• Air date: 16 Sep '66 26 episodes
      T.H.E. Cat is an American action drama that aired during the 1966-1967 television season on NBC, co-sponsored by R.J. Reynolds and Lever Brothers. The series was created by Harry Julian Fink, the creator of Dirty Harry . Robert Loggia starred as the title character, Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat. T. H. E. Cat is a forerunner of television characters such as The Equalizer, who skirt the edges of the law and bring skills from earlier careers on behalf of those needing more help than the police can offer. The series preceded the 1968-1970 ABC television series It Takes a Thief, which was also about a cat burglar who used his skills for good.
  • List of Episodes (26)
    • 1. To Kill a Priest

      16 Sep '66
      Outside a cathedral, which is like a giant fortress, armed police are standing guard. Captain McAllister, chomping on a big cigar, takes Cat inside, and explains, ""They call him the Fisherman's Priest, he blesses them and their boats."" A while back, extortionists started demanding $5 per fisherman, per week. That's $5,000 a week-- a quarter of a million dollars a year; several fishermen were killed. The good priest told his flock not to pay, now the priest is marked for death; there have
    • 2. Sandman

      23 Sep '66
      Late at night, an elderly cat burglar, dressed all in black, breaks into a mansion, and cracks a wall safe; he tries to steal an object. The owner, Mr. Cahill, bursts into the room, and fires several shots at the burglar, who escapes out the window. On the roof, the elderly cat burglar is confronted by a young cat burglar, dressed in an identical all-black outfit. The young burglar asks, ""Don't you remember your best student?"" The elderly man says no, and asks, ""Who are you?"" The young
    • 3. Payment Overdue

      30 Sep '66
      In the wee hours of the morning, at the Casa del Gato, the singer this week is the fair Jerrie Loren. She's singing to the audience, ""Night brings soft winds, and I close my eyes and reminisce. I find my mind filled with memories of our last kiss. The soft winds touch me, gently warming me the way you used to do. Daytime I'm fine, but then comes the night, bringing soft winds and memories of you."" Outside, Arnie Bliss is being attacked by Morgan and his hoods. When one of the hoods slaps
    • 4. Brotherhood

      07 Oct '66
      Cat walks up to a dilapidated apartment building. He goes upstairs and silently unlocks the door, and walks through the front room; then he kicks open the kitchen door. Inside the room, Omar Cantorte is holding a sawed-off shotgun to a girl's head; she is tied to a chair. Cantorte asks, ""You're the one? Your name?"" The man in black answers, ""Cat-- T. Hewitt Edward Cat."" (intro music) Cantorte tells the story. 17 years ago, his younger brother shot policeman J. W. Hardman's wife; she'd
    • 5. Little Arnie From Long Ago

      14 Oct '66
      Arnie Ludock got sent to prison in 1936; now, after 30 years, he is free. Arnie is accompanied by his old sidekick Drummer. At their place, Captain McAllister confronts Arnie. The Captain is the one who sent Arnie up 30 years ago; McAllister was just a rookie cop then. Arnie is as feisty as ever, and sneers, ""You think I'm scared of an old man with one wing and a badge?"" McAllister is about to punch him when Cat intervenes. Arnie asks, ""Who are you?"" The man in black answers, ""Cat--T
    • 6. None to Weep, None to Mourn

      21 Oct '66
      Late afternoon, in a large castle-like home, filled with relics and paintings and statues, Cat walks down a corridor. Cat asks an old woman, ""Where are the servants?"" The old woman says, ""When death is about to enter the house, no one may remain to bar his way."" Cat opens a door, and sees a dead man (Hadis) propped up. The woman asks, ""You are not...?"" Cat says, ""Death? No."" The old woman asks, ""Then who are you? What is the name by which you walk?"" He answers, ""Cat-- T.
    • 7. Moment of Truth

      28 Oct '66
      At the Casa del Gato, Serafina, a pretty flamenco dancer, is doing her number. Cat says, ""Beautiful""; Pepe, looking at the night's receipts, says, ""Beautiful."" Cat observes, ""You are getting old, my friend-- you appreciate the wrong figures."" But Carlos the waiter appreciates Serafina's beauty. Just then, Miguel Figueroa, a famous Spanish matador who now has a slight limp, enters along with his fellow matadors Luiz and Frederico, and the Count de Vallares. Pepe greets Figueroa, and
    • 8. Marked For Death

      04 Nov '66
      At midnight, Cat is on the roof of a tall building, and enters through the skylight. He slides down a long rope. He is immediately surrounded by many men in the dark; a spotlight hits Cat, who remains motionless. A man, obviously the leader (Silvio), steps forward and demands to know what Cat is doing here. Cat shows him a card (sort of like a Tarot card) with 2 crossed daggers, pointing down and dripping blood; in the background there is a coiled snake. Cat turns the card over, the back
    • 9. Crossing at Destino Bay

      18 Nov '66
      Night, around 1:30 a.m. Cat is at the Destino Bay Ferry building, which appears to be totally deserted-- even the man in the ticket booth is either unconscious or dead. Cat encounters an armed hitman. Cat pulls his cat's-claw knife from his sleeve; the hitman shoots it out of his hand with his silencer. The hitman says, ""The others are in the waiting room. You could not be the one who hired me."" Cat responds, ""Nor you the one who hired me."" The hitman introduces himself, ""I am
    • 10. To Bell T.H.E. Cat

      25 Nov '66
      Night. Andrea March is sitting at one of the restaurant's outdoor tables, on the sidewalk. She is sketching Moonface who is sitting at another table; his bald head, thick glasses and stark features make his face unique. Suddenly, 2 thugs show up and kill the proprietor. Moonface and the thugs are about to run away, but there was a witness: Andrea with her sketch pad. Moonface says, ""The girl-- she has my face!"" (well, that didn't come out right.) As they attack the girl, she screams for
    • 11. Curtains For Miss Winslow

      02 Dec '66
      Night. Cat enters a large, deserted theatre. Cat goes downstairs to the huge prop room, and runs into a man who says he is Dario Marzoni, the keeper. Almost his entire face is scarred, and he wears dark glasses, long hair and a large moustache; he also has a slight hunchback, and a limp. This man takes Cat to Felicia Winslow, a lady around 50; she was a famous actress, now retired. Her young protege Chris is the one who sent for Cat. Winslow's dog has been killed and placed in a casket, as
    • 12. King of the Limpets

      09 Dec '66
      An assassin dressed like a sailor walks up to the El Pescador (fisherman) Cafe, there are hotel rooms upstairs. In a hotel room, Vasco and another man quickly try to smuggle a boy (Victor) to safety, downstairs and out the back way. But downstairs in the cafe, the assassin stabs Vasco in the back. Our hero shows up, and there's a Cat fight; the assassin winds up with a sword in his gut. Vasco is lying injured on the floor, and says to Cat, ""I owe you 2 lives, my own and the boy's. Maybe
    • 13. The System

      16 Dec '66
      Cat breaks in to the top floor of a large building. It is a museum-- a dungeon of sorts, with wax figures, suits of armor, medieval weapons and torture devices. Cat unties an elderly gentleman with a German accent, who asks, ""Lisa-- she sent you to find me?"" Cat picks up a medieval ball-and-chain battle mace and clobbers a crook. (ugh!) The elderly gentleman is impressed, and says, ""With you to help, I might still have a chance. But who are you?"" The man in black answers, ""Cat--T.
    • 14. The Canary Who Lost His Voice

      23 Dec '66
      The jazz band is playing at the Casa del Gato. A beautiful woman, Christine Martell, is nervous and wants Cat to protect someone; she gives Cat a blank check. He asks, ""Do I fill it out before or after?"" On the back of the check is written: Joey Crato -- Luna Arcade. Cat goes there, and enters Joey's Antique Shop, which is dark and deserted. Suddenly, a man wearing a red fez starts blasting with a chopper-- he hits a row of antiques and the windows, and misses Cat by a mile. Outside,
    • 15. The Ring of Anasis

      30 Dec '66
      Early afternoon, Cat is on a bodyguard assignment. Cat is in yet another one of those strange, fortress-like mansions, and his client is an eccentric millionaire, Tony Webb, who is rather wimpy. Webb has a gigantic collection of exotic artifacts and rare, primitive weapons and statues. At the moment, he is practicing with a blowgun; Webb states flatly, ""A man who expects hourly to be struck down-- murdered-- should practice."" Cat throws a spear into the wall, showing he is quite skilled at
    • 16. Queen of Diamonds, Knave of Hearts

      06 Jan '67
      (intro narration) Night, on a millionaire's estate. Cat climbs to the 2nd story of the mansion, and sneaks into a bedroom; immediately a beautiful woman, who was hiding behind the curtains, holds a small gun to the back of Cat's head. She says facetiously, ""Turn and face your punishment."" Cat quips, ""A punishment fit for a king."" The lady is his long-time friend, the Countess De Laurent; Cat kisses her. The Countess, with her charming foreign accent, tells Cat why she sent for him.
    • 17. A Hot Place to Die

      13 Jan '67
      (intro narration) David Benton and the beautiful Crystal Pierson are in the blazing desert, in their convertible. They stop at a filling station. David is nervous; he has a suitcase, and was supposed to meet a man there. Crystal says worriedly that Percy Hagan probably stopped the man. As they start to drive on, a long car cuts in front of them. It's 2 of Hagan's armed goons. They tell Benton to turn around and follow them back to the casino. (so this is probably outside Las Vegas,
    • 18. A Slight Family Trait

      20 Jan '67
      (intro narration) Night. A luxury liner, the Princess Louise, is docked. There is a huge party on board-- but there is also at least one uninvited guest: the Cat. The man in black sneaks into a forward cabin, and finds a beautiful young woman in black (Blossom) has just picked a wall-safe. She guesses correctly that her mother had sent for Cat to stop her. Then Cat struggles with her as he forces her out of the room, for her own safety. Ironically, it is Cat who is caught by 2 armed guards
    • 19. If Once You Fail

      27 Jan '67
      (intro narration) Night. Cat is driving his sportscar, and dropping off the lovely Dr. Kathryn DeVrees at the Country Hospital where she works. They have a long kiss; Cat is in love with her, this time it's serious. After Cat drives away, a gunshot rings out; a man is shot. Kathryn kneels over him and gives him first aid, but he dies in her arms. Then she looks up and sees the face of the killer: Juan Sonorrito; since she could now identify him, he must kill her, too. But as a doctor and
    • 20. Design for Death

      03 Feb '67
      (intro narration) There is a fashion show at some ritzy club. It is being presided over by Claudine Peyser, wearing a divine silver lamé outfit-- she's an attractive woman, but with a stern face (and whose irritating singsong voice sounds like she is doing a bad Phyllis Diller impression), ""LOOK at them, EMPty headed little VIXens. GREGory, reMIND me to send some ROses to that SEAMstress in PARis who got us into SAN SIOUX's showing... you wouldn't beLIEEEVE PARis."" Gregory Tyrole is her
    • 21. Matter Over Mind

      10 Feb '67
      (intro narration) Night. The scene opens with yet another of those weird, fortress-like mansions that are so prevalent in this series; inside there are exotic artifacts: ancient statues of samurais and a creature with 4 horns, arcane spell books (an entire occult library), and a skull which is also an incense burner. Leo Seraf, a gangster in his late 60s, is forcing psychic Maya Leandro to do a seance-- at gunpoint. Leo's armed thug Connie has Maya and her brother Carl covered. Leo demands
    • 22. The Blood-Red Night

      17 Feb '67
      (intro narration) Daytime. Cat is called to the mansion of Amelia Ferret, a rich lady in her late 70s. She fears for her life because of a large, rare ruby she wears, the ""sangre de Cristo"" (blood of Christ) ruby. She tells Cat the ruby has an evil power. Her father gave it to her mother; 2 days later she died. Amelia wore it on her wedding day; her fiancé died, and she became a spinster. It has brought nothing but death; she was afraid to sell the ruby, since it would bring death to
    • 23. The Ninety Percent Blues

      24 Feb '67
      (intro narration) Gangster Milo Andrade, along with 2 of his thugs, is having a meeting in his penthouse apartment with handsome, young black comedian Timmie Taylor. In front of them is a 10-gallon aquarium filled with piranha, their teeth ""sharper than razors."" Milo tells Timmie to sign the management contract: 90% for Milo, 10% for Timmie-- no wonder Timmie has got The Ninety Percent Blues. When Timmie refuses, Frankie Welles and the other thug grab him, and force his hand into the
    • 24. The Long Chase

      10 Mar '67
      (intro narration) Night. Dozens of policemen are having a big shootout with escaped convict Laurent, who is holed up in a large steel works plant. 2 officers are dead; Lieutenant Lassiter has sent for Cat. Lassiter explains to Cat that they can't rush Laurent, he has a hostage: nurse Valerie. Cat is an expert at high steel and high wires; so is Laurent. Complicating matters is the fact Laurent once saved Cat's life; Cat figures he still owes him, and will try to take him alive. Daylight.
    • 25. Twenty-One and Out

      24 Mar '67
      (intro narration) Daytime. Undercover cop Joe is bringing groceries, and a couple of books to read, to lovely Laurie Neal-- she's holed up in a room in 2-story motel, as part of a witness protection program. (She's been shuttled from one safe spot to another for 7 months now.) Suddenly, a car speeds by and fires at some undercover cops stationed outside; they return the fire, but then a bomb blasts through Laurie's window. Later, Lieutenant Lassiter puts Laurie up in a backroom at the Casa