’s near the weapon at the top of the tower. If he fell asleep or left to take a leak,
the police would nab him.
Cody:
Too bad the police are such idiots that they don’t think of such
things.
Funny Stuff
Louie in a tuxedo (lavender jacket and green striped tie)
Baloo: Why didn’t you wear that mask I bought you?
Louie: After starin’ at your puss all night, we’ll
probably never see her again.
Louie flirtatiously asks Katie, “How’d you like my
tie?”
Katie grabs both end of it and practically strangles him. “Much, much tighter!”
Baloo and Louie walk Katie to her hotel room.
Katie: “Well, thank you for an ‘interesting’
evening.”
Louie: “Is this your
room?”
Baloo:
“We’re just down the hall!”
Gidget:
I love the guys’ hopeful expressions as they stand in Katie’s doorway.
Katie:
“Well…good
night!” (slams door in their faces)
Cody:
(as Louie) Darn, man! I thought she’s put out for sure!
Gidget:
(as Baloo) Guess we don’t get ta be a hero sandwich.
Cody:
LOL! That’s evil!
Gidget:
The guys constantly compete for Katie’s attention and go to
ridiculous lengths to be the hero, including flipping a coin to see who gets to
rescue the damsel and possibly claim a kiss (sexist pigs!). Both times they fool each other with trick
coins.
Cody:
Well, she is stacked like the Library of Congress. I’d think
there was something wrong with them if they ignored her. J
Baloo: “Now one of us
will free Katie, while the other one distracts those uglies!” After a coin flip, Louie is the selected
decoy.
Gidget:
But who will distract Louie?
Cody:
You don’t think those coconuts are distracting for him?
Louie in hula-girl drag (with coconuts!) distracts the
red-robed thugs while Baloo sneaks into the tent to rescue Katie.
Louie (in a falsetto female voice) to his admirers: “Down, boys, down! You break it, you pay for it!” (mutters darkly to himself) “Speed
it up, Baloo!”
Cody:
LOL! That’s one of my favorite parts! J
Gidget: Face it, Louie. You will never score with anyone female or
your own species. Take what you can
get.
When Klang demands order among the excited henchmen, Louie coos, “Loosen up,
Desert Daddy!” When Baloo and Katie are
caught escaping with the bells, Louie’s disguise comes off, so he distracts the
revolting Klang by giving him a big smooch on the mouth!
Cody:
I’m surprised the censors didn’t cut that.
Gidget:
With curvy Katie around, their
excitement for Louie is a little… sad, yes-no?
Cody:
I’ll bet Katie kicked a couple of them off-camera. They’re desperate,
but probably not that desperate.
Neat Little Details
Gidget: Baloo and Louie are on vacation in pre-Higher for Hire days. Louie has more hair in this episode --- enough
for a bad comb-over, anyway.
Cody:
Do you think this takes place before or after Road to Macadamia?
Louie doesn’t mention his club in this ep, but he does in the Macadamia ep,
which means it took place no more than five years before Plunder and Lightning.
How did Louie lose his hair so fast?
Gidget: Maybe he joined a catfight in
progress.
Gidget:
Klang steals Katie’s bells in
true Belloq-style. (Raiders ref)
“You see, Dr. Jones, there is nothing you can find
that I cannot take away.”
Gidget: The desert scenery is gorgeous. Excellent artwork.
Baloo calls Louie by his real name (only Aunt
Louise does this) as they elude the bouncer in the restaurant (called ‘Café’)
“Move it or lose it, Louis!”
Cody:
Wouldn’t Louie have been a
little ticked about that?
Gidget: He probably wouldn’t mind if a
pretty girl cried out “Louis!” in the throes of passion.
Gidget: About that hippo maitre d’ (“Brutus!”) --- what’s with
Elvis ‘do? Notice how these are similar
characters to the ones in the Starrywood restaurant. Klang’s hooded henchmen are obviously a nod to the Jawas in Star
Wars. Katie might be an homage to
Maureen O’Hara’s damsel-in-distress roles in the Tarzan and pirate movies. Or Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the
Temple of Doom. *shudder*
Cody: Why? Oh, why? *sobs*
When they’re leaping from roof to roof, Baloo
cleverly uses a rain gutter as a ‘bridge’.
Katie has ten fingers, instead of the usual toony eight. When Klang shows her the box of red-eyed
beetles, she puts both hands to her face when she screams.
Cody:
Yeah! Wonder why they did
that. It can’t be that she’s a vixen. Buffy and Muffy were foxes, too, and both
of them had eight fingers. Maybe she’s some kind of mutant.
Gidget:
With those freakish Barbie
measurements? Yeah, maybe. *meow*
When Klang orders Baloo and Louie to be staked out on the sand to be caught in
the sandstorm, Katie attacks him, beating his chest girly-style, crying out,
“You animal!” They’re all animals---how
is that an insult? I think ‘savage’
would be a better word, given their furry universe.
Cody: Oh, for a woman who would kick him in the groin before her friends get sucked up by some dust tornado.
Gidget: Speaking of tornados, doesn’t the one caused by the scarab remind you of
the Tazmanian devil? Very Warner Bros.
Cody:
You’re right. Weird! But at least the tornado didn’t make
indecipherable grunting noises
Quotes
(running from Mr. Grumpy)
Baloo: “How was I ta know
she gave us a phony map?”
Louie: “Baloo, any gal
who’d make eyes at you has gotta be a fake!”
Cody:
He’s a fine one to talk, isn’t he?
(Louie hops on Baloo’s back as Baloo does a belly flop onto the snow, speeding
down the hill like a toboggan).
Baloo: “My bellybutton’s
turnin’ blue!”
Louie: “Keep a stiff upper
gut, cuz!”
Baloo: “How come I’m
always the taxi?”
Louie: “’Cause you’ve got
the biggest spare tire!”
Both Baloo and Louie say this at different times in the episode. ”No more
fallin’ for pretty faces with crazy stories!”
Gidget:
I’m surprised it happens often enough to
be such a problem. I always took
Baloo’s advice to Mowgli in The Jungle Book (“Forget about those ---
they’re nothin’ but trouble!”) to be a confirmed bachelor slob’s philosophy,
not the Voice of Experience. Until I
saw A Star is Torn and The Road to Macadamia, I didn’t know Baloo
even liked women!
Cody: I just had this weird picture of Baloo fighting with Bagheera over a
woman. Guess the producers figured they'd better spice up Baloo's character a little
for TaleSpin.
Louie carries bound and gagged Katie into the plane
after they rescue her from the runaway camel.
“She followed me home. Can I keep her?”
Cody: Ugh. Could you imagine what Katie was thinking?
Gidget:
What’s worse --- what was Louie
thinking!
Cody: Thanks for that lovely image.
Gidget:
I live to inspire. J
Baloo waits for Louie to bring in Katie, not
knowing who she is (gagged)
“Hey, Louie, did ya tell off that Sunday flier?”
Unfortunately, Louie removes the gag and the beast
is loose. ;) Katie: “Put me down, you
goon!”
Cody:
Yeah, I loved her touch-me-not attitude. Katie: First of
all, I’m not sweet stuff. I’m Katie Dodd, archaeologist. Second, you can drop
me off at the police station in Ghaphia!
Katie is kidnapped by the goons:
Louie: “Man, can’t those guys find their own
girl?”
And
Louie: “Aw, quit foolin’ around, Baloo! They’re gettin’ away with my date!”
Baloo:
“Your date?!”
Louie tries to give Baloo a boost over the wall:
Louie: “Ugh! Too bad I didn’t pack a forklift!”
Cody: Did you notice how the opening got smaller as Louie pushed Baloo
through it?
Gidget:
No, I didn’t! Thanks for making me picture some bizarro
birth.
Waiting for the sandstorm to approach, Baloo says tensely: “Next time we promise not to get involved,
let’s not get involved.”
Louie: “Sure, fuzzy. If there is a next time!” Storm hits, uprooting their stakes and whips
them around in a frenzy.
Gidget: “There’s no place like home!
There’s no place like home!”
Cody: “Auntie Em, Auntie Em! Where’s Toto?”
Baloo: “Them those things
ya get when ya fall down an’ go boom?” (he and Louie snicker)
Katie: “That’s scarabs,
not scabs! They’re big beetles, you
lunkheads.”
While fleeing the restaurant bouncer, Louie spies Katie sitting alone.
Louie: ”A pretty port in
a storm!”
Baloo: “Hi, Katie.
Miss us?”
When they look at her imploringly with these ‘Pleeeeeese?’ smiles, you can hear
little birdies chirping in the background.
Cody:
They’re pathetic when it comes to women, but you’ve got to admit that
they’re persistent.
Gidget:
Well, they only have a few
good years before they start to lose their looks. Louie’s in a hurry.
Katie is a screamer, but she’s quick with a quip. When Baloo tries to charm her, she’s having none of it.
Baloo: ”Aw, come on, Miz Archaeologist. Give us a chance. We’ll
grow on ya!”
Katie: “Yeah, like
fungus.”
Cody:
I wonder if this means that Baloo speaks something other than English.
As they’re arguing, Louie asks, “What’s up with the Odi-o-do?” Baloo replies,
“That’s their language!”
Gidget: No, it’s just something he
made up on the spot, like pig Latin.
Like ‘Am-scray’, y’know?
Katie to Klang:
“Well, I have a little trouble with names. Could I just call you ‘lying thief’?”
* * *
FOR WHOM THE BELL KLANGS
Part 2 of 2
Summary
Our intrepid heroes are caught in a treacherous sandstorm but manage to escape
--- barely. They try to tell the
police, but are scoffed at until Klang sends a giant beetle flying at them with
a note tied to its back. Unless they
give in to his demand for $10,000,000 guilders, he will shake the city to dust.
Louie: “And
he’s got the blender to do it!” They
set out in the Sea Duck to find Katie and her captors.
At the weapon site (top of a tower) Klang taunts
the furious archaeologist (trapped under a grating). He gleefully plans to take over the world until Katie is finally
goaded into snapping, “Not if I find the Master Bell!” Then she claps her hands over her mouth ---
but it’s too late. Klang wants
more. Just as he demands information
about the Master Bell, Baloo manages to knock him over and he slides all the
way down the pyramid to the ground, giving Baloo and Louie a chance to free
Katie from her prison.
Katie stops them.
“We must find the Master Bell --- it’s the sound that silences all ---
it’s the only way to stop Klang!”
But Klang and his men are charging up the tower
again, this time they’re out for blood.
By quick thinking and a little dumb luck, the three manage to flatten
the steps again, sending their enemies sliding back down and find a secret
passageway into the bell tower. The whole city is built on sounds and
harmonics. But where would a bell large
enough to silence it all be hidden?
Baloo: Man,
you’d need a chime as big as this tower.”
Suddenly it hits Katie. “Baloo, you’re
right!” She points and they look up and
see the Master Bell looming overhead.
“It is the tower!”
Baloo and Katie hurry to the Sea Duck while Louie
climbs to the top of the tower to try to ring the Master Bell.
Katie makes the mistake of stopping for the
original three bells (the only proof that Tinabula exists). It’s a trap. Klang knew she would stop for them. Baloo stands in front of Katie, protecting her. He throws a punch, but Klang blocks it with
his iron forearm, leaving the pilot in big-time pain.
Baloo (rubbing his aching hand): “Now I know why they call him Klang!”
Klang raises his revolver at Baloo. “Enough comedy. Good-bye.”
“Duck, Baloo!” Katie shouts from behind the pilot,
and pulls back one of the hanging bells, swing-style and slams it into Klang’s
face, knocking him down. They head for
the crippled Sea Duck and take off on one engine to pick up Louie.
Louie climbs to the top, only to encounter Klang,
who tries to knock him off the tower
The ape jumps on the plane, landing on the hull,
just as the tower crumbles from beneath him.
The wings of the giant scarab statue lift and the Master Bell is activated.
Its resounding gong causes the city to vibrate violently in the mother of all
earthquakes. Despite Baloo’s skillful
maneuvers, the Sea Duck is nearly pummeled under a hail of falling rocks,. Katie leaps from her seat and somehow opens
the hull, emerging in front with the original three bells.
Baloo yells at her, “What are ya --- nuts, lady?”
Katiey yells back:
“No --- the bells!”
She rings them, causing the wings of the scarab
statue to raise its wings high, blocking the rain of falling rock just long
enough for Baloo to fly the plane through the entrance and out to safety.
They barely make it out of there before the whole
thing collapses, burying the city. All
that is left are ruins.
“Tinabula…a lost city again,” Katie says
sadly. But at least she has the three
bells --- the only proof that it ever existed.
Klang loses everything: His goons, his power and a lot more. It seems he has a secret:
Until now, his species was vague… he towered over everyone in a
villainous trenchcoat and black hat, complete with menacing iron gloves and
jaw, and kind of resembled an alligator.
Once his limbs drop off, we find out what species he really
is. If only his henchmen knew their
fearsome leader was a quad!
With Klang defeated and each assured of ‘getting
the girl’, Baloo and Louie gets dressed for separate dates with Katie.
Baloo: “So, after I take Katie dancin’, I figured
we’d eat at the Casbah Club.”
Louie: “Well, it’s going to be a lonely dinner,
fuzzy, since I’m taking her to the Ritz!”
Gidget: Isn’t Baloo
usually broke? How would he
afford to take a woman out on an actual date?
Katie, however has other ideas. Still dressed in khakis, she tells them that
she has been asked to give a lecture on Tinabula that night. “Isn’t that wonderful?”
They stammer protests but Louie manages to say, “Oh
yeah, I was hopin’ that would happen.”
Giving each a breezy kiss on the cheek, Katie
sweeps out of their room, saying gaily, “Thank you…thank you both. This never would have happened
without you two!” Instead of the heroes
being rewarded with the girl, the girl herself gets the reward.
It all ends with the boys all dressed up and
nowhere to go:
Baloo: “Well, Louie… what
should we do for the rest of our vacation?”
Louie: “Anything but treasure huntin’, Baloo. Anything but that!”
Baloo: “Right!
An’ no more fallin’ for pretty faces!”
Suddenly a sexy female voice interrupts them. “Psst.
Excuse me. Did I hear you
mention treasure hunting? It just
so happens I have this map.”
They turn around and find a very scantily clad
woman of indeterminate species (your basic turban and harem outfit). Showing a
lot of leg, she waits expectantly for them to fall all over her.
Baloo and Louie glance at each other, for once in
complete agreement. They straighten
each others ties, then Louie takes her map and hands it to Baloo. They tip their hats to each other, then the
big bear punctures the map with her head, leaving her standing there with the
wrecked map hanging round her neck, her mouth open in shock.
“Oh! What
did I say?”
Quibbles and Bits
And since when does a 1930s character say, ‘Surf’s up!’ (Baloo) or
‘Cowabunga!’? (Louie during the sand
tidal wave)
Cody:
Maybe ‘Cowabunga’ has been
around for longer than people think?
Gidget: Before Bart Simpson?
Gidget: When the policeman reads the ransom note,
he dismisses the threat.
“We have tanks and guns. I think we can handle it.”
But then he wads up the note and drops it on the ground. That’s evidence he’s tossing!
Cody: Yeah, kinda sloppy, aren’t they? And
what’s with the Scotland Yard look? They’re in the middle of a desert. Wouldn’t
they be dressed in cooler, more desert-appropriate clothing?
Gidget: When Katie took the spear from the
goon, she should have tried harder to keep it.
She had a weapon, the big ninny!
Cody: I watched that scene again,
and it looks to me like she thought about shish kabobbing the goon whose spear
she took, but then she noticed that she was seriously outnumbered. She probably
decided to bide her time until she would have a better chance of escaping.
Gidget: When Baloo, Louie and Katie jump across a widening chasm,
they make it to the other side. But why
didn’t they make a running start before jumping? It’s amazing they didn’t go plummeting to
their deaths!
When Katie sees the Bells of Tinabula, she says in
awe, “I never really believed it till now.”
Cody: She reminds me a little of Fox
Mulder. I don’t think he really believed in aliens until he saw one
face-to-face in the movie. His convictions and desire to know were just
stronger than his disbelief.
Gidget:
‘Fox’ Mulder? J
Gidget: So why’d you spend five years of your life chasing something you didn’t
believe in?”
Klang: “Those meddling pilots!” Louie isn’t a pilot (well, he did fly
a plane in A Touch of Glass…sort of).
Cody: Maybe to Klang, anyone in a plane
is a pilot, whether he actually knows how to fly or not.
Baloo: “Help! Get a flyswatter!”
Gidget:
Why didn’t Klang hear it?
Cody:
The wax in his ears. It’s
gotta be the wax in his ears.
Poor dumb Katie…
“Not if I find the Master Bell!” (claps hands over
her mouth, but it’s too late; she’s said too much. Now Klang wants that too!)
Gidget:
Ugh. Bad mistake. As stupid as confronting a murderer and then
picking up the phone, saying stoutly:
“I’m calling the police.”
Cody:
I know! Like that’s going to
make them stop what they’re doing. Hello! If they’re doing something like
plotting to destroy a city or murder someone, chances are, they’re not that
worried about police!
Gidget: During the city’s destruction, Katie
rings the bells to activate the scarab statue’s wings to allow them to pass
through the entrance. How did the
beetle ‘hear’ the bell’s chimes during the din? Were the red-robed thugs killed?
Cody:
Since it’s the Mouse, we’ll
never know.
When the city is again buried ruins and our heroes
fly away, leaving Klang shrieking, “Noooo!” (the tongue gives him away)
Gidget:
When Baloo and Louie are
getting dressed for the coveted date with Katie, she opens their door without
knocking. It’s not even locked. Could have been another ‘interesting
evening’.
Cody:
That ‘hero sandwich’ comment you made earlier just came back to haunt
me. I do have a quibble about that whole ‘buried city’ thing, though. She knows
where it is! She can dig it up! It won’t be the intact city she first saw, but
at least it will be something!
Neat Little Details
Baloo ‘fixes’ the Sea Duck when the propeller is packed with sand:
”Now what would Wildcat do?” (hits propeller with a mallet, freeing the sand,
burying Louie) “Ta-dah! Instant sandectomy!”
Both Katie and Klang have five fingers on each
hand, not the usual toony four.
Katie wears glasses, considerably heavier than
those worn by the other lady archaeologist, Myra Foxworthy. Anyone else notice that the only time she
slips them on, is to see her friends get swept away in the tornado? Never for the usual reasons, like to see the
bells better when she finds them, or to peer at the ancient writing on the
ruins. Just to see Baloo and Louie
die! What a show!
Gidget: Is it me, or do those giant
scarabs statues resemble a watch when they lift their wings? Some watches open exactly that way.
Cody:
Step right up, ladies and gents. Buy your very own scarab watch! With three
chimes, it will raise a whole city and with one big gong, it will destroy it
again!
Gidget: Is it just me, or did the flute music
in the scene when Klang grabs Katie and heads for the weapon tower remind them
of the basket chase music in Raiders?
Funny Stuff
Gidget: I liked the sight of the Ghaphian police officers wrestling
the giant beetle inside the station
Cody:
Loved that silhouette. This ep had some neat effects.
Gidget: Trying to open gate with harmonics
(sound):
Katie to
Klang: “Do you sing?”
The disgusted look he gives her is
priceless!
Katie: “I’m serious. A sound or musical note probably opens
it. (tries to take spear from nearby
goon) Let me borrow this.”
Goon grunts and digs his heels in like
a little kid. “No! Uh-uh!”
Gidget: Our heroes fret over Katie’s safety…
Louie:
“Come on!
Let’s find the gal and scram!”
Baloo: “Yeah, she’s probably missin’ me somethin’
fierce!”
Cody:
Well, at least nothing’s wrong
with his self-esteem. ;D
Gidget: That’s why Rebecca sticks around.
Louie finds Baloo under the spell of a mirage, sitting on a bench (a rock)
waiting for a bus (bus stop is a cactus):
Baloo:
“Doggone it. Now what am I gonna
do with this bus token I bought?”
Louie’s stunned expression when Baloo actually
produces a real token…
Cody: That was a bit
hammy—but amusing.
Quotes
Louie: “I’d cross my eyes
if that’d help.”
Cody: So that’s why his eyes are crossed all the time! *slaps
herself* Bad Cody, bad!
Gidget: He could have gone blind, if the old wives tales were true. *slaps herself too*
After the sandstorm subsides:
Louie: “I was sandblastin’ my teeth.” (grins, showing his gleaming canines,
complete with the audible ting!)
Ghaphia police station: Gee, officer…
it sounded so darned reasonable at the time…
Inspector:
“Now let me get this straight.
That earthquake was caused by a weapon made out of bells from a
sandstorm city filled with red-robed thugs and flying beetles.”
Baloo:
“Pre-tootin-cisely! Now --- what
are you gonna do about it?”
He and Louie get the ol’ heave-ho, and land head-first in the sand.
Gidget (waves hand wildly): Oooh! Quibble!
Quibble! When Louie’s yells,
“Watch who you’re tossin’!” Baloo’s
lips move too!
Cody: (as Inspector): Wonder where they got their stash. Wish I had some.
Klang orders goon to sing a note to open the door:
Goon: (horribly
off-key) Laaaaaaaaa! (a stone brick comes loose and falls on top
of him)
Klang: “She said B, not B
flat!”
Klang: “And somewhere in here is a room… a room
holding a weapon that make the world mine!”
Gidget (sings) He’s got the whole world in
his hands…
Cody:
LOL! I’m getting this weird picture of Klang holding a globe.
-Baloo grabs Katie and shoves her into the Duck:
“In!
In!” (shades of The Bigger
They Are, the Louder They Oink?)
Katie: “Are we going to make it?”
Baloo: “With one engine and no runway... probably
not!”
Cody:
Where’s his “Yahoo!” optimism now?
Gidget: (as Baloo) I don’t know. On vacation?
Commentary
Gidget: This is one of my absolute favorite episodes. Despite the unlikelihood of meeting babes
with treasure maps every time they turn around, this is a lot of fun. Two lovable pals, a beautiful archeologist,
a theatrically hammy yet megamaniacal villain with a secret, dumb-but-dangerous
thugs, a lost city, man-eating beetles…what’s not to like? Evoking the spirit of Raiders of the Lost
Ark and the old Crosby-and-Hope Road movies (including the other
Baloo-and-Louie eppie, The Road to Macadamia), this is a true adventure
of the swashbuckling kind.
Cody:
Even though it’s Kit-less, I like this ep, too. I don’t think it
deserves 5 Krackatoas, though, because of the obvious lack of Kit J.
Except for the screaming, Katie’s a pretty good heroine that I wish we’d have
seen more of. Aren’t you planning on putting her in one of your upcoming short
stories?
Gidget: Yep, I am. She makes a brief appearance in A Fair to
Remember and will show up later in a future fic. I get a kick out of Baloo and Louie’s rivalry over pretty
girls. They flip trick coins, keep
track of the number of hugs they get and constantly undercut each other for a
date with curvaceous Katie:
Louie
(smugly): “Now I got my hug too,
Baloo.”
Katie hugs Baloo after he finds the Master
Bell: “You genius!”
Baloo (to
Louie): “That’s two, cuz!”
Score:
Baloo = 2 hugs, 1 kiss
Louie = 1 hug, 1 kiss
Baloo wins!
Yay!
Cody: Wonder what he won, though. He certainly didn’t win the girl. I just
loved it that Katie had her own agenda and wasn’t putting up with Baloo and
Louie’s ‘charm.’
Gidget: Even though she’s kind of a pain in the butt, I like Katie Dodd. Beautiful, caustic, and smart, her Achilles
heel is her penchant to shriek like that wimpy Willie Scott in Temple of
Doom. Katie has a quick mind and shows
some heroism (eg: sliding down from high stairs, refusing to be intimidated (at
first). When Baloo is about to be
murdered by Klang, he hears her shout, “Duck, Baloo!” and swings a heavy
bell into Klang’s face! So she’s not completely
useless. And she refuses to choose
between her two admirers as expected; she extracts herself from of an awkward
situation by excitedly announcing that she’s been asked to give a lecture on
Tenabula that night. Gotta give her
points for refusing to be a prize.
October 2001