The Classics - T.H.E. Cat #4

   It's amazing to realize how much the world of entertainment has changed.

   A mere 50 years ago, there were no digital recorders, no cable or satellite TV, no VCRs - if you liked a TV show, for example, you watched it when it was being aired, or you missed it. (Young people find this impossible to believe.)

   And no matter how much you liked it, if the ratings failed, the show went away - and reruns didn't exist, either, so it was gone forever.

   One of the shows I loved that disappeared suddenly was an adventure show called T.H.E. Cat. 

   First aired in the 1967 - 68 season on NBC, it was about a cat burglar named Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat (natch) who (apparently) reformed his old ways and used his skills to help the good guys. 

   He typically dressed all in black, regularly scaled walls with a hook on the end of a rope, broke into impregnable buildings and used his skills (including martial arts skills) to trap criminals and bring them to justice. The show starred Robert Loggia, and I didn't miss an episode - I thought he was the coolest hero ever.  

   But the dark, clever show didn't get the ratings, so it was cancelled at the end of the season - and I've never seen an episode since. 

   Thankfully, Dell Comics picked up the rights and ran several issues in 1967 - although, to be honest, it was a pretty thin version - this issue, for example, has three 9-page stories that bear only the slightest resemblance to the series, although the art is nicely moody (there are no credits listed, as was the norm for Dell).

   But the comic wasn't a hit, either, and soon faded away just like the series - but unlike the TV show, I can still haul out the comic and get that nostalgic blast, and travel back to my childhood again. 

   So what I'm saying is, comic books are far superior to television. 

   And I'm a geezer.

Grade: B-

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