American Black/White TV
For details on American backed European-made series.
And for more on series made jointly in US/UK-
Count of Monte Cristo,
Charlie Chan, Rendezvous, Third Man,
One Step Beyond.
For details of
The Veil, Wire Service,
for the pilot of
King of Diamonds with John Lupton, the pilot
Jonnie and Me with Richard Greene,
and the abortive Rogue for Hire with Jerome Thor.
For other British made series with US stars, such as Errol Flynn Theatre etc:
go to Main Dinosaur TV Menu
T.H.E. Cat starring Robert Loggia (1966/7)
"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."
To the superb opening theme by Lalo Schifrin, the opening titles introduce Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat, leaping seemingly impossible gaps thru the night.
Nearly brilliant, sometimes dreadful, but also majestically moody and stunning.
The series was another NBC failure, although it was shown in Britain and deserves a wider appreciation. The best stories are very good indeed, but when it's bad, it's, admittedly, very bad.
My review of:
24 The Long Chase
A gun battle- hidden at the top of a steelworks "like an animal holed up in the high ground," is a killer with his hostage.
The cops call in Cat to catch this escaped convict, who happens to be an old pal of THE Cat's, and who saved Cat's life many years ago.
Climbing the girders, that's the easy part, Cat finally comes face to face with his old friend, who's not a very good actor. "Don't make me kill you Thomas," he screams, but he shoots all the same.
Now he's burdened with the traditional grazed shoulder, Cat pursues his quarry across dangerous narrow ledges, but what can he do with the hidden hostage in peril? He does rescue her, but it's a trap, he's locked in a high tower along with the terrified girl hostage. Like in some horror movie, the convict turns up the heat in the room, steam flooding in.
But the agile Cat uses his skill, which this story does exploit well, to climb the tower despite the increasing heat (and his injured shoulder), and he emerges to let her out. With shots still raining on him and the girl, Cat eventually comes face to face, again, with his old buddy. As the gun is spent, it's a fight to the finish on the girders. You know how it ends for this is no Harold Lloyd comedy.
The Long Chase is an apt title, but 'Long' unfortunately means long and drawn out, and we don't properly sense the tension in Cat's relationship with the man who saved his life. "I knew him in better times," concludes the philosophical Cat
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