11/21/07: Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp
“The Temporary Thanksgiving Turkey Truce” (1970)It’s early on Thanksgiving Day, and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp is waiting for fellow agent Mata Hairi to come over with some groceries. She arrives with a three-legged turkey, noting that she had to fight off the evil Dr. Strangemind at the store. We soon learn why. Baron von Butcher is berating Dr. Strangemind for letting Mata get the bird, since some “stolen plans” are hidden in that fake third leg.
The Baron calls up Lancelot Link. “I wish a truce,” he says, “just for Thanksgiving.” Lance agrees, and invites the Baron and Dr. Strangemind over for dinner.
“I tell you, Lance,” says Mata, “I don’t trust him!”
Lance tells Mata to relax: “All he wants is a nice turkey dinner.” That’s the problem with Lancelot Link. He’s more Matt Helm than James Bond. In “The Dreaded Hong Kong Sneeze,” Lance even puts off an emergency meeting at the Agency to Prevent Evil so he can finish a round of golf.
Anyway, the evil Baron—who, let’s remember, is the mastermind behind the Criminal Headquarters for Underworld Master Plan—is soon enjoying Lance’s hospitality. Fortunately, Dr. Strangemind’s mind is so strange that he doesn’t know how to whisper. Lance and Mata learn that their guests are up to no good, and play along until they figure out what the bad guys are after.
(This is easily Dr. Strangemind’s greatest performance. There’s some brilliant physical comedy as he helps the Baron with his coat, and the facial expressions are priceless. He looks a lot like Martin Landau doing Bela Lugosi.)
Lance and Marta have to battle the forces of C.H.U.M.P. for that third leg, and this contains the episode’s best moment. Lance has a framed quote hanging on his living room wall: “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” That quote is nicely showcased as Lance dumps a bookshelf on the heads of the Baron and Dr. Strangemind. The message—as drawn from the Book of Matthew—is clear. Here’s the full quote, as spoken by Jesus to the disciples:
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.There’s a fine message for Thanksgiving. Even while reaching out to our enemies in the name of peace, we must be ever vigilant. That advice still holds up. Be humble, fly right, and don’t be stupid. And don’t forget to eavesdrop on the bad guys.
Also, like we discussed last year, be wary of
any turkey that looks experimental.
Make it your own: The rights to the
Lancelot Link series are in a gray area right now, but the folks at Image have done pretty well with the 2-DVD
Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp set. “The Temporary Thanksgiving Turkey Truce” shows up as the last episode—which is
typical of when we’re looking through a box set for a good entry. There are a few episodes missing from the Image collection, and it’s not going to look particularly great on your HD set-up, but we’ve certainly seen worse as bootlegs.
