| T.H.E. Cat | |
|---|---|
 Robert Loggia in T.H.E. Cat | |
| Genre | Action drama Crime drama |
| Created by | Harry Julian Fink |
| Written by | Ronald Austin James D. Buchanan Harry Julian Fink Robert Hamner Herman Miller Bernard C. Schoenfeld Jack Turley |
| Directed by | Alan Crosland Jr. Paul Baxley Don McDougall Maurice Vaccarino Boris Sagal Jacques Tourneur |
| Starring | Robert Loggia R. G. Armstrong Robert Carricart |
| Composers | Lalo Schifrin Gerald Fried Ruby Raksin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Boris Sagal |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | NBC Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 16, 1966 – March 31, 1967 |
T.H.E. Cat was a US television action drama that aired on NBC Fridays from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the 1966–1967 television season.[1]
The series was co-sponsored by R.J. Reynolds (Winston) and Lever Brothers and was created by Harry Julian Fink.
Robert Loggia starred as the title character, Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat.[1] The series preceded the 1968–1970 ABC television series It Takes a Thief, which was also about a cat burglar who uses his skills for good.
Out of the night comes a man who saves lives at the risk of his own. Once a circus performer, an aerialist who refused the net. Once a cat burglar, a master among jewel thieves. Now a professional bodyguard. Primitive... savage... in love with danger. The Cat![2]
The series' hero is a reformed thief who had served a prison term.[3] Of Romani heritage, Cat is cast in the mold of famed private eye Peter Gunn. Like Gunn's waterfront bar Mother's, Cat operates out of Casa Del Gato (House of the Cat) in San Francisco, of which he is part owner. Thomas is a master of martial arts who uses his skills to stop antagonists in his pursuit of justice for the downtrodden. He always works on the side of the law, occasionally using his skills to benefit the local police. His police contact is Police Capt. McAllister, a man with one hand. R. G. Armstrong played McAllister in 12 episodes of the series.[4] Cat is also a master gymnast and acrobatic artist who uses his skills to gain entry to places from which the police are barred by law.[5]
Series star Robert Loggia had previously played a character called "the Cat" in the 1958–60 Walt Disney television miniseries The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, in which Loggia played Baca, an Old West Mexican-American lawman whose nickname is "the Cat", a fact viewers were reminded each week in the series' theme song.[6] The series ran for ten episodes and was recut into a feature movie.
After T.H.E. Cat, Loggia, an actor with a long history of film and television credits, went on to star in a number of high-profile Hollywood films, including An Officer and a Gentleman, Scarface, Sylvester Stallone's Over the Top, the Tom Hanks hit film Big, and the science fiction action film Independence Day.[7] In 1985, Loggia was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of crusty private detective Sam Ransom in the thriller Jagged Edge, and had the starring role in another NBC series, Mancuso, FBI, for which he was nominated for an Emmy in 1989.[8]
Although T.H.E. Cat was popular among children and teens, the series fared poorly in the ratings. It was cancelled after a single season.[9]
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "To Kill a Priest" | Boris Sagal | Harry Julian Fink | September 16, 1966 | |
| An extortionist vows to kill a priest (Jason Evers) who tells fishermen not to pay protection money. | |||||
| 2 | "The Sandman" | Boris Sagal | James D. Buchanan & Ronald Austin | September 23, 1966 | |
| Sanderson, a cat burglar who mentored Cat, needs to steal a gem called The Portuguese so he can return it to the owner he once stole it from. | |||||
| 3 | "Payment Overdue" | Boris Sagal | Robert Hamner | September 30, 1966 | |
| The press agent for a Casa del Gato singer is killed, and Cat sets out to find out why. | |||||
| 4 | "The Brotherhood" | Maurice Vaccarino | Harry Julian Fink | October 7, 1966 | |
| The Brotherhood will kill a girl if Cat doesn't bring them an ex-cop being released from prison. | |||||
| 5 | "Little Arnie from Long Ago" | Don McDougall | James D. Buchanan & Ronald Austin | October 14, 1966 | |
| McAllister wants revenge on the ex-con, Arnie (James Whitmore), who shot his hand off 30 years ago. Arnie, fresh out of prison, plans to return to a life of crime, but other criminals, such as Drummer (Jack Gilford), realize he's now living in the past. | |||||
| 6 | "None to Weep, None to Mourn" | Harvey Hart | Herman Miller | October 21, 1966 | |
| A Copic man dies and his son must spend the night by his father's corpse. The widow (Diana Muldaur), believes her son will be killed, and hires Cat to protect him. | |||||
| 7 | "Moment of Truth" | John Rich | John O'Dea & Arthur Rowe | October 28, 1966 | |
| Pepe asks Cat to protect a crippled ex-matador, but a singer (Linda Cristal) tells Cat to stay away from the man. | |||||
| 8 | "Marked for Death" | Alan Crosland Jr. | George F. Slavin & Stanley Adams | November 4, 1966 | |
| Gypsies want to execute Pepe, but Cat risks his own life to save him. Albert Salmi and Michael Constantine are guest stars. | |||||
| 9 | "Crossing at Destino Bay" | Boris Sagal | Robert E. Thompson | November 18, 1966 | |
| Passengers are held hostage at a ferry waiting room. One of them hired Cat for protection. Robert Duval is a guest star. | |||||
| 10 | "To Bell T.H.E. Cat" | Sutton Roley | Bernard C. Schoenfeld | November 25, 1966 | |
| A young woman sketching at an outdoor cafe witnesses a murder. Cat must find out if she is an innocent bystander or an accomplice to the true villain (Henry Darrow). | |||||
| 11 | "Curtains for Miss Winslow" | Herschel Daugherty | Bernard C. Schoenfeld | December 2, 1966 | |
| A reclusive actress living in a closed theater hires Cat to protect her from a murderer. | |||||
| 12 | "King of Limpets" | Boris Sagal | Herman Miller | December 9, 1966 | |
| Cat is hired to protect a boy from villains, but no one will tell Cat who the youth is. John Dehner is a guest star. | |||||
| 13 | "The System" | Don McDougall | Robert Hamner | December 16, 1966 | |
| Cat rescues a kidnapped mathematician. Why does a prince want the man back? | |||||
| 14 | "The Canary Who Lost His Voice" | Joseph Pevney | Shimon Wincelberg | December 23, 1966 | |
| A woman (Pert Kelton) hires Cat to save a man (James Dunn) from a criminal. But is the woman working for the criminal? | |||||
| 15 | "The Ring of Anasis" | Jacques Tourneur | Herman Miller | December 30, 1966 | |
| Cat is hired to protect a man (William Daniels) who believes he is meant to be sacrificed. Someone tries to kill the suspects. | |||||
| 16 | "Queen of Diamonds, Knave of Hearts" | Boris Sagal | Jack Turley | January 6, 1967 | |
| Cat's friend needs the return of the necklace she gave to a blackmailer (Cesar Romero). | |||||
| 17 | "A Hot Place to Die" | Paul Baxley | Jack Turley | January 13, 1967 | |
| A couple on the run have evidence to convict a criminal. They hire Cat for protection. | |||||
| 18 | "A Slight Family Trait" | Boris Sagal | Jack Turley | January 20, 1967 | |
| A young lady tries to open the safe of a king. Her mother, an old friend of Cat, doesn't want her daughter to follow in the family business of thievery. | |||||
| 19 | "If Once You Fail" | Maurice Vaccarino | Harry Julian Fink | January 27, 1967 | |
| Cat is courting a doctor who witnesses a murder, and can identify the killer. When Cat fails to save her life, he sets himself up as bait to find her assassin. | |||||
| 20 | "Design for Death" | Alan Crosland Jr. | Jack Turley | February 3, 1967 | |
| Cat attends a fashion show where a model is murdered. Thieves want the package she planned to give to a friend. Henry Darrow is a guest star. | |||||
| 21 | "Matter Over Mind" | Boris Sagal | James D. Buchanan & Ronald Austin | February 10, 1967 | |
| A soothsayer (Sally Kellerman) tells a man that Cat is coming after him, and that Cat must be killed. | |||||
| 22 | "The Blood-Red Night" | Bert Freed | Bernard C. Schoenfeld | February 17, 1967 | |
| An elderly lady (Cathleen Nesbitt) owns a cursed ruby. She hires Cat to protect her until the gem is cut into smaller stones to break the curse. John Hoyt is a guest star. | |||||
| 23 | "The Ninety Percent Blues" | Harry Harris | Robert Hamner | February 24, 1967 | |
| A night club owner (Warren Stevens) demands that a comic sign away 90% of his wages to stay alive. The comic's girlfriend hired Cat for protection. | |||||
| 24 | "The Long Chase" | Paul Baxley | Robert Hamner | March 10, 1967 | |
| Police Lieutenant Lassiter (John Marley) asks Cat to rescue a nurse held hostage by a killer (Robert Duvall) who once saved Cat's life. | |||||
| 25 | "Twenty-One and Out" | Paul Stanley | Preston Wood | March 24, 1967 | |
| Cat's friend (Susan Oliver) is to testify against a criminal. Cat tries to protect her, but she is tired of hiding and insists on traveling. John Marley guest stars as Lieutenant Lassiter. | |||||
| 26 | "Lisa" | Jud Taylor | James D. Buchanan & Ronald Austin | March 31, 1967 | |
| A man is killed outside of Casa del Gato. He was bringing Cat a message from Lisa (Diana Van der Vlis), an acquaintance who specializes in double-crossing partners in crime. Victor Buono is a guest star. | |||||
Guest stars: Chris Alcaide, Barbara Stuart, Steve Ihnat, Robert Duvall, Laura Devon, Yvonne Romain, Sorrell Booke, Diana Muldaur, Linda Cristal, Ted Jordan, Robert Sampson, Simon Scott and Fred Beir.
