''That's Cat'' was a children's television show that premiered on Saturday, September 18, 1976.Lee Margulies, "Bright Show for School-Age Set," ''Los Angeles Times'', Sept. 18, 1976. It was both produced by and aired on KNBC, the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
owned and operated
In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an affiliate ...
(O&O) station in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
; it was also syndicated to selected NBC O&O stations.
''That's Cat'' was created by Executive Producer Giovanna Nigro-Chacon who wrote the weekly feature "Grandpa". Ms. Nigro-Chacon also wrote and produced the only special in the series - the hour-long "That's Cat Christmas". She received a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award nomination for her work.
The show's first episode credits Susan Cuscuna (co-producer), Perry Krause (co-producer), and Myra Cohen as writers. It starred Alice Playten (as "Alice"), Frank Cala (as "Me", a mime), and
Whitman Mayo
Whitman Blount Mayo Jr. (November 15, 1930 – May 22, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role as Grady Wilson on the 1970s television sitcom ''Sanford and Son''.
Biography
Early years
Whitman Blount Mayo, Jr. was born in New Yor ...
(as "Grandpa"). The show interspersed segments involving stories, music, humor, and various learning-centered activities. The word "Cat" in the title is connotatively used in place of "Cool."
The show's first episode debuted at 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, a move intended to interest parents. The second episode aired in its regular Sunday morning 8:00 a.m. time slot the following day. That same night, a compilation episode of segments from the first two episodes aired at 6:30 p.m. The show moved to the 7:30 a.m. time slot a few episodes later.
Among the more notable features of the first episode was a segment with a song in Spanish; a clip of
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
describing where mustard comes from (likely from a 1970 NBC series ''
Hot Dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a f ...
''); and a feature on the importance of garbagemen.
The show's theme song ("That's Cat") was sung by
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969Welcome Back Kotter, and his son, who echoed the words "That's Cat", during the repeated chorus. The lyrics begin with:
:Hey Pumpkin, come along with me
:Been thinkin' 'bout some things to see
:Take a look at this and that
:We'll find something that's cat
:That's Cat - That's Cat
:It a-means that you like that!
:Like an Indian drum or a kiss from your mom,
:or gettin' something under your hat...
Recurring segments on the show included "Can you find 'Me/me' in this picture" ("Me" being "Alice's" sidekick on the show); and a segment where "Grandpa" spoke directly to the camera offering sage advice in a sweet manner to the main character, Alice.
The show received a nomination for a 1976 Los Angeles Area Emmy award (for film editor Donn Hoyer). In 1979, a Los Angeles-based consumer group—Coalition on Children and Television—selected the show for an award for excellence."Local Shows Win Awards From Children's Group," ''Los Angeles Times'', March 19, 1979."