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What a Night for a Knight

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This article is about the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! episode. For other uses, see What a Night for a Knight (disambiguation).

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

Premise[]

When Scooby-Doo and Shaggy find an abandoned pick-up truck with a knight's armour in the front seat, the gang deliver it to the museum in place of the missing professor. However, this Black Knight is said to come alive every full moon. As the gang investigate the knight, they realize that it is a full moon, and the knight has come alive...!

Synopsis[]

Professor Jameson Hyde White drives a pick-up down the road at night, unaware that the suit of medieval armor he is hauling has come to life and left its shipping crate. Yellow, glowing eyes appear inside the helmet, watching Professor Hyde White ominously.

Nearby, Scooby and Shaggy walk home from the movies. Shaggy complains about being out so late after seeing Star: Dog Ranger of the North Woods twice for Scooby. After chasing a frog, the two notice Professor Hyde White's pick-up, which has been abandoned. Going in for a closer look, they find the now-lifeless suit of armor in the driver seat and are scared away when its helmet falls off.

They return with the rest of Mystery Inc. to properly examine it. Fred wonders why a suit of armor would be out alone in the middle of the night in the driver seat of a truck. He reads the note on the crate of the truck: "Deliver to Jameson Hyde White: Prof. of Archaeology, London, England." Daphne also finds a delivery slip reading: "Deliver to the County Museum." They surmise that the Professor Hyde White must have disappeared.

The next day, the gang travel to the museum where they deliver the armor to its curator, Mr. Wickles. He thanks them, but is fearful since Professor Hyde White disappeared. Mr. Wickles then explains the legend of the Black Knight, claiming that the armor comes to life when the moon is full. He also says that Professor Hyde White was delivering it to the museum all the way from England himself.

Two workers take the crate away. Scooby follows them and finds a strange pair of glasses on a Chinese lion statue along the way. He is called away by the rest of the gang before he can continue his pursuit.

While driving downtown, Velma says that the case has her uncharacteristically baffled. Scooby shows the gang the glasses he found at the museum, and Fred suggests going to the library to research their purpose. There, they learn that those type of glasses were commonly used by jewelers, scientists, and archaeologists in England, immediately prompting the gang to connect them with Professor Hyde White.

At night, the gang return to the museum. Fred tries to open the rear entrance, but it is locked. He suggests that Shaggy go through an upper window using a jack and a ladder from the Mystery Machine. The contraption is still too short to reach the window, so Shaggy uses his gymnastic skills to catapult himself into the window, crashing all the way down to the first floor. As he makes his way to open the door, a pair of eyes watches him from inside a Native American Indian effigy.

Shaggy opens the door for the gang, and they split up to look for clues. Daphne and Fred go one way, Velma and Shaggy go the other, and Scooby is bribed to stay behind and guard the rear entrance with two Scooby Snacks. While Scooby is standing guard, he sees his shadow and runs off, eventually finding Velma and Shaggy. The three explore the museum together until Shaggy becomes separated from the group. The Black Knight appears and starts following Velma and Scooby. Scooby notices the Black Knight, and runs into Velma while trying to hide, knocking her glasses off. The Black Knight pursues Scooby into a dinosaur fossil exhibit, where Scooby eventually evades him.

The gang reconvene. Shaggy notices a painting missing from the wall, which reappears when the gang circle back to the spot again. From there, they find a trail of paint leading to a secret room hidden behind an Egyptian sarcophagus. Inside, they find an art studio containing two identical paintings. Before they can investigate further, the Black Knight arrives and chases them out of the secret room. Fred and the girls hide inside a tank, while Scooby and Shaggy hide inside a biplane.

Shaggy uses ventriloquism to throw his voice and distract the Black Knight from finding them, but Scooby accidentally powers the plane on, causing the it to fly erratically around the museum. Eventually, they collide with the Black Knight, knocking him out. The gang unmask the Black Knight, revealing him to be Mr. Wickles. Part of a smuggling and forgery ring, Mr. Wickles would steal and sell real paintings from the museum, replacing them with forgeries he created in the secret room. He donned the Black Knight armor to kidnap Professor Hyde White, the only one who could uncover the fraud.

Scooby finds a shoe hanging out of the Native American Indian effigy, and the gang find Professor Hyde White tied up and gagged inside.

In the curator's office, Professor Hyde White explains to the gang that Mr. Wickles himself invented the legend of the Black Knight to cover up the kidnapping. Suddenly, they see the Black Knight at the curator's desk, but it is quickly revealed to be Scooby, who put on the armor to scare them.

Characters[]

Main characters:

Supporting characters:

Villains:

Other characters:

Locations[]

  • Wooded area
  • Downtown area
  • County Museum
    • Museum lobby
    • Back entrance
    • Indian Effigy exhibit
    • Medieval room
    • Dinosaur exhibit
    • Ancient Egypt exhibit
    • Secret room
    • Transportation exhibit/Relic room
    • Office room
  • Public Library

Objects[]

Vehicles[]

Suspects[]

Suspect Motive/Reason
Professor Hyde White His mysterious disappearance.
Mr. Wickles He told the gang about the legend of the Black Knight.

Culprits[]

Culprit Motive/Reason
Mr. Wickles as the Black Knight Dressed up as the Black Knight to cover up his art forgery scheme
Museum workers Members in Mr. Wickles's art forgery.

Cast[]

Don Messick Scooby-Doo
Mr. Wickles
Professor Hyde White
Sheriff
Casey Kasem Shaggy Rogers
Frank Welker Fred Jones
Stefanianna Christopherson Daphne Blake
Nicole Jaffe Velma Dinkley
John Stephenson Black Knight
Museum worker 1

Full credits[]

The following credits are how they are seen on-screen (or as close as possible).

Notes/Trivia[]

  1. The Black Knight after he casts a shadow on Scooby.
  2. Scooby leaping out of the flowerpot.
  3. The gang is reading the book in the library, and then look forward, above it (or in other words to the audience). This went on to be used in the second season's sequences.
  • The title card for this episode and the following one are different than the ones in the rest of the series; both show the monster while the rest show the gang running with the title floating above them.
  • Aside from Scooby Snacks, there is no proper (human) food.
  • The scene where Shaggy and Scooby walk home on a spooky late night after having seen a movie about a heroic dog twice was given a 21st Century semi-remake in the What's New, Scooby-Doo? episode It's Mean, It's Green, It's the Mystery Machine, with the duo this time walking out of the theater after watching Return of Astro Mutt: Space Dog of the Future twice. It is also worth noting that both scenes end with them finding a vehicle.
  • There are a few early changes to the gang in this episode:
    • Fred is not named in this episode. Storyboards referred to him as "Ronnie", one of his working names.[1]
    • Shaggy becomes the leader, Fred is the smartest member, and Scooby is acting as the comic relief. Daphne and Velma's personalities remain the same. Starting with the next episode, Fred becomes the leader of the gang, with Shaggy becoming the comic relief of the gang, Scooby becoming the team pet, and Velma becoming the smartest member.
  • In storyboards and his model sheet, Jameson Hyde White is instead referred to as "James Hyde White". The storyboard also describes him as being from England but gives him a full cowboy ensemble.[2][3]
  • Wickles is spelled "Wikles" in storyboards and on his model sheet.[4][5]
  • Daphne is the first character to mention the name of the series, "Scooby-Doo, where are you?"
  • Scooby and Shaggy go to see a sequel to Star: Dog Ranger of the North Woods in DC Comics' Scooby-Doo #33 story Return of the Star Dog. They've apparently waited ten years for it, since seeing the one in this episode, although of course they haven't aged at all. It's however spelled as "Star Dog", when in the episode, Shaggy put emphasize on "Star" being separate from "Dog Ranger of the North Woods".
  • This is the first instance in which Velma shows the running gag with her glasses.
  • The scene with Scooby shivering and using his paws to close his mouth is essentially reused in various episodes, such as A Night of Fright is No Delight.
  • The series is prone to use a new sheriff every time one is needed, but the one in this episode could very well be the same one in Which Witch is Which? A note on his model sheet also does indicate as much.[6]
  • A few other non-related monsters would also be called the Black Knight.
  • This episode was included in Cartoon Network's Scooby-Doo! Back to School Marathon (August 10–11, 2013).
  • The exact same scene from this episode of the gang looking at the screen while in the library is featured in the opening theme of the DTV Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery.
  • The opening credits for the DTV Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon ends with the gang doing a parody on the scene where they look at the screen while reading a book, however, they are instead looking in a comic book.
  • The Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode Come Undone also parodies the library scene except this time, the gang is looking at a computer, not a book.
  • In Scoobynatural after breaking his arm in a fall, Shaggy mentions how he jumped out of a biplane and wasn't hurt, an event that occurred in this episode. This proves to be a sign that the Winchesters and Castiel crossing into the world of Scooby-Doo is having real consequences on the characters.
  • Upon finding the suit of armor, Fred exclaims "Well, gang, it looks like we're up to our armor plates in another mystery." The gang's previous adventures wouldn't be seen until 19 years later with the release of the prequel series A Pup Named Scooby-Doo.
  • This first episode includes a fourth wall break: Scooby winks at the screen when Fred says “Tonight, we’re going fishing.” Fourth wall breaks subsequently became a common occurrence in many Scooby series.
  • The Turner print that has aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang removes the opening scene of Act 2, where Fred suggests that Shaggy will enter the Museum through the small window then takes out the Ladder. The scene instead begins with Shaggy placing the ladder on the Wall.
    • However, it is still intact on current prints and MeTV Toons airings though.
  • The delivery label Daphne finds is dated June 10th, 1969.

Miscellaneous[]

Adaptations[]

Animation mistakes and/or technical glitches[]

  • There is no one driving the truck in the first scene.
  • As Shaggy and Scooby are running after seeing the lifeless armor's head fall off, Shaggy's mouth moves, but he doesn't say anything.
  • Scooby pops up behind the gang while riding in the Mystery Machine, only he appears to be between Daphne and the seat back.
  • When Velma says, "Now look what that dog did! He knows I can't see without my glasses!", the end of her sleeve briefly flashes the color of her skin.
  • When Velma loses her glasses, she mistakes the knight for Shaggy and hearing the knight's raspy voice, she tries to give the knight cough syrup, thinking it's Shaggy. Shaggy enters and takes the cough syrup. A few scenes later, with no time for Velma to find her glasses, she has her glasses back on.
  • The red plume on the knight's head disappears in the scene after the gang find him behind the door.
  • After the entire gang exclaims Professor Hyde White's name while at the library, Daphne, Fred, and Scooby's eyes move left slightly before promptly returning to their normal spots.
  • When Fred raises the car jack to its limit, the grooved part is so long, it couldn't have fit into the jack in the first place.
  • When Fred grabs that jack, his arm is certainly long.
  • Although the Black Knight casts a long shadow over Scooby, Scooby himself casts no shadow at all.
  • The hidden door inside the mummy case is a different shape the second time it is seen.
  • The plane flies very well without wings for one scene.
  • When the gang exits the relic room, the background shows the same vehicles in the next room.
  • When the gang react to seeing the Black Knight again in the office room (before Scooby opens up the visor), Daphne's entire eyes disappear as she blinks.
  • When Velma says, "So that's what the Black Knight was after," her mouth doesn't move.

Inconsistencies/continuity errors and/or goofs/oddities[]

  • Shaggy and Scooby go and investigate the truck with the knight in it, which, in later episodes, is something they would run from. It is possible that the writers were still setting up the formula and setting the scene for the series, but it is strange Shaggy and Scooby went to investigate it without being told to do so by Fred, Daphne or Velma, especially on such a "spooky" night. And it's possible they didn't see the Knight at first.
  • Mr. Wickles appeared shorter than the Black Knight. Nothing was ever explained of how he made himself tall enough to completely fit inside the dark armor suit.
  • When Mr. Wickles was explaining about the legend, the camera moved to the Black Knight, showing its eyes lighting. This wouldn't make sense since Mr. Wickles was the Black Knight. Maybe it was used to throw the viewers off.
  • Velma asks Mr. Wickles about Professor Hyde White's role in delivering the Black Knight when she already knew full what it was. This was done either to remind the audience or to inform the new ones just tuning in, or of course, both.
  • Fred is able to see at the top window of the museum, not only in the dark, but standing right up to the wall. Unless he's familiar with the place.
  • There must be little worry of burglaries since the windows have no glass. Then again, the glassless windows were very small.
  • This is the beginning of the gang's carelessness of not following the "no breaking and entering" rule. The window was "open", but it's still the same.
  • The ladder that Shaggy uses is way too long to fit in the Mystery Machine.
  • How is it possible for a plane inside a museum exhibit to be turned on and flown? Plus, even with the armor protecting him, Mr. Wickles would likely have been killed by the plane's impact.
  • It is never revealed what Mr. Wickles was planning to do with Professor Hyde White after kidnapping him.
  • Mr. Wickles hides Professor Hyde White, who is bound and gagged, under a large mask and blanket. The eyes of the mask are shown to move and blink while the Professor is behind it, implying that those are his eyes moving and blinking. However, the eye holes on the mask are much too far apart for the Professor to look through them both at the same time. In addition, while he is bound, he is not actually tied to anything, so he should have been perfectly capable of moving his body to get the attention of the kids. He should've also been able to make sounds as well. Unless he was glued to the wall, of course.
  • Things are all too conveniently set up for there to be a real mystery to solve.
    • It would have been far less complicated if the suit of armor and Professor Hyde White had traveled to the museum separately. The way it looks, it's as if Professor Hyde White, an archaeologist, was merely being used as a delivery service to bring the suit of armor all the way from England to the County Museum. But if it was that simple then it wouldn't have had the two messages. The one on the crate could be to identify who it belonged to, but that doesn't explain why he needed a letter to go to the County Museum. From in-universe, it's possible the letter had a specific address, if he wasn't working there to begin with, but the message on the crate said it needed to be delivered to him. It seems a lot of fuss went over a simple suit of armor unless it belonged to someone of importance. If it had been sent all the way to England and Professor Hyde White took it with him to America, then the first note on the crate with his name on it (which is presumably supposed to be a form of address, although if it were, it would be a lot more specified than just "London, England") would've been already replaced by another mailing address by airplane since it couldn't have traveled all the way from England by train. The fact that the gang had the convenience of finding those two addresses is fundamental to directing their mystery to begin with (other than just finding the suit of armor), otherwise they'd just be stuck with the armor and wouldn't know what to do with it, except for calling the sheriff. (They would've likely deduced it needed to be taken to the County Museum itself, anyway.)
    • Professor Hyde White said that Mr. Wickles somehow got into the armor and down to the train station which is a mystery itself as he would have surely been caught in the time it would have taken to open the crate and then put the armor on himself and then close the crate up.
    • It isn't explained how while Professor Hyde White was driving, Mr. Wickles was able to get him gagged and bound to the museum. He must've at least either had the professor stop the car by scaring him and then either he fainted from shock or Mr. Wickles had to knock him out, then drive all the way to the museum, then gag, bound, and hide the professor away, and then finally drive the pick-up truck back to a reasonable spot back where Professor Hyde White had been driving or Mr. Wickles had him gagged, bound, and hidden after Professor Hyde White had driven all the way to the museum. The two museum workers might have helped along the way since it seems too elaborate for Mr. Wickles to do it all himself.
  • It's unknown how the museum workers were caught. The only logical explanation would be is that Mr. Wickles ratted them out so he wouldn't take the fall himself.
  • When the gang finds the weird glasses Scooby took from the museum, instead of returning them like good citizens, they detour to the library to do some research on them.
  • That mousy-looking curator certainly is strong. Not only does he run all around the museum in full armor, but he lifts a table with Shaggy and Scooby hanging under it and throws it with considerable force, even though the entire load has got to weigh around 300 lbs! Of course, after he throws Shaggy and Scooby against the wall, they are shown landing facing the top of the table instead of the underside, though it's entirely possible Shaggy and Scooby were impossibly quick enough to get on the other side of the table and to safety.
  • Scooby tackles Shaggy and knocks him down the hall, where he notices a missing painting. While they leave to bring the others, the painting is returned to its place. Just how far away did Scooby and Shaggy go to give Mr. Wickles time to replace it?
  • When Scooby tackles Shaggy and knocks him down, they are right by the gang. But then when they point out the painting is missing, the gang is far away. That scene doesn't last very long, so they don't have time to get away from Shaggy and Scooby.
  • Apparently, there is no night watchman in this museum, though Velma forces Scooby to be quiet anyway. Maybe she didn't want the Black Knight to hear them, in case he was nearby.
  • The Black Knight puts his fist through a painting; one can only hope it's one of the forgeries.
  • One area of the museum is called the relic room. This is awfully vague... aren't all museum exhibits considered relics? Besides, the room is filled with vehicles. Shouldn't it be called the 'transportation room' or something?
  • When Scooby puts on the armor at the end of the episode, the hands have morphed to fit his paws.
  • Scooby needs two Scooby Snacks in order to be bribed, but in later episodes he accepts only one, even in much more dangerous situations.

In other languages[]

Language Name Meaning
French La Nuit du Chevalier The Night of the Knight
German Spuk im Museum Haunted in the Museum
Greek Η Παράξενη Νύχτα του Ιππότη The Strange Night of the Knight
Hungarian Fekete éjben fekete lovag Black Knight in a Black Night
Italian Che notte per un cavaliere What a Night for a Knight
Japanese 博物館のなぞ The Middle of the Museum
Polish Noc w muzeum A Night in the Museum
Swedish Den svarte riddaren The Black Knight
Brazilian
Portuguese 		O Fantasma do Cavaleiro Negro The Ghost of the Black Knight
Latin America Spanish La Leyenda del Caballero Negro The Legend of the Black Knight

Home media[]

Quotes[]

Shaggy: What a nervous night to be walking home from the movies, Scooby-Doo, and all because you had to stay and see Star: Dog Ranger of the North Woods, twice.
Scooby: (excited) Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!


Scooby: Hyde White?
Shaggy: I've heard of hide-and-seek before, but never Hyde White.
Shaggy and Scooby: (laughing)
Velma: That's an English name, you comedians.


Fred: Well, gang. Looks like we're up to our armour plates in another mystery.


(Scooby is scared by the Black Knight and runs into Velma, knocking her glasses off)
Velma: Now look what that dog did. He knows I can't see without my glasses.


Daphne: Let's take this back way out!
(door slides open to reveal the Black Knight standing in the doorway, growling)
Shaggy: Leave it to Daphne to pick the wrong door!

References[]

  1. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20010312060859/http://cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/sb/sdsb_45-01_pg031.html
  2. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/19990508032003/http://cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/sb/sdsb_45-01_pg001.html
  3. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/19990508094958/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/ed/sded_45-01_pg001.html
  4. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20010710014107/http://cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/sb/sdsb_45-01_pg035.html
  5. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/19990508102708/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/ed/sded_45-01_pg002.html
  6. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/19991129021941/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/doc/scooby/45.01/ed/sded_45-01_pg004.html

External links[]


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