History Main / ToTheBatpole

* ''WesternAnimation/InchHighPrivateEye'' features this in the opening sequence, and in some episodes of the show. Laurie and Gator would rise from a secret passage to the street in their electric Hushmobile, then they would drive to a certain place where Inch goes down an outdoor gutter pipe and flies out the other end where Gator would catch him with a catcher's mitt[[note]]Due to the way it's drawn, it looks more like a normal baseball glove, but is implied to be a catcher's mitt.[[/note]], then they would drive off to their next case.

* {{Superman}} has his telephone booth. Alas, TechnologyMarchesOn...

* RealityEnsues in ''Attack of the 50-Ft. Half-Klingon'' when [[Series/StarTrekVoyager Tom Paris]] dives into a vacutube and flies out the other end in a blast of compressed air, dust and household vermin.

* The ''Film/{{Ghostbusters 1984}}'' have a fireman's pole in their headquarters that takes them straight to the lockers where they keep their outfits and equipment. It's not a secret, but it's dramatic and one of the main reasons they wanted to buy the place.

*** Also, the (fake) fish pond in the front yard flips over to let the bike drive over it, probably referencing the swiiming pool that opens up to let Thunderbird 1 take off and land.

* The scene in ''Film/BridgetJones'' where Bridget is suckered into going down a fireman's pole whilst wearing a skirt. And being filmed from underneath.

* ''Anime/MaiHime'' seemingly spoofed this, giving the cast one episode where they have a rather {{sentai}}-esque team [[FighterLaunchingSequence launch sequence]]. Later episodes systematically destroyed such themes (although the [[GrandFinale finale]] returned to it).

* Fire houses have a fire pole so that the fire fighters can leap into action whenever there's an emergency. (Note, however, that fire fighters are never completely out of uniform while at work so that they can just throw on whatever equipment they need before zipping down the pole. No Rube Goldberg-esque technology at work here.) The fire pole is iconic of the firefighting profession, and [[TropeMaker the inspiration for this trope.]]

** However, some jurisdictions have made a point of phasing firepoles out wherever practical; they're a lot safer than trying to jog down a flight of stairs, but there's still a pretty good chance of someone losing their grip and spraining an ankle. Most new fire stations place the crew ready-room on the ground floor.

* Back in the day in ''Literature/PerryRhodan'', "Emperor" Anson Argyris of the planet Olymp ([[spoiler:really the apparently only Vario-500 robot ever built in his favorite biological disguise]]) had one of the more elaborate examples of the ElaborateUndergroundBase trope in the form of a planet-spanning underground ''network'' of bases and supply depots, all connected by various forms of high-speed transportation and guarded by secrecy and potentially quite deadly traps. What counts as ''this'' trope in particular are the stock scenes depicting him using that network's [[TeleportersAndTransporters matter transmitters]], high-speed transport capsules and whatnot to get where he needed to be quickly and undetected -- most commonly to the special room holding his various [[spoiler:other]] masks whenever he needed one for a mission.

* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' has a pair of secret door recliners in his living room for himself and Launchpad [=McQuack=]. The activation switch is a statue of Basil from ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective''.

* Demolished in the Creator/{{Disney}} movie ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': the antagonists have a clothes-changing rollercoaster (in pre-Spanish South America; go with it) behind one of two switches. Not even its owner seems to remember which switch sends the puller into the [[SharkPool moat]]. ([[InventionalWisdom "Why do we even have that lever?"]]) When the good guys ride it later on, they finish dressed in the definitely non-fitting outfits of the bad guys.

* In most of the ''VideoGame/SakuraWars'' games, the pilots reach their secret base under the theatre by sliding down individual chutes. In earlier games these chutes also somehow, magically, change them into their battle uniforms, although ''VideoGame/SakuraWarsSoLongMyLove'' eschews this in favor of showing [[{{Fanservice}} shots of the girls changing]] (albeit tasteful ones).

* ''PowerRangers'' has [[LongRunners been around long enough]] to have tried every superhero trope on for size, this one included:

* ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' parodied the old Batman series once with Plucky and Hampton playing the roles of Batman and Robin. Unfortunately, when they went to the Batpoles, they found out too late from the maid (Elmyra) that they were out of order and ending up falling all the way to to the cave.
** After the intro, once superheros are put into forced retirement, he has to make do with a "man cave" accessed by a simple door. His costume is kept in a display and there doesn't seem to be any "scanner" (he isn't supposed to be wearing it anyway).

* The Batpole, naturally, from ''Series/{{Batman}}''. It was never adequately explained how Bruce and Dick changed into Batman and Robin as they slid down that pole, though at least once, we see that there is an "automatic costume change" switch on the wall behind the poles, which can be thrown as one descends to allow Bruce and Dick to enter the batcave uncostumed.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'', reaching the HackerCave where the virtual action starts involves skateboarding (or riding a scooter in Jeremy's case) through a [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer sewer]], rappelling down ropes in an abandoned factory, taking an elevator locked by impressive blast doors... and finally being dematerialized in [[AppliedPhlebotinum high-tech scanners]] with the obligatory {{Invocation}}. It certainly fits.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': Mr. Incredible's car has a gizmo that "scans" him into his costume. He presses the button; the driver's seat lays him flat on his back; and a machine drops down and ''wsshht!'' puts on his costume over whatever he's wearing. Another two machines covers his hands and pops his gloves on immediately thereafter. (Never mind that Mr. Incredible fighting crime in a tux would have looked ten times more awesome...)

* Similarly to the PuppetShows examples below, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's live-action 1970 British series ''Series/{{UFO}}'' used chutes for pilots launching from both the moon base and the [=SkyDiver=] submarine. SHADO's headquarters (hidden under a film studio) is accessed by Straker's entire office which serves as an elevator. Hopefully no-one peeks into the boss' window and wonders why it's sinking into the ground.
** Anderson himself lampshades the latter point on his DVDCommentary for the pilot episode.

* The television shows of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's production company, which at first were SuperMarionation PuppetShows but later included live-action ones, were the main source concerning entrance into a vehicle. The same StockFootage was used episode after episode. This meant that the characters always had to start in the same clothes. It also saved any puppet characters from having to walk on-camera, which was never very convincing.

** These make a return in ''Series/PowerRangersSPD,'' this time taking the team to their HumongousMecha. No auto-suiting-up function, though. This one was carried over from the Japanese counterpart ''[[SuperSentai Dekaranger]]''.

Naturally, this is an opportunity for StockFootage, especially in animated productions. A close cousin to the SuperMultiPurposeRoom.

* Usually averted in ''Franchise/{{Emergency}}'' with LACFD Station 51 being a one storey building, but occasionally the paramedics pull duty in older multi-floor stations which have firepoles.

May overlap with RedAlert, especially in the emergency response team/firefighter variant. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant Not to be confused with]] ToTheBatnoun (although the two do sometimes overlap).

* Go Nagai loves this trope. ''Anime/MazingerZ'' emerges from a hangar beneath a nearby swimming pool, ''Anime/GreatMazinger'' rises from the ocean in a waterspout, and ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' has its hangar hidden behind a dam. And Duke changes clothes as he is riding to the hangar!
** ''Grendizer'' also features the pilot's chair transferring from flying saucer to the HumongousMecha it transports, with its weirdly arbitrary double half-spin.
*** One episode [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]] by having the villains attack during the transfer sequence, recognizing it as a moment of weakness when Grendizer can't fight back.

[[quoteright:194:[[Series/{{Batman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Batman_pole_271.jpg]]]]

* In the 2008 movie adaptation of ''Film/IronMan'', Tony Stark suited up in his CoolGarage with the assistance of mechanized arms reminiscent of a car factory to put on each piece. Subverted later on, when the same mechanical arms find it extremely difficult to remove the now-battle-scarred and heavily damaged armor. Tony has it perfected by ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' with a device on the roof of Stark Tower that easily takes his suit off while he calmly strolls across it.
* Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/{{Batman}}'' movie has a staircase (the entrance to which is not seen). ''Batman Returns'' has a chute disguised inside an iron maiden (although Alfred still takes the stairs). In ''Batman Forever'', there's an electromagnetic capsule that travels at hundreds of miles per hour down a tube leading to the Batcave from Bruce's office at Wayne Enterprises. The entrance to the staircase is also finally revealed - [[spoiler:a rotating shelf inside the locked silver closet.]] [[OffScreenTeleportation Alfred still seems to arrive either before or at exactly the same time as Bruce,]] despite being in his 70s and Bruce having ridden a bullet tube down, and didn't even stop to get changed or anything.
* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' showed an old elevator hidden behind a bookcase that opened from playing a certain short tune on the nearby piano. The costume was in a wardrobe at the base of the elevator shaft.
* ''Film/TheDarkKnight'':
** The (presumably temporary) Batcave was accessed by... unlocking a storage container on a condemned piece of Wayne Enterprises property. To put it mildly, this is the least dramatic thing in the movie.
** Bruce has a hidden door in his penthouse that presumably leads to a sort of mini-Batcave where he keeps a spare costume. A pair of guests see him opening it and assume it's a secret panic room (and that he is a massive prick for locking the door right behind himself, leaving them in danger).