05x01 - Peril in Paris

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: The
Adventures of Superman.

Faster than a speeding b*llet.

More powerful than a locomotive.

Able to leap tall buildings
at a single bound.

MAN 1: Look! Up in the
sky! MAN 2: It's a bird!

WOMAN: It's a plane!
MAN 3: It's Superman!

NARRATOR: Yes, it's Superman,

strange visitor
from another planet,

who came to Earth
with powers and abilities

far beyond those of mortal men.

Superman, who can change
the course of mighty rivers,

bend steel in his bare hands,

and who, disguised
as Clark Kent,

mild-mannered reporter for a
great metropolitan newspaper,

fights a never-ending battle

for truth, justice and
the American way.

[♪♪♪]

["LA MARSEILLAISE" PLAYING]

You know, I still can't believe

we're actually in
Paris, Mr. Kent.

Oh, we're here,
all right, Jimmy.

What I'd like to know

is what the Prefect of
Police wants with us.

Ah, Monsieur Olsen,
Monsieur Kent.

Forgive me for
keeping you waiting.

I am Launay.

You're kidding.

Uh, pardonnez-moi.

Oh, come off it, Bill.

What are you doing
way over here?

Monsieur, I do not understand.

Oh, come on.

You're Inspector
Henderson from Metropolis

all dressed up with
a trick moustache.

Monsieur...

I assure you the
moustache, she is my own,

and I am not Inspector
Henderson of Metropolis, uh, U.S.A.,

but Inspector Launay
of Paris, France.

But the resemblance
is truly frightening...

I-I mean, remarkable, sir.

Uh, perhaps it is, monsieur,

that all police
inspectors, they look alike.

Monsieur. Thank you.

Anyway, having you look
like Inspector Henderson

makes it feel sort of homey.

Uh, thank you, monsieur.

Ahem. Now that we have
established my identity,

and since everybody knows

that you are sometimes able

to contact Superman...

Uh, the letter.

It was, uh, addressed
to Superman,

in, uh, care of myself.

It was written from one

of our less fortunate
neighboring countries

behind the Iron Curtain.

Are you authorized to
open it, Monsieur Kent?

Oh, I don't think that
Superman will mind.

Let's see.

"Monsieur Superman.

"I write this in haste but
implore you to meet me here

"backstage at the
Lacordia Theater,

"at 5:00, the
morning of April 2nd.

"The welfare of many
people is at stake.

Signed, Anna Constantine."

I thought it would be
something like that.

You know this
Madame Constantine?

Ah, yes, I...

I saw her once
on... On the stage.

She was a great actress in
her country before the w*r.

After...

[CHUCKLING] Well...

The theater, she has
been closed for many years.

Mm-hm. This does sound

rather urgent
though, doesn't it?

I recommend nothing.

It, uh, is not exactly
a police affair...

yet.

Uh, you think it will be?

The simplest acts often lead

to my door, monsieur.

I like to be prepared.

I see. Well, thank
you for your courtesy.

We must return to our hotel.

Au revoir. Au revoir.

Au revoir. Goodbye, sir.

Come on, Jimmy.

What do you think
Superman will do, Mr. Kent?

Well, I'm not sure, Jimmy.

I'm expecting him to
contact me here tonight.

Oh.

Would you take these
to the press bureau

and file them to the Planet?

I thought we were gonna
send them in the morning.

Uh, yes, well, um...

I think tonight would be better.

Oh, and I have a few
errands to do, Jimmy,

so if I'm not home early,
don't wait up for me, huh?

All right.

I suppose I can spend
a rousing evening

at Napoleon's tomb then.

I'll see you later, Mr. Kent.

Good night, Jimmy.

[♪♪♪]

[WHOOSH]

[EXHALES]

Madame Constantine?

[RUSSIAN ACCENT] Yes, Superman.

You startled me.

But it is worth it
to have you here.

Are we alone?
Gregore is with me.

He's an old family servant

and a devoted friend.

He is outside, watching.

Watching? You mean, uh,

you're afraid of something?

Oh. Of everything these days.

Wait. What is it?

[TICKING NOISE]
I'm not quite sure.

Excuse me.

[CLANG]

[TICKING GROWS LOUDER]

Oh. Get over there quickly.

A b*mb.

It was a b*mb, and
you smothered it

with your bare hands.

Yes, and now I'm
very glad I came here.

I heard an expl*si*n.
Are you all right, madame?

Oh, no harm done, Gregore.
Thanks to Superman.

My most humble thanks. I've...

If anything should
happen to madame,

I would never forgive myself.

Well, evidently, somebody
wanted something to happen.

I was the only other one

who knew she would be here.

Including me and several others.

I think I know.

It happens every
once in a while.

A hidden b*mb planted
during the w*r by our enemies,

or even our own underground.

Oh, that is it.

The mechanism stops.
Then, years later, a sudden jar.

Yes. And when you
landed down here...

All right, all right. I'll
accept that for now.

But tell me, madame...

is there any reason for
anyone wishing you harm?

Yes.

For these.

They're all real.

Must be worth a king's ransom.

Yes. They have been in
my family for generations.

They were taken
from us during the w*r.

It has taken Gregore and I
many years to get them back.

And how did you get them back?

We took them.

You mean you stole them.

No.

The jewels belong to madame.

They were stolen from her.
We merely took them back.

That is not stealing.

Please, you must believe us.

You may check
later. But right now,

I must get them back to Paris.

You mean you can't
cross the frontier?

Oh, never.

Gregore and I would be
checked most thoroughly.

Well, I'm very sorry, madame,

but this isn't quite the
kind of work that I do.

But it is not for me.

I intend to sell them,
and use the money

to help hundreds of my
relatives and friends in France.

They are trying to make a
new life in a new country.

It is often not
easy, sir. They...

They are poor. They need help.

Very well then.
But I warn you both:

I intend to check
the rightful owner,

as well as where
the money is spent.

You will never be sorry, sir.

Let's hope not.

Gregore and I will
take the morning train,

and we will meet you in Paris

near the fountain
at the Tuileries

at midnight.

I'll be there.

[SUPERMAN FLIES OFF]

[♪♪♪]

You have kept our second
appointment, Superman.

I hope to be of no
more trouble to you.

If what you've said is true...

it's the kind of
trouble I enjoy.

There you are.

Airmail, special delivery.

[SIGHS]

There is no way to thank you.

And there is no need,
Madame Constantine.

Who are you to sneak
up like wolves in the dark?

Pierre Lamont. My
Sûreté credential.

And this is Officer Durand.

We have no need for the police.

But perhaps the police
have need of you, madame.

And just what do
you mean by that?

As if you didn't know,
Monsieur Superman.

You visit our country
and take up with thieves.

We are not thieves.

Well, let's just pretend
that I don't know, huh?

I can only say you are standing

with two of Europe's most
accomplished smugglers.

We were alerted to their arrival

and followed them here,

hoping also to trap
their accomplice.

That's very interesting.

That's not the story I was told.

Do not listen to them, Superman.

There is some terrible mistake.

Yes.

Yours, Madame Constantine.

All right, you two.

Madame, monsieur,

come with me, please.

I know you could prevent this,

Monsieur Superman,
but you won't.

Because I promise
I keep you out of it.

Not for your sake,

but for the sake of so
many who believe in you.

I've always tried
to justify that faith.

Smarter the criminal,

the more legitimate
he tries to appear.

You are not welcome
in my country, monsieur.

I know no jail can hold you...

but you cannot even fly
from your own conscience.

Ah. I was hoping you
would drop back to see me,

Monsieur Kent.

As I said, I am rather curious.

So am I. As a matter
of fact, I'd like to see

Madame Constantine and Gregore,

if you can arrange it, please.

That depends
upon where they are.

Right here in
your jail, of course.

No, monsieur. I assure
you, they are not.

Uh, this is the arrest
list for the last 24 hours.

Neither is listed.

They must be.

What makes you think so?

Well, that was
Superman's information.

They were both arrested
last night at midnight

by one of your men. [SNAPS]

Lamont was his name.

Monsieur, there is no
Lamont on my force.

Perhaps you'd better
give me more details.

Details. That's what
Superman would like to have,

a few more details.

Incidentally, there's a
fortune in jewels involved.

Jewels.

Jewels.

And Ducrai has been out
of prison only one month.

Ducrai? Jacques Ducrai.

He has a little shop
on the Rue de Nuit.

Why did you mention him?

He is a master
craftsman, a genius.

He can recut and reset a diamond

so you would not know it.

He was in great demand
by the underworld

until we, heh, retired him.

I see. Well, sir,

I've taken up
enough of your time.

And you have told
me nothing, monsieur.

Well, after all, it's
Superman's affair, isn't it?

Uh... we'd better
leave it up to him.

Good day, sir.

Adieu.

SUPERMAN: Ducrai.
Jacques Ducrai?

Who are you?

Uh, pull the curtain
down, please.

I must talk with you.

And lock the front door.

[THROWS LOCK]

If you come to rob me,

you waste your time.

I deal in junk now.

Zircons, glass beads,

synthetic pearls.

No, no, no.

That's not why I'm here.

I'm known as Superman.

But I need your help.

Superman, yes.

Yes, I know of you.

Oh, good.

Then...

you will help me?

An old man like me?

How could I be of
service to Superman?

Well, if you can
still use these tools...

your hands would
be very valuable

to certain people.

I am an honest man now.

I make a few honest francs.

And I am content.

But suppose

someone with a
fabulous gem collection

wished to sell them.

They, uh...

They still might come
here, mightn't they?

No, no! No, no, no, no.

I will have nothing
to do with them!

I wouldn't touch the
Constantine collection

for...! Ah-ha!

Then you do know about
them, Monsieur Ducrai.

Well, that's why I'm here.

I must recover those stones.

I must find out where
they were taken.

I know nothing. Nothing!

But you mentioned
them before I did.

Please tell me what you do know.

I only know rumors.

From what you call

the grapevine.

They are looking for a buyer.

A fence.

I don't know who they are,

but I will not help them.

What would you say this
collection was worth, sir?

From what I know,

they will sell for
20 million francs.

Or...

perhaps 50 or 60 thousand
dollars in your money.

Monsieur Ducrai, you can do me

a great, great
favor, if you will, sir.

I'd like you to put out a...

A rumor on this
grapevine of yours.

Tell them you found a buyer.

A rich, young American here

to make an illegal purchase.

[GASPS] But the police.

If I'm caught again...

Monsieur Ducrai, I assure you

I'll do everything in my power
to keep you out of trouble.

What is this American's name?

Olsen. Mr. James Olsen,

at the Hôtel des Artistes.

I will do as you ask.

Oh, good. Thank you.

Thank you very
much, Monsieur Ducrai.

Uh... But how...?

How should I let you know...

when it's done?

Well, there will be

a man here at
5:00 this afternoon.

A Mr. Clark Kent.

Now, please give him any
news you may have received.

At 5:00. I will not forget.

I will be here.

Good. So will he.

Goodbye, sir.

[♪♪♪]

Is madame comfortable?

Your manners are
French, monsieur...

but that is all.

Every country has its
scoundrels, madame.

And I am one of France's best.

Thirty. Well...?

We are in luck.

I have information on a buyer.

An American. Good. Excellent.

All Americans are rich.

He should pay well.

I am sure the great Superman

has just not
forgotten this incident.

We must be careful of a trap.

And do not pretend you're
not worried, monsieur.

I always worry, madame.

That's why I have
never been caught.

We are wasting time.

Let's sell to this American
and be done with it.

In my business, you must
learn to move carefully,

like a cat in the night. [TUTS]

Will this American buy the lot

just as they are? I'm not sure.

If he wants them
cut and remounted,

we must be ready. Yes, but who?

It is not easy these days.

And the ones that do it
are like butchers. Huh.

There is only one man.

Jacques Ducrai. Jacques Ducrai?

Oh, he will never touch them.

He does not want
to go back to prison.

There are ways to
make men do things.

Yes, if we had
him here, but, heh,

we could never kidnap
him from his own shop.

Ho, ho.

I'm sure he will come quietly.

[CHUCKLES]

Pierre, you are a genius.

Exactly. [CHUCKLES]

Jimmy, I'm sorry. It's 4:30.

I have to keep an appointment.

But what will I do if they call?

Well, you make an
appointment here,

or wherever else they say.

But not before 7:00.

Now, remember that.
That's very important.

Not before 7.

That will give Superman time

to make whatever
arrangements he has to.

I think I'll send my
mother a postcard:

"Having a wonderful
time. Wish I was there."

You do that, Jimmy.

"While a dealer in stolen gems

"may make a handsome profit...

"he invariably spends
the best part of his life

in jail."

[PHONE RINGING]

Hello?

Yes, this is Mr. Olsen.

Yes, the Mr. Olsen.

Yes, I am interested
in merchandise

of a very special nature.

You want to set up
the meeting here?

Make it 7.

All right, I'll be
waiting for you at 7.

Gentlemen, it is arranged.

By tomorrow morning, we should
have our money and be gone.

Good. Perhaps Superman

will have something

to say about that yet.

I intend to take
certain precaution

against that
possibility, madame.

Whatever your plans are, Pierre,

I will not cooperate.

Bravo, monsieur.

When the time comes, Ducrai,

you will do what is necessary.

Never!

Let's see. It is now

20 minutes before 5.

Pierre? Yes?

Pierre...

I am an old coward

talking like a young hero.

I do not wish to be hurt.

I will do as you say.

Monsieur, I beg you.

Now you are an old man

talking with wisdom.

But there's only one thing.

I need my own tools.

They are the secret of my craft.

If you would allow
me to go to my shop...

The request is reasonable,

but Raoul will get them for you.

The keys to your shop,
please, Monsieur Ducrai.

But I will return. I promise.

The keys!

Of course.

[BELL JINGLES]

Monsieur Ducrai?

Monsieur Ducrai?

He promised he'd be here.

I am the one who called
you not long ago, Mr. Olsen.

You. But I said not before 7.

And it's only about 5.

You can't be here before 7.

But I am here.

Yeah.

Well, um...

would you like to sit down?

Thank you.

Maybe we can k*ll
a couple of hours

talking about old times.

Old times?

That's right.

We just met, didn't we?

How would you like to
have a nice leisurely dinner?

I'll have it sent up.

I am here for strictly business.

Strictly business.

Well, that's the way I like it.

Forgive me, Mr. Olsen,

but aren't you rather young

to be an American hoodlum?

Well, I got started early.

You see, Mom and Dad
and the whole family were...

Uh, was all in the rackets.

And, uh...

they brought me up right.

Oh, I see.

Well, let's get a
gander at the ice.

Gander? Ice?

Oh, yes. Of course.

Naturally, I don't
have them with me,

but I will take
you to the place.

The place? Yes.

Where you can gander
the ice, monsieur.

[♪♪♪]

[BELL JINGLES]

Who are you? What
do you do here?

I'm waiting for Monsieur Ducrai.

How did you get in?

The door was
supposed to be locked.

But it wasn't when I came in.

However, the shop is
closed, monsieur. Good night.

Hey, just a minute.
Where is Monsieur Ducrai?

I do not know.

I, uh...

bought the shop
just this afternoon.

See, I have the keys. Uh-huh.

Now, go. Good night, monsieur.

Haven't I seen you before?

No, no, no, no. You're mistaken.

This is impossible. Heh.
Good night, monsieur.

Yes, I guess you're right.

Good night, sir.

You mean, this is him? Yes.

He is an expert at
gandering the ice

in spite of his youth.

Isn't that so, monsieur?

Sure it's so.

You are helping them

rob unfortunate
people, monsieur.

I'm sorry, lady, but
business is business.

You know what? I forgot
my eyepiece at the hotel.

I'll be back with it in
about a half an hour.

I have one here, monsieur,

if you will sit down.

Thank you.

I have read about
American gangsters.

The cruel eyes.

The snarling mouth.

Who, me?

Ho. Listen, I'm...

Yeah, that's me.

[POKER CHIPS CLATTERING]

The old man is Ducrai.

He will cut and reset
the stones right here.

Tonight, if you wish.

I only have one wish.

Of course. To see the jewels.

I will get them. Yeah. The ice.

I want to see the ice.

Hurry up with the ice!

The ice.

Voilà. At least.

How much? How
much will you give us?

Now, just don't rush me.

Boy, that's a nice bunch of...

points and carats.

How much? How
much will you give?

I'll tell you what.

I'll give you 20 million francs

for the whole bunch.

You are an amazing
judge of gems, monsieur.

Well, I get around.

Or at least I used to.

[DOOR OPENS] It's
him! I knew he'd come.

And whom were you
expecting, monsieur?

Well...

Him.

You know, I have contacts too.

I did some investigating.

I knew there was, uh... Uh...

Three of you in on this caper.

Ha. Forgive my
suspicion, monsieur.

I realize that you, too,

must be careful.

Let's get on.

One more piece, Mr. Olsen...

from another collection.

How much will you add for it?

I'll give you another
2 million francs.

You are very, very
generous, monsieur...

considering it is made of glass.

[GASPS]

Yeah, but, uh...
top-quality glass.

Enough. You are an imposter.

You fool. You've bungled it.

There is no harm done.

That's why I called
on him two hours early.

To avoid a trap.

Now we must dispose of
the three of them at once.

Exactly. Move, monsieur.

Oh, I'm sorry. It wasn't
supposed to turn out this way.

Oh, it is I who am
sorry for causing all this.

Come on, move!

Come on, move. Come on.

Open it.

[BOTH MEN GRUNTING]

Easy.

Don't be afraid.

There is nothing in there.

Except a few rats, perhaps.

Monsieur Olsen,
you may lead the way.

Jeepers. There was
nothing about this

in the guided tour to Paris.

Monsieur, move.

Wait. I'll tell you the truth.

Superman followed me here.

Is that so?

You bet it's so.
He's right outside.

All right, Superman,
you can come in now!

Well, monsieur?

Superman!

Move.

Don't move!

Move it!

Please, Superman.

[CRASHING]

[GLASS BREAKS]

Superman.

They can't hurt him.

[CLICKING] [CLICKING]

Wait for me.

[SIGHS]

Well, that should
hold them for a while.

At least till we can notify the
real members of the Sûreté.

I seem always to be

thanking you, Superman.

And I... The excitement

makes me feel young again.

But how did you ever find us?

Well, you can thank
Monsieur Ducrai

for sending that
man to get his tools.

Ah. Then you recognized

the fake policeman?

That's right. And I
followed him here.

But...

But it was Mr. Kent...

who should have been there.

How do you explain
that, Superman?

With the truth, Jimmy.

You're not the only one
I have to keep track of.

Sometimes I'm very close
to Clark Kent, you know.

[♪♪♪]

NARRATOR: Don't miss
the next thrill-packed episode

in the amazing
Adventures of Superman!

Superman is based
on the original character

appearing in Superman magazine.