There were many great shows that pushed the envelope in the mid-1960s, but none were as pure film noir as T.H.E. Cat. Mr. Cat (the inimitable Robert Loggia)found himself in pitted against the strangest and most lethal array of killers to ever grace prime-time.Robert Duvall appeared twice as two different, but equally deadly adversaries in the series. Additionally, there is a beautifully lensed episode directed by Jacques Tourneur, who directed the Robert Mitchum classic film noir Out of the Past and the occult classics The Cat People and Curse of the Demon. Unfortunately, at this time there are no licensed versions of the series available, but reasonably viewable bootlegs show up at conventions regularly. Finally, while the jazz score of Peter Gunn (courtesy of Henry Mancini and sometimes Shelley Manne) is deservedly held in high regard, I would argue that Lalo Schifrin's theme and the jazz featured regularly on T.H.E. Cat is as good and like the series, more exotic and adventurous than any of its contemporaries. Hard to track down, but worth the effort.
Review of T.H.E. Cat
