Scooby-Doo, Where Are You/What a Night for a Knight

What a Night for a Knight
Season 1, Episode 1
Airdate	September 13, 1969
Written by
Directed by
← 1x01 What a Night for a Knight	1x02 → A Clue for Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You — Season One

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What a Night for a Knight is the first episode of the first season of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, and the first episode overall.

Guest Stars:

Plot Overview

The episode opens during a full-moon night with a pick-up truck going down a dirt road. The driver of the truck is unaware that its cargo--a black knight's suit of armor--has arisen. Somewhere nearby, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are coming home from a movie, when a noise startles them. Scooby nervously investigates, only it turns out to be a frog. Scooby gives chase, and it leads him and Shaggy to the truck, now stopped. As they look in, they see the suit of armor in the driver seat. They beat a hasty retreat and bring their friends to investigate.

Fred, Daphne and Velma arrive. They learn that the driver was British archaeologist Jameson Hyde-White. They find a manifest which shows the suit of armor was to be delivered to the museum. The gang delivers the suit of armor to the museum themselves. The curator, Mr. Wickles, tells them that Professor Hyde-White's disappearance is due to the legend that if the Black Knight were exposed to a full moon, he would come to life. Wandering the museum, Scooby happens upon a strange-looking eyepiece, so he appropriates it. As the gang leaves the museum, they see the eyepiece on Scooby's head. Curious as to what it is, they head to the library. Velma researches that it is a special set of glasses used only by scientists, jewelers and archaeologists, made only in England. They now know that the disappearance of Prof. Hyde-White ties in with the museum.

Later, the gang breaks into the rear of the museum (using Shaggy to get into a small window. The kids split up, leaving Scooby to guard the door, which he'll only do for two Scooby Snacks. Scooby gets scared of his own shadow and runs off for Shaggy and Velma. As the three look for clues, Shaggy gets separated from the pack. Scooby and Velma go it alone in another section, where Scooby's chattering teeth causes a distraction. Velma ties Scooby's mouth shut with a kerchief and the two proceed, only to be followed by the Black Knight. Scooby sees the Knight and tries to get Velma's attention, but he runs off in fright (to hide in a plant holder), knocking Velma down and making her lose her glasses. Velma feels around for her glasses, and the Knight trips over her, landing in the prisoner's stocks. His growling makes Velma mistake him for Shaggy with a bad cold, so she takes out Shaggy's cold medicine. Shaggy himself finds Velma, who administers his medicine before they both run off. Scooby emerges from the plant and goes the other way.

Scooby pops in another room and licks his lips at the sight before him: the bones of a dinosaur skeleton. He runs over and grabs a bone from the leg, and the skeleton collapses. The tail rips open a curtain to reveal the Black Knight. Scooby throws the bones in the air and the skeleton is put back in its proper assembly before our hero runs off. Scooby rejoins the gang where he runs into Shaggy. Together they spot what they believe is a clue. A picture is missing on a wall of paintings. They bring the others to see it, but the picture has been replaced. However, they track a trail of paint on the floor to a secret door. Opening it, they discover an artist's studio where an original masterpiece is being duplicated. As they turn to call the sheriff, they encounter the Black Knight again.

Scooby uses an easel and paint to distract the Knight while the gang makes a getaway. Shaggy and Scooby try to hide under a bear skin rug, but it is givenaway all too soon, so they duck under a table. That cover gets blown, so they join the gang in a World War I exhibit. Shaggy and Scooby hide in a biplane, while Fred, Daphne and Velma hide in a tank. As the Knight looks for the kids, Shaggy distracts him by throwing his voice into a vase. Scooby's tail turns the plane on and it takes off with him and Shaggy in it. Scooby manages to control the plane in a manner that he had the Black Knight on the run until he crashes into the Knight. Scooby unmasks the Knight as the curator, Mr. Wickles.

The sheriff arrives to cuff Wickles as the kids put two-and-two together. Wickles had an art forgery scheme going, and Professor Hyde-White was the only person who could have spotted the phony paintings. It then dawned on the kids that they never found the Professor. Scooby appears with a shoe and leads the kids and the sheriff to an Indian statue. The sheriff uncovers the Indian as Hyde-White, bound and gagged. In his office, Hyde-White tells the kids that there was never any "legend" of the Black Knight--it was just a tale Wickles used to cover his disappearance. At that point, the suit of armor rises again, this time froma desk in Hyde-White's office. It turns out to be Scooby Doo, having a last laugh at the end.

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