“BURNE’S BLUES”
Story by Bill Wolf
Teleplay by Gordon Bressack
MWS Production #9059-017
CAST OF CHARACTERS: Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Splinter, April O’Neil, Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop, Ninja Foot Soldiers, Irma, Vernon, Mr. Thompson
GUEST STARS: Wolfgang, Plink, Don, Turtelli, Master Spy, Elvis Clones/Aliens
LOCATIONS: Technodrome, Turtles’ Lair, Channel Six News, Plink’s Empty Warehouse, Alien Spaceship
VEHICLES: Turtle Van, Technodrome, Pneumatic Modules, Turtle Skateboards
SYNOPSIS:
In the middle of a summer heat wave, the Turtles cool down by having pizza at Plink’s, home to the world famous chef: Wolfgang Plink. Suddenly, three Punks storm into the restaurant and try to hold the place up. The thugs didn’t count on the Turtles, who disptach them with ease.
Back at Channel Six News, April, Vernon, Irma, and Mr. Thompson finish watching a tape of April’s broadcast. Mr. Thompson is upset because there was no footage of the Turtles. April tries to explain that she promised not to include it in her report. Mr. Thompson is furious. In his day, he goes on to explain, a good reporter let nothing stand in his way of getting the news. Vernon chimes in by suggesting that if Mr. Thompson were not so old and fat, he would be out on the streets now searching for the Turtles. The insulted Mr. Thompson thinks that this is a great idea and volunteers Vernon to go with him, leaving April to cover a story on why the air conditioners all over the city are on the blink.
After a little investigative work, April contacts the Turtles (who are freezing in their subterranean lair) to meet her at Plink’s where she explains that the Channel Six News building and Plink’s were serviced by the same air conditioning repair company: S+K. In fact, every air conditioner in a ten block radius was serviced by the same company. Suspecting that their truck may still be in the area, April and the Turtles split up to search for it.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson and Vernon scour the seedy part of town looking for informers, only to find themselves the innocent victims of a spy ring. As the reporters are escorted away, April drives past and discovers the S+K Air Conditioning Repair Company truck. She contacts the Turtles, who advise her to wait – but she doesn’t and soon finds herself face-to-face with Bebop.
Shredder reports to Krang about his progress in stealing enough freon from air conditioning units to satisfy his needs. But Krang goes ballistic, telling Shredder that freon is too unstable – he needs NutriFreeze, “an experimental gas ten times more powerful than freon.” While Krang orders Shredder to go to the NutriFreeze plant to steal gas, April unscrews a valve on a freon gas tank, causing the gas to leak out into the open air.
As the S+K truck (containing Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop and April) leaves the warehouse yard, the Turtle Van arrives. They deduce that they have just missed the S+K truck, that April has been captured, and from the smell of the freon in the air, that April has left them a trail to follow.
Meanwhile, in a run-down old warehouse in another part of town, Mr. Thompson and Vernon are being interrogated by the Spy. After three hours of serious tickling with feathers, the Spy is convinced that the reporters know nothing, but he realizes that he can’t let them go as they now know too much. Just as the Spy is about to “liquidate” the investigators, a car breaks through the warehouse doors. The Spy and his cronies beat feet.
Mr. Thompson and Vernon’s saviour turns out to be Don Turtelli, a mob boss, and he’s convinced that they are looking for him. Mr. Thompson tries to assure him that they are not, but Don Turtelli isn’t buying their story, and he decides to torture them for information… with a feather!
Over at the NutriFreeze plant, the Turtles attempt to thwart Shredder and company, but they’re blasted by a shot of NutriFreeze gas that causes them to freeze solid in their tracks – unable to move, let alone rescue April!
No sooner has Shredder and company disappeared into the sewer, then Mr. Thompson and Vernon are unceremoniously dumped on the street by their latest captor. As luck would have it, they find themselves in front of the NutriFreeze warehouse and spot the Turtles on the loading dock. As the reporters rush across the parking lot to claim their prize, they’re abducted by aliens in a space ship, who all happen to look like Elvis. The aliens also want information, and you gueseed it, they plan to use a feather to get it.
As the Thompson and Vernon are spirited away, the Turtles thaw out and begin to persue Shredder through the tunnels of the city’s sewer system, where Rocksteady and Bebop have hidden two Pneumatic modules. Shredder, Rocksteady and Bebop flee from the lead module. The Turtles rescue April only moments before the follow-up module, loaded with Ninja Foot Soldiers and the stolen NutriFreeze gas, impacts with the first module causing an explosion that erupts through the city street and shoots straight up into the stratosphere, thereby causing it to snow in the middle of summer.
Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson and Vernon are returned to Earth. Upon seeing the city inundated with snow they are convinced that they have been gone for months rather than hours. Mr. Thompson decides to go on live television with his report but loses it when he starts talking about Elvis clones.
