''T.H.E. Cat'' is an American

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that aired on

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Fridays from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. during the 1966–1967 television season.Brooks, Tim and Marsh, Earl, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 – Present, 1st Edition'', page 606, Ballantine Books, 1979 The series was co-sponsored by R.J. Reynolds ( Winston) and

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and was created by

Harry Julian Fink Harry Julian Fink (July 7, 1923 – August 8, 2001) was an American television and film writer known for ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' and as one of the writers who created Dirty Harry. Fink wrote for various television shows in the 1950s an ...

Robert Loggia Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...

starred as the title character, Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat. 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.

Synopsis

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!

The series had a hero who was a reformed thief, having spent an unspecified term in prison, and of Romani heritage. In the mold of famed private eye

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and the waterfront bar Mother's, Cat operated out of the Casa Del Gato (House of the Cat) in

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, of which he was part owner. Thomas (The Cat) was a master of the martial arts who used his skills numerous times to stop antagonists in his pursuit of justice for the downtrodden, and for his various clients. He always worked on the side of the law, occasionally using his skills for the local police. His police contact was Police Capt. McAllister, a man with only one hand. R. G. Armstrong played McAllister in 12 episodes of the series. Cat was also a master gymnast and acrobatic artist, who used his acquired skills as a circus performer to get into places that the police could not reach.

Casting

Series star Robert Loggia had previously played a character known as "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 was "the Cat", a fact viewers were reminded of each week in the series' theme song. The series ran for 10 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 hit Hollywood films, including '' An Officer and a Gentleman'', '' Scarface'', Sylvester Stallone's ''

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'', the

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hit film ''

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'', and the science fiction action film '' Independence Day''. 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, ''

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'', for which he was nominated for an Emmy in 1989.

Reception

Though ''T.H.E. Cat'' was popular among children and teens, the series fared poorly in the ratings overall, a situation that prompted its cancellation after a single season.

Episodes

Cast

as Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat * R. G. Armstrong as Captain McAllister *

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as Pepe Cordoza Guest stars:

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, Barbara Stuart, Steve Ihnat,

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Linda Cristal Marta Victoria Moya Peggo Burges (23 February 1931 – 27 June 2020), known professionally as Linda Cristal (), was an Argentinian actress. She appeared in a number of Western films during the 1950s, before winning a Golden Globe Award for her ...

, Ted Jordan, Robert Sampson, Simon Scott and

Fred Beir Frederick Edwin Beir (September 21, 1927 – June 3, 1980) was an American film and television actor. Born in Niagara Falls, New York, Beir began his career in 1950, appearing in the television series ''The Philco Television Playhouse''. He al ...

References

External links

* * {{epguides, id=THECat, title=T.H.E. Cat
''T.H.E. Cat'' intro—YouTube Video

''T.H.E. Cat'' Pilot Episode Starring Robert Loggia—YouTube Video

''T.H.E. Cat'' Episode 3 "Payment Overdue" Starring Robert Loggia—YouTube Video

''T.H.E. Cat'' Episode 6—Starring Robert Loggia—YouTube Video
1966 American television series debuts 1967 American television series endings Espionage television series Fictional representations of Romani people Fictional secret agents and spies Fictional vigilantes NBC original programming Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in San Francisco