The Lost World

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Ted Bottomly here, with the BBC Special

News Service Bureau at London Airport.

Well, the midday transatlantic

jet has just landed.

A tranquil beginning to what could possibly

prove to be a highly explosive moment.

For this is the homecoming of that

indomitable zoological professor...

George Edward Challenger.

How dare you!

Gentlemen, please.

Allow the passengers to descend first.

- Professor, please. I'm from the Mirror.

- Are you indeed;

I'm Ed Malone, Global News.

I'd like a few words, if you don't mind.

- I have no doubt.

- We've heard some hair-raising

tales about your expedition.

- Would you care to say a few words;

- Anything I have to say...

about the expedition will be said tonight

at the institute and not before!

What about New York eight hours ago;

Why'd you punch that reporter on the nose;

- What provoked you to hit him;

- I'll tell you what provoked me, sir.

He made the same mistake

that you are making:

he invaded my privacy,

just as you are doing now.

Come now. This is all in the interest

of news making. Surely you realize-

- I realize that you're in my way, sir! Outrageous!

- Hey!

Hey, have you gone crazy;

Oh, my head. My back.

Fools! Imbeciles!

Have you no sense of decency;

Out of my way!

Hey, look out! Watch it! Careful!

Go away. Go away.

You're a pack of fools.

Is there no privacy anywhere;

Reporters- invaders of privacy.

How dare you! How dare you!

Fools! Will you get out of my way!

- Frosty. Here, Frosty.

Frosty, stop that.

Come back here. Stop that.

- I'm sorry. She-

- Yeah.

- She's crazy about men.

- Yeah, well, somebody's crazy.

I'll get even with that guy

even if it means losing my job.

Oh, don't get so

carried away, Mr. Malone.

The professor's merely eccentric.

Oh, sure. Eccentric enough

to be in a padded cell.

How'd you know my name;

''Ed Malone, Global News Service.''

- Oh, I'm afraid there goes your story.

- And there goes my bus!

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- Say, look. My car's right here.

I can give you a lift into town.

- I appreciate that.

I have to change these wet clothes and then

get out to that lunatic's meeting tonight.

That makes two of us.

I'm going also.

- You;

- My name is jennifer Holmes.

That's right.

Your boss's daughter.

You didn't really think I was in the habit

of picking up strangers, did you;

- Mr. Malone, you'd better come along.

I think so.

Examiner! Read all about it.!

Challenger assaults London newsman.!

Evening Forum. Read all about it.!

Fiery professor reveals secrets

to Zoological Institute tonight.!

Professor.

Ah. Summerlee.

Hmm.

- Who's he;

- That's Professor Walter Summerlee.

He's Challenger's bitterest critic.

The redhead is Challenger.

My lords, ladies and gentlemen,

your attention, please.

Thank you.

- Well, the man in the puddle. Hello.

- Hello.

Johnny, uh, this is

Mr. Edward Malone.

- Lord john Roxton.

- How do you do;

- Hi.

- That's the man on the front page.

Should be quite

a delightful evening.

- Shh!

Bless you.

I have been asked to introduce

our distinguished colleague-

whose international standing

as a zoologist is so highly regarded.

Such an introduction

poses no problem.

The professor has

a remarkable aptitude...

for getting himself in the headlines

by clashing with the press-

head-on, you might say.

As you know, the professor

has recently returned...

from a protracted trip

of the headwaters of the Amazon River-

a trip engendered by his desire

to verify certain conclusions...

which I myself had come to-

- Ha!

with regard to the Cucama Indians.

The professor has returned

with, uh, a report...

which he insists will turn

the scientific world topsy-turvy.

He claims to have seen

certain strange things.

- At least that's what he says.

But he has been known to exaggerate.

Therefore the institute

does not necessarily accept...

or endorse any opinions

expressed here this evening-

uh, that is,

by Professor Challenger.

But again, in fairness, we must all admit

that he has contributed much...

- although noisily-

to both zoology and anthropology.

And so, fearing the worst,

but with the pious hope...

that he may be persuaded to

refrain from using that, uh-

that lethal weapon with which

he so frequently punctuates his opinions...

I give you Professor

George Edward Challenger.

Ladies and, uh, gentlemen...

when my distinguished colleague implies

that we have been in disagreement...

he pays me a high compliment.

And when he expresses

reasonable skepticism...

he is not being unreasonable...

not in view of

the fantastic discovery...

which I shall not minimize

by any false modesty.

- That was not one of my fears, Professor.

Ladies and gentlemen,

prepare yourselves for a shock...

for I bring you news

of a discovery so staggering...

as to rate with

the feats of Columbus...

Edison and Einstein.

About 2,000 miles up-country...

on that still barely explored

outpost of civilization...

which is loosely described

as the headwaters of the Amazon...

on a wild and unscalable

jungle plateau so isolated...

as to insulate the area

from the laws of evolution...

there exists today

many forms of creatures...

long believed to be extinct.

- What sort of creatures;

For heaven's sake, not now.

The Indians call them Curupuri.:

''the terrible spirits of the woods.''

Although I have never reached the top,

from the base of that plateau...

I have seen these creatures

with my own eyes.

Curupuri. To the Indians,

creatures of the supernatural.

And well they might be.

For we know them as gigantic creatures...

of the long dead

jurassic period.

In other words...

- live dinosaurs.

- You're a fake.!

- Ridiculous!

Liar!

- Who called me a liar;

You must forgive us, Professor,

but did you say dinosaurs;

Your hearing is excellent.

Were they big dinosaurs, Professor;

I do not deal in small dinosaurs.

I assume that you have photographs

of these dinosaurs, Professor.

No, sir.

I have no photographs.

On my way downriver the boat overturned

and all my equipment was lost.

- Hmm. Pity.

In 40 years as a scientist

I have never been known to lie.

I say that they were live dinosaurs.

Live dinosaurs! And I challenge

the world to dispute what I say.

- Can you prove what you say;

- Put me to the test, young man.

I further propose

that a new expedition...

consisting of Professor Summerlee

and myself...

together with two impartial

and acceptable members of this audience...

proceed at once to the Amazon...

to investigate my claim

of the existence of a lost world.

- Hear.! Hear.!

- Well said. Hear, hear.

The dry season in the Amazon

ends in November. So I further propose...

that the necessary extensive

preparations be undertaken at once...

in order that we may leave

not later than four weeks from today.

Professor, I would be the first to approve

of such an undertaking...

but the institute has limited funds.

- We have only-

- The money will be forthcoming...

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