 The Blue Beetle. Weeping down upon the underworld to smash ganglin' comes the mysterious, all-powerful character who is a problem to the police, but a crusader for law. In reality, Dan Garrett, a rookie patrolman, loved by everyone but suspected by none of being the Blue Beetle. As the Blue Beetle, he hides behind a strange mask and a suit of impenetrable blue chain armor, flexible as silk but stronger than steel. Today's transcribed episode of the Fox Feature, the Blue Beetle, is the second part of a story entitled, The Whale of Pirates Folly. In the previous episode, patrolman Dan Garrett, while engaged in running down a gang of perfume smugglers, uncovers a clue which leads him to the waterfront warehouse of a Mr. Hange van Smit, a Dutch importer of perfume. Also during the episode, he reads in the newspaper that what appeared to be a large whale has been sighted off the coast. The Blue Beetle is convinced that there is some connection between the smugglers and the whale. In an effort to apprehend some of the smugglers, Dan Garrett, as the Blue Beetle, pays a midnight visit to the warehouse of van Smit, where he encounters the head of the smugglers, a man named Rankin, and two thugs named Frenchie and the Viper. As the episode ended, the Blue Beetle was trapped in a net and tossed overboard. As our story opens today, we find the Blue Beetle sticking his head above water for a breath of air. It feels good in my lungs. I relish the taste of that water. Lucky one into this net caught on a spike. Now to burn my way out of this net with my magic ray. And now the Blue Beetle will fly again. I can't understand, Doc, why Danny hasn't been in. He usually drops in here at night, don't he? Yes, but he said something about having a date tonight. Oh, don't tell me he's got a girl, Doc. Well, he's old enough to have one, isn't he? He is at that. But somehow, Danny ain't much for the ladies. Now, when I was his age... Excuse me, madam, there's someone out front in the... Well, well, well. If it ain't the Blue Beetle himself. Well, yes, it does seem to be. I'm looking for Dan Garrett. Now, eh, that's something. Well, Mr. Blue Beetle, if you'll come down to police headquarters with me, I'll... Thanks, Manegan, but I'm busy. Some other time, Doc. Come on now, no fooling. It's the law that's speaking. Where are your gun and handcuffs, Manegan? I've got important news for Garrett. There's a chance for him to catch some smugglers. Smugglers, is it? And why won't I do? Can you fly a plane? Oh, they've flown him some, but Danny's better. He's an expert. All right, then. When you see him, tell him to be cruising around in a plane offshore tomorrow at dusk. Tell him the Blue Beetle says to be on the lookout for a strange trawler off the coast. And also to keep his eyes open for a whale. You sure gave Manegan the surprise of his life last night, Danny, when you appeared as the Blue Beetle. Yes, didn't I? That was fast-thinking on your part, saying you were looking for Dan Garrett. Poor Manegan. He'd love to arrest the Blue Beetle and take him in the headquarters. Yes, he would. But he's an honest officer of the law, and he's brave. Hey, hello there, Danny. Speak of the devil, and he's sure to appear. Hello, Doc. Hello, Officer Manegan. I said, Danny, who do you think I was talking to last night? Some of your departed ancestors, I suppose. Were they complaining of the heat? Ah, it's full of waste, Cratchy-R, this day. Well, they wasn't talking to me, dear departed ancestors. And it ain't hot where they're sleeping. Lord rest the souls. And with whom were you talking, Mike? With the Blue Beetles. Oh, you're coming around with him, are you? Ah, don't be silly. I'd have pinched him if he hadn't given me a hot tip on a bunch of crooks. Ah, what did he have to say? Well, you come along with me, and I'll tell you. Where are we going? We're going for an aeroplane ride. And what would we be doing in an aeroplane? We're going fishing. Fishing? Yeah. Fishing for whales. What's that streak in the water down there to the left, Mike? Well, that must be the whale the Blue Beetle told me about. He's heading for Dead Man's Bay. Yeah. Let's follow him. I have a hunch if we capture that whale, we'll also capture a band of smugglers. Well, your hunches are usually right, Danny. Look, he's heading inshore. He'll run aground in there. I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think so. He's heading inshore. He'll run aground in there. I don't think so. It's pretty deep in that cove of Pirate's Fully. And what's Pirate's Fully? The ruins of a castle built years ago by a pirate chief on those cliffs down there. And what do we do now? You think you can fly this plane back to the field? Yes, sir. You take the plane in, Mike, and bring a squad out here. Well, what are you going to do? I'm going to bail out with my parachute. Yes, but you're not able to be killed on them rocks below. That's a chance I'll have to take, Mike. So long. This is going to be a whale of a job if it turns out the way I think it will. These ruins would make an excellent hideout for smugglers. Natural caves and stone passages. I'll chance my flashlight. Well, this is a surprise. A mammoth cave with a lake in the center under the ruins of Pirate's Fully. This is the smuggler's hideout, all right. Here's cases of bottles and large flags of perfume piled high against the wall. Those must be barrels of oil and gasoline over there. What a place. Hmm, water tastes salty. This lake must have been underground outlet to the sea because there are marks of the tide and the beach there. Uh-oh, there's a riffle on the water. It looks as if old Mr. Whale has come to rest. He's coming to the surface. Now, just as I suspected, a small submarine with a searchlight on its nose. That's the whale that follows incoming ships and gobbles up whatever's thrown overboard. A very ingenious device for landing contraband cargo. Ah, they're opening the conning tower now. Here comes the showdown. I'll just unscrew the captainess's barrel of gasoline in case of an emergency. Run around, McGowan. We won't be needing this little high tide. Hey, boss, look. It's the Blue Beetle. It can't be. The Blue Beetle's dead. We drowned in last night. That's what you think, Rankin. It'll take more than you and your thugs to drown the Blue Beetle. Piper, the machine got... I wouldn't advise using that Rankin as gasoline and oil in these barrels here. If I should upset one of them, this lake of water would become a lake of fire with one blast of my magic rage. Ah, you're dropping Blue Beetle. You wouldn't dare. You'll be caught too. You forget, Rankin. I'm at the only exit left except the underground tunnel to the sea. Your little submarine is grounded now. It's three against one, Blue Beetle. You can't win. Think so? Make one false move and see what happens. The police will be here shortly, and you and your gang of smugglers will be on your way to jail. Ah, let's give it to him. 50 chance, boss. I don't like cops, and I don't like that Blue Beetle. I'm shouting. You asked for it? Here goes. That will teach you not to doubt the word of the Blue Beetle. What will we do, boss? The fire is coming out to the coast. Go below. Close the hatch and recognize the bridge part of the tunnel even till the fire burns out. Okay. But first, cost of Michael Overboard. He brought this on us. Ah, now you're down. You don't cost me, Overboard. I got the gun, and I'm going to use it. And from now on, I will run in this, Rankin. What happened then, Danny? Well, fortunately, the barrel of gasoline I tipped over and set a fire, burned itself out on the surface of the water without setting the other barrels afire. But it burned long enough to keep the Viper trapped until Mannegan and the others arrived. They arrested the Viper and confiscated the cargo of the submarine. Well, what about Rankin and Frenchie? Dead. Both shot by the Viper. And Hans Van Schmitt? He's in jail. Well, how did you, as the Blue Beetle, manage to escape Officer Mannegan and the other police officers? I managed to reach the surface and put my police uniform back on over my Blue Beetle costume before they arrived. Well, it certainly was a thrilling experience. Yes, it was, Doc. It's also rather tough on Van Schmitt. He was a respectable businessman until he got involved with Rankin. Yes, yes, it used to happen. Oh, excuse me, Danny. Hello? Oh, yes, yes, Mannegan. All right, all right, I'll tell him. Goodbye. Oh, Danny, Mike Mannegan says the commissioner wants to see you both first thing in the morning. Ah, that's fine. Maybe you'll have a new assignment for the Blue Beetle. And so the Blue Beetle chalks up another victory in his crusade against crime. The moral of this story is evil companions can bring honest men to disaster. Choose your friends and companions wisely. What new adventures await the Blue Beetle in his next campaign against the forces of evil? This question will be answered in the next transcribed episode of the Blue Beetle. The Blue Beetle is a copyrighted box feature appearing in Mystery Men Comics magazine and the Blue Beetle magazine. The Blue Beetle is on the air twice a week on this same station. Consult the broadcast schedule in your local newspapers. And don't forget to listen in too.