David Robbins
c 2013


If you follow my blog, you know I like to give a heads up on fun stuff you might like. This time around it’s a TV show from yesteryear that was far ahead of its time. That it was only on for a season was a shame, but it followed a show that was losing viewers in droves and was up against popular competition on other channels.
This action gem was called T.H.E. CAT. It has since achieved cult status, and for its many fans, was one of the coolest shows ever. Why?
Let’s take the premise. Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat is a bodyguard, the best in the business, the man who has saved a thousand lives. He wasn’t always on the side of the angels. Before he became a bodyguard he was a cat burglar, again one of the best, but even the best can be caught and put behind bars, and his hitch in a French prison was a lesson learned. [The first of four issues based on the series. Art by Sam Glanzman.]
Part of the skill set that made Cat unique was that prior to his jewel thief days, he was an aerialist with a circus. He worked the high wire without a net.
Bits of information sprinkled throughout the series reveals that Cat spent a lot of time in Europe before he came to the States and settled in San Francisco. He was well-traveled, cultured, urbane, and yet in his heart, addicted to the adrenaline rush of danger. When he had to be, he was also a brutal fighter who was highly skilled in the martial arts. (More on that in a bit.) [The second of the four issues. Photo covers were popular back then.]
Cat operates out of Casa del Gato, a nightclub operated by his Gypsy blood brother, Pepe. He drives the sweetest Corvette this side of anywhere. His weapon of choice is a knife he carries in a wrist rig but he is also a marksman with a rifle and pistol. 
Robert Loggia had the title role, and you have to see him to appreciate the finesse he brought to the small screen. Physically, he more than fit the bill. He was ‘so’ quick that if you blink during some of his fight scenes, you’ll miss his moves. [The third issue. The stories were true to the series in every respect.]
Those fights, by the way, are one of the highlights of the series. CAT was one of the first to use martial arts in a realistic way. I’ve seen it mentioned where some thought he was proficient in karate. But was that really the case?
Permit a digression. We know that Cat spent a lot of time in France. And what is the one martial art recognized worldwide as distinctly French? Savate. And what is a ‘trademark’ of savate, if you will? A lot of kicks. Cat uses a lot of kicks in his fights. More than anyone else on TV back then with the notable exception of Bruce Lee over in THE GREEN HORNET. Yes, I realize that karateka use a lot of kicks, too, but there’s yet another reason savate is more likely.
It was common back then for Dell comics to put out issues based on TV shows. This is noteworthy because the makers of the shows provided Dell with descriptions of the characters and their backgrounds so the comics would match the TV version. Dell published four issues of T.H.E. CAT, and in one of them, during a fight sequence, Cat kicks a pistol out of a bad guy’s hand and says, and I’ll quote him: ‘French savate! Voila!’ And when he administers the coup de grace, he throws in a ‘Touche!’
Savate or karate, the fights were extraordinary for their time. So was the music, by Lalo Schifrin. Once you hear it, it’s one of those you never forget. [Issue #4 with Cat in the outfit he wore when scaling high buildings.]
The series ran for 26 shows, and special mention should be made of the first 16. They are mini film noir masterpieces, or as close as TV came.

Then the makers tweaked things. Instead of the James Bondish intro sequences they had been using, they adopted a more standard beginning that went like this: ‘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. And now, a professional bodyguard. Primitive. Savage. In love with danger. The Cat!’ [A model kit of Cat's car was released. The real car was customized, supposedly for $350,000, a fortune in 1966.]
Unfortunately, no one has released a remastered version. You can find the series on DVD and VHS but the quality varies. Still, if you’re looking for an intelligent, mature, sophisticated series that seldom fails to entertain, T.H.E. CAT is worth tracking down.