1966, Sept. 16th: Give 'em Enough Rope

We closed out 2025 with a re-watch of the second  episode in the Green Hornet series. 

The episode begins with a guy named Charley luring a nervous-looking dude named Joe into a warehouse. Joe is clearly being threatened.  

Once inside, Charley steps aside, leaving Joe to be strangled by a man dressed in black who has swung down from the upper level f the warehouse. 

It is revealed that Joe was there to meet Sentinel reporter Mike Axford. Axford was planning to pay Joe for information relating to Charley's boss scamming disability insurance. Our Hangman-looking tough guy states that he will eliminate Axford as well, to cover all tracks.

Opening credits roll, and we are in the Black Beauty. The Green Hornet and Kato are tailing Axford as Axford arrives at the warehouse to meet Joe, not knowing that Joe is no longer of this world.

As promised to Charley, the man in black attempts to silence Axford as well. He leaps on Axford from the roof of the building.

The Green Hornet instructs Kato to scare off the attacker using the Beauty's headlights, and it works, even in broad daylight!

The man in black runs off into the warehouse with the Green Hornet and Kato on his heels, but uses his uncanny ability to...swing from a rope...to escape. 

Shortly thereafter, back at the Sentinel, Axford is in trouble for a whole other reason.

Axford wrote an article accusing one Alex Colony of participating in an insurance scam, but the lack of the word "allegedly" in the article has opened up the door for a lawsuit.

And sure enough, Colony's lawyer appears, a vivacious lady by the name of Claudia Bromley. She and Britt clearly have an untold past. Britt sets up a lunch date with the flirtatious attorney. 

Following a discussion with district attorney Frank Scanlon, Britt decides to pay this Colony a visit. Maintaining the appearance of being a criminal himself, and after dispatching one of Colony's goons that tried to sneak up on him, The Hornet demands a 50/50 split of the disability insurance proceeds. 

Then at the Sentinel, while making his pitch for continuing to cover this story, Axford mentions to Britt Reid that the murder victim worked at a car repair shop. So while on his way to lunch with Ms. Bromley...

...Reid stops in that same shop to have a look around. While doing so, he finds the rubber end to a cane, or walker leg.

As Britt leaves, he is recognized by the men who work there.

The boss, Colony, is made aware that Reid was present with Bromley. They decide that Bromley could be a liability as well and decide add her to the extermination list.

In short order, Bromley is abducted while getting on the elevator at her apartment building. Upon being made aware, The Green Hornet make another visit to Colony's home.

As the conversation becomes predictably heated, Colony threatens the Hornet with one of his canes, displaying that a part is missing; the one Britt Reid found at the auto shop. 

Colony makes a run for it and is allowed to escape (for some reason). But GH/Kato figure they now know who their murdering man in black is. 

The heroes then return to the auto shop, where they find Bromley. 

As they prepare to free her...the gang attacks! They are quickly dispatched during a brief tussle, however, in which Reid unleashes his devastating peen punch. 

Kato ties up the criminals for the cops to find, in about the most inconvenient, though no doubt effective, way he could conceive.  

Later, Reid and Bromley are finally having their meal together. Since the insurance fraud accusation proved to be accurate, the newspaper is now in the clear from any lawsuit.

Unaware of Reid's dual identity, Bromley recounts the ordeal of her abduction to him, including the opinion that the Hornet doesn't seem that bad, and if he ever got in trouble, she would defend him in court.

And so the episode ends with that little "if she only knew!" wink. 

This was pretty enjoyable overall, though the rope-swinging aspect was...slightly bizarre. The man in black (Colony) didn't even seem particularly skilled at it. 

Bromley seemed like she could become an interesting comedic character, but that I know of, she did not appear in later episodes.