1. To Kill A Priest  

First aired: 9/16/1966

A priest on the waterfront has been trying to clean up crime in his area and he's not making the local criminals very happy. Cat doesn't think the police are doing enough to protect him and steps in.

2. Sandman  

First aired: 9/23/1966

Cat is asked by an aging jewel thief, who happens to also be his mentor when he was just starting out, to help him with one last heist before he retires. He wants to steal back a beautiful emerald that is currently in the hands of a criminal organization.

3. Payment Overdue  

First aired: 9/30/1966

The agent of a singer is stabbed and Cat is asked to investigate.

4. Brotherhood  

First aired: 10/7/1966

A man with a gun has taken a hostage for one purpose only, to make the hostage's father, a former police officer, come in an exchange for his daughter's life. He demands that Cat bring the ex-cop to him for the purpose of exacting revenge.

5. Little Arnie From Long Ago  

First aired: 10/15/1966

A former criminal, Arnie Ludock, is released from prison and Cat is convinced that the officer who put him there is going to exact revenge for the loss of a hand in a gun battle 30 years before.

6. None To Weep, None To Mourn  

First aired: 10/21/1966

Cat is hired as bodyguard for a young gypsy man who is the last male heir to his family. His father has died, some think murdered, and it appears that revenge is the motive.

7. Moment Of Truth  

First aired: 10/28/1966

A famous matador is visiting the United States but his life is in jeopardy already with one attempt the first night. A friend hires Cat to protect the bull fighter, but there is more to the story than is being told.

8. Marked For Death  

First aired: 11/4/1966

Cat must fight in a duel in order to save a friend's life after the verdict of a gypsy kangaroo court.

9. Crossing At Destino Bay  

First aired: 11/18/1966

An assassin is holding four people for his client to arrive and identify the target, just as Cat accidentally stumbles into the middle of the scene.

10. To Bell T.H.E. Cat  

First aired: 11/25/1966

A well renown criminal leader is in danger of going to prison for a long time, that is if a sketch artist can live long enough to testify in trial. Cat is hired to keep her alive.

11. Curtains For Miss Winslow  

First aired: 12/2/1966

Cat is summoned to the dressing room of an elderly actress who is in fear of losing her life this night.

12. King Of The Limpets  

First aired: 12/9/1966

Cat receives an envelope full of money from a beautiful woman, in hopes of persuading him to help protect a child marked for murder.

13. The System  

First aired: 12/16/1966

A well known mathematician fears kidnap from a crazy prince who wants to exploit the man's genius for political purposes. Cat is called in to keep that from happening.

14. The Canary Who Lost His Voice  

First aired: 12/23/1966

Cat must find and protect a little man who knows too much about the tax evasion schemes of an underworld leader, before that criminal finds the man and does away with the threat.

15. The Ring Of Anasis  

First aired: 12/30/1966

Cat has a tough job ahead of him. He's got four people as suspects in a murder case involving an art dealer. Only one is the killer.

16. Queen Of Diamonds, Knave Of Hearts  

First aired: 1/6/1967

In a twisted case of behind the back theft and blackmail, Cat must recover an expensive stolen necklace and return it to it's place of origin, before the owner's husband notices that it is gone.

17. A Hot Place to Die  

First aired: 1/13/1967

(intro narration) David Benton and the beautiful Crystal Pierson are in the blazing desert, in their convertible. They stop at a filling station. David is nervous; he has a suitcase, and was supposed to meet a man there. Crystal says worriedly that Percy Hagan probably stopped the man. As they start to drive on, a long car cuts in front of them. It's 2 of Hagan's armed goons. They tell Benton to turn around and follow them back to the casino. (so this is probably outside Las Vegas, Nevada). Later, as they're driving along, Cat speeds up in his sportscar, and runs the hoods off the road. Cat leaves his car there, and hops into the driver's seat of Benton's convertible; Cat was the man Benton was supposed to meet. Benton was an accountant for Hagan, but 6 months ago he saw Hagan brutally murder a man over an unpaid gambling debt. Benton has 6 month's worth of evidence in his suitcase, enough to nail Hagan for murder, extortion and income tax evasion. Crystal was Hagan's girlfriend. Now, they are both running for their lives. They spot another long, gangster car parked ahead; Cat takes a shortcut through the desert. After a while, their car overheats; they park while smoke comes out from the hood. But soon after, Hagan's helicopter is flying at them. They drive away, even as Hagan fires at them from above with his high-powered, semi-automatic rifle. Cat and his clients get out of the car, and seek safety behind some large boulders. Hagan's helicopter lands, and Hagan is joined by a car with 2 of his hoods. The hunt is on. Hagan has his men fan out; they close in on Cat and his clients. Cat fires his gun at Hagan, but Hagan has the advantage with his rifle. Both Cat and Benton get winged in their arms. Then the sadistic Hagan yells to Crystal that she should tell them how he killed that wolf in that cave. Crystal breaks down as she relates how he killed the wolf little by little, first cutting off the legs, then its ears-- and Crystal sobs, that is how he is going to kill them: little by little. Cat takes to the offensive: he pounces on a crook and knocks him out. Then Cat gets the drop on the other one. Hagan calls out to his hoods, "Rouler! Gatson!" At that moment, Gatson kicks the gun out of Cat's hand. Gatson runs to the top of the boulder and yells, "Don't shoot, Mr. Hagan, it's me!" But Hagan shoots first and asks questions later-- he pumps a dozen rounds into him. Cat shoots Hagan in the leg, then runs over and takes his rifle away. Cat will leave him for the law. Later, a couple of sheriffs show up; also an ambulance to haul off Hagan. Cat turns the suitcase over to a sheriff. David and Crystal are 2 lovebirds off to get a new start; they are going to have a wedding, and Cat will be the best man. Cat's left shoulder is bleeding; the sheriff asks if he's going to be all right. Cat says all he needs is "a nice, dark, cool alley somewhere in a big city." (yes, he's an alleycat at heart.) (synopsis by: kdh) [trivia: the strikingly beautiful Karen Steele portrayed Eve McHuron, one of "Mudd's Women" (1966) on Star Trek.] [note: this change-of-pace episode is filmed entirely outdoors, and in a desert in daytime yet; completely different from the urban, nighttime setting of most of the episodes.] [note: no Captain McAllister this episode.]

18. A Slight Family Trait  

First aired: 1/20/1967

(intro narration) Night. A luxury liner, the Princess Louise, is docked. There is a huge party on board-- but there is also at least one uninvited guest: the Cat. The man in black sneaks into a forward cabin, and finds a beautiful young woman in black (Blossom) has just picked a wall-safe. She guesses correctly that her mother had sent for Cat to stop her. Then Cat struggles with her as he forces her out of the room, for her own safety. Ironically, it is Cat who is caught by 2 armed guards: Vincent and Bayo. Blossom escapes. Vincent and Bayo are actually nothing more than thugs, working for the crooked, dethroned King Delphine. They take Cat to the King's private room, and the King asks Cat who he works for. When Cat refuses to talk, Vincent suggests that when they are out to sea: a few bullets in Cat's head, and then throw him to the sharks. Cat retorts that in America, even a burglar has rights; and his friends would go to the police if he doesn't return. Since the former King is already in diplomatic hot water, the King says, "Noblesse oblige" (which is French for "Nobility obliges"), and says he will let Cat go; but tells Cat if he comes aboard again, next time he'll have him killed. Then the King tells Bayo to follow him. At the Casa del Gato, Pepe tells Cat that King Delphine caused the death of 100 men before he was ousted. The King also stole a fortune from his country, rumor has it over $1,000,000 in gold; Cat correctly says, he can't keep that in his wall-safe.* Then middle-aged Honeycup shows up, with her daughter Blossom in tow. Honeycup was a great female burglar, and Blossom it seems has inherited A Slight Family Trait. Honeycup gushes over Cat, and recalls their burglar days on the French Riviera; but she does not want her daughter Blossom to live this dangerous lifestyle. While escorting the ladies home, Cat beats up Bayo who was tailing them. Next afternoon, there is another party on the Princess Louise. Blossom latches onto invited guest Tubby, pretending she is an old flame he'd forgotten; Cat just bumps into a guest and pickpockets an invitation. Then Blossom, using the alias Miss Davis, has the nerve to flirt with the King, trying to get information about the ship. But when Cat tries to get "Miss Davis" off the ship, the King spots them together. The King and his 2 hoods chase them; then the King ends the party early. Cat and Blossom hide in a lifeboat until after dark, long after all the guests are gone. Then they climb up on some rigging, and notice the King checking the anchor's chain. Later, even though they are being pursued by armed thugs, Cat takes the time to use his knife to scratch the chain: underneath the paint, the chain-- and presumably the anchor, too-- are made of platinum, which is worth more than gold. Cat asks Blossom if she can swim; no sooner does she say "yes" than Cat half throws her overboard. Cat cuts the rope, and the anchor and chain sink to the bottom of the ocean; then Cat jumps overboard, too. The King and his hoods fire at him. Just as the King is about to get off the ship and onto the pier, Mr. Gaines (a diplomat) arrives with a police escort; Gaines had a federal order rescinding the King's asylum in this port, or any port. The U.S. now only recognizes the new government of the King's country. Anything left in territorial waters (anchor and chain) will be returned to the new, legitimate government. Next day at the Casa del Gato, Honeycup is telling Cat the good news that Blossom has decided to become a model. (synopsis by: kdh) *[note: in 1967, the price of gold was about $35 per ounce; so one pound was worth $560. Therefore $1,000,000 worth of gold would weigh 1,785 pounds-- almost one ton.] [note: no Captain McAllister this episode; Mr. Gaines fills in for what would have been his role.]

19. If Once You Fail  

First aired: 1/27/1967

(intro narration) Night. Cat is driving his sportscar, and dropping off the lovely Dr. Kathryn DeVrees at the Country Hospital where she works. They have a long kiss; Cat is in love with her, this time it's serious. After Cat drives away, a gunshot rings out; a man is shot. Kathryn kneels over him and gives him first aid, but he dies in her arms. Then she looks up and sees the face of the killer: Juan Sonorrito; since she could now identify him, he must kill her, too. But as a doctor and some nurses rush out, the killer disappears for now. He will be back. Cat is in Kathryn's bedroom, the penthouse on the 30th floor. Cat kisses her goodnight; he will guard her apartment all night. In the living room, McAllister talks to Cat; McAllister says Kathryn can testify, the other witness is dead. Joseph Reinhoff hired the killer, and Kathryn's testimony will put him away; Reinhoff will be finished, as will half the criminals in the city. Cat wants to be the lone guard in her apartment; he tells McAllister that if he sees anyone, he doesn't want to hesitate, thinking it might be one of his men. McAllister agrees, adding his men will be on the street below, and on the floor below. Cat looks at his watch, it's midnight. But at 4:10 a.m., Sonorrito slips in from the balcony and shoots Cat in the ribs. Sonorrito knifes Kathryn while she sleeps. Lying on the floor and badly wounded, Cat gasps, "I want to see your face." Sonorrito gloats, "Perhaps another time... and better sport for both of us." Much later, at the Casa del Gato, Pepe introduces Cat to Kathryn's twin sister, Louise; she and McAllister are going to have her move into Kathryn's apartment as bait for the killer. Cat objects that McAllister has no right to endanger her life; Louise counters that it was her idea. Furthermore, Louise states that they will catch the killer, with or without Cat's help. Cat asks McAllister for 24 hours to get the killer himself. Later, Cat barges into Reinhoff's mansion and beats the truth out of him; Reinhoff doesn't know who the killer is, he was hired by the Fat Man at the Sunset Funeral Home. Cat pays the Fat Man a visit, and pays his price: ten $1,000 bills. Cat also puts his cat's-claw knife to his throat so there will be no tricks. Fat Man fills out the death certificate-- name: Juan Sonorrito; address: 626 Oak Lane. The 8-foot-high gate is locked; Cat scampers over it. He scales to the 2nd floor of the mansion, but once inside, Sonorrito's 2 armed thugs get the drop on Cat. Sonorrito brags, "They, like myself, are of Yatin blood; for all who bear Yatin blood, death is the only truth." Sonorrito has a 40-acre wooded lot, and decrees that he and Cat will play the Most Dangerous Game. Each will be armed with a gun and a knife-- Cat with his cat's-claw, and Sonorrito with the knife that killed Kathryn. The game begins at dawn, with a 10-minute head-start for the hunted. Sonorrito asks Cat: which will he be? Cat says grimly, "The hunter." Cat deftly avoids a bear-trap and other devices, but falls victim to a lasso-snare that lifts him upside-down. But Cat breaks free, and pounces on Sonorrito; they fight. Cat starts choking him to death with his bare hands, but stops-- he will leave Sonorrito to the law. Later, at the Casa del Gato, McAllister says he arrested both Reinhoff and the Fat Man-- the latter will testify to get Reinhoff and Sonorrito convicted. On the romantic terrace, Cat talks to Louise; but there is no romance-- seeing Kathryn's sister only brings bittersweet memories of what might have been. (synopsis by: kdh) [note: Cat seems to suffer from the Mike Hammer syndrome -- anytime he gets serious with a woman, she gets killed off pronto by the scriptwriters.] [trivia: Pippa Scott played Laura Templeton, Booth Templeton's long-deceased wife, in the ghostly Twilight Zone classic episode "The Trouble with Templeton" (1960).] [note: this was the last appearance of R.G. Armstrong as Captain McAllister. From now on, either Cat has no police liaison, or Lieutenant Lassiter fills in for what would have been Captain McAllister's role in episodes # 24 & # 25.]

20. Design For Death  

First aired: 2/3/1967

(intro narration) There is a fashion show at some ritzy club. It is being presided over by Claudine Peyser, wearing a divine silver lamé outfit-- she's an attractive woman, but with a stern face (and whose irritating singsong voice sounds like she is doing a bad Phyllis Diller impression), "LOOK at them, EMPty headed little VIXens. GREGory, reMIND me to send some ROses to that SEAMstress in PARis who got us into SAN SIOUX's showing... you wouldn't beLIEEEVE PARis." Gregory Tyrole is her weirdo sidekick, wearing glasses indoors; (he's the actor who played the lunatic Cosmo in episode #10). Cat shows up, looking out of place at this showing of Paris fashions, and orders a vodka on the rocks from the bartender (rare for Cat to drink on the job). Cat talks to Valerie Evans, she hires the models for Claudine, at the exorbitant cost of $25 per hour (this is 1967 prices); Valerie makes a date with Cat for later that evening, a quiet dinner for two. Shortly thereafter, in the dressing room, cute-as-a-button model Sandy Lawrence shows up late; she is getting out of modeling. Sandy gives Valerie a box for safe keeping; Claudine watches her like a hawk. Claudine tells Gregory to use his (Lucretia) Borgia ring on her; the ring has a concealed, poison tip-- he can scratch someone with it, but they won't die until a few minutes later, giving him time to escape. Cat catches Claudine snooping around in the dressing room, going through the drawers. A little later, Sandy is laying dead on the floor; Gregory and Claudine are at the other end of the room, nonchalantly drinking. Much later, after everyone is else is gone, Cat is talking to Valerie. The police have the name of everyone who was there, but it will take a long time to screen a hundred or so suspects. Valerie remembers the package Sandy gave her; she gives it to Cat. He opens it-- there are 2 metal rectangles: counterfeit die plates for passport stamps; fake American passports can go for $5,000 in Europe. Sandy was in Paris just last week for a fashion show, she must have smuggled the plates in. Suddenly, the lights go out. Cat hides the plates in a fruit bowl. 2 armed thugs burst into the room; Cat beats them up, but then slimeball Gregory sneaks up behind Cat, and hits him over the head with a metal flashlight. That night, at the Casa del Gato, Pepe is mixing Cat an "old gypsy headache remedy." Cat has the counterfeit plates, his only bargaining power for Valerie's life. Cat gets a phone call. At a phone booth, Claudine says, "You DO have those PASSport items? If you have any ARDent desire to SEE Miss Evans, MEET me at the METro GAIRage on 4th Street." Cat drives there, the multi-level parking garage is closed for repairs. Cat throws the plates into a conveniently-located 55 gallon barrel of orange grease. Gregory (wearing his sunglasses) shows up with his 2 hoods, and Claudine. Cat bargains a trade for Valerie's life. Claudine says Valerie is in the trunk of one of 3 cars parked there; she puts 3 sets of car keys on a bench. Cat says the plates are in the grease trap. Gregory and his 2 thugs (all wearing suits) stick their arms way down into the barrel (ruining their suits; why didn't they just tip the barrel over? Morons.) Cat notices tire marks by the car on the right. Cat pounces on Claudine, knocks her gun away, grabs the car keys, and drives away with the car. Claudine picks up her gun, and she and her hoods fire at Cat; but when they run out of bullets, Cat becomes the hunter. Using his car, he traps the 4 of them like rats, pinning them in a corner. Cat takes out his gun and they surrender; then Cat opens the trunk and unties Valerie and lifts her out. Cat says to Valerie, "You say something about a quiet dinner for two?" She goes, "uh-huh," and faints. Later, at her place, Cat and Valerie have that romantic dinner for two, and a few kisses. (synopsis by: kdh) [TV trivia: Deanna Lund is best remembered for playing Valerie Scott in the sci-fi TV series "Land of the Giants" (1968-1970).]

21. Matter Over Mind  

First aired: 2/10/1967

(intro narration) Night. The scene opens with yet another of those weird, fortress-like mansions that are so prevalent in this series; inside there are exotic artifacts: ancient statues of samurais and a creature with 4 horns, arcane spell books (an entire occult library), and a skull which is also an incense burner. Leo Seraf, a gangster in his late 60s, is forcing psychic Maya Leandro to do a seance-- at gunpoint. Leo's armed thug Connie has Maya and her brother Carl covered. Leo demands to know who is trying to kill him-- it's the one who killed his partner Phillip, isn't it? Maya moans and groans, and then says it is the man in black: T. Hewitt Edward Cat. The next night, outside the Casa del Gato, Connie and 2 other thugs fire at Cat and miss; Cat hops into his sportscar and follows them, to the "5 Deuces Club" (that sounds crooked). Maya and Carl Leandro are the headliners, with their mind-reading act. After the show, Cat confronts Maya in her dressing room; they are old friends, but Maya has a bad habit of "dropping his name"-- to the police, that Cat stole Lady Cromfield's necklace (not true), and to Leo Seraf that Cat wants to kill him (also not true). Carl and Maya admit to Cat that they scammed the gullible Leo for several thousand dollars with their phony readings; but when he demanded to know who was trying to kill him, they feared for their lives. Just then 2 of Leo's hoods barge in; Cat beats them up. Outside, 2 more thugs grab Carl and Maya; Cat is kicking the stuffings out of the thugs, until Connie sneaks up behind Cat and hits him over the head with an object. Back at Leo's, Connie and the thugs are punching Cat, trying to get him to talk. But when Leo asks Cat who hired him, Cat sticks to the truth and says "nobody." Leo believes Maya is a great psychic; Leo has studied spiritual and theological books, tomes on magic by Caliastro, Swedenborg and Immenatenus. Leo tells Connie to kill Cat; Maya quickly intervenes and says she needs Cat-- who better to put into the seance to reach Phillip than the man who killed him? But Carl can't take it any longer, he tells Leo they are fakes. Carl and Maya have perfect pitch, and they communicate via a clever singsong code; for example, if he wants to spell "c-a-t" he will tell Maya to "con-cen-trate" using the notes: C, A, and F-sharp for "t".* Leo insists on a seance; Connie with his gun will stand watch by the door. Leo says 300 years ago, Maya would have been considered a witch. So they are seated in a circle: Maya, to her left Carl, then Leo and Cat. They all put their hands on the table. But when Connie turns the lights out, Carl puts a dummy hand on the table in place of his right hand; since Maya is the one touching the hand, their secret is safe. Maya starts moaning and sighing for a long time, it's hard to tell if she's in the throes ectoplasm or ecstasy. Cat starts shaking the table with his knees. Then, using his free right hand, Carl pulls some "magic"-- he puts a small flashlight under a handkerchief, and makes a glowing handkerchief seem to "float" in the air. Finally, Maya says who the killer is-- she yells, "It's... Connie!" Connie yells, "What?!" Leo grabs a gun and fires at Connie, who fires back. There are several shots in the dark, Leo is hit. Cat pounces on Connie and takes his gun away; then Cat gets the drop on 2 thugs entering the room. Cat asks them, "Who do you work for now?" and tells them to beat it. A confused Connie asks, "How did you know it was me?" Maya answers, "We didn't-- it just seemed like a good way to start trouble." Carl asks Cat where he learned that table-shaking routine; Cat quips, "from a witch," as Maya smiles at him and winks. Later, after their show at the 5 Deuces Club, Maya and Carl tell Cat that they are starting a new act: knife-throwing. Cat asks, "Who throws the knives?" Maya playfully picks up a knife, puts it to Carl's throat, and purrs, "Who else, darling?" (synopsis by: kdh) *[there are 26 letters in the alphabet. The scales go from A to G. Even if they used flats and sharps, a scale would only have 12 "letters" -- A, B-flat, B, C, C#, D, E-flat, E, F, F#, G, G#. They could have a complete alphabet by using 2 entire scales plus 2 more notes-- but then their range would be from high soprano to low bass; the audience would pick up on this high-pitched and low-pitched talking code.] [trivia: Sally Kellerman played Dr. Elizabeth Dehner in the Star Trek classic episode: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966).]

22. The Blood-Red Night  

First aired: 2/17/1967

(intro narration) Daytime. Cat is called to the mansion of Amelia Ferret, a rich lady in her late 70s. She fears for her life because of a large, rare ruby she wears, the "sangre de Cristo" (blood of Christ) ruby. She tells Cat the ruby has an evil power. Her father gave it to her mother; 2 days later she died. Amelia wore it on her wedding day; her fiancé died, and she became a spinster. It has brought nothing but death; she was afraid to sell the ruby, since it would bring death to the new owner and guilt to her. Now, after all these decades, she is going to shatter the evil spell: a jewel-cutter will fragment the ruby into 3 stones. Then the small rubies will be sold, and the money (a sizable sum) will be given to charity. The beautiful Gail Ogden tells Cat that death threats have been phoned in, warning them not to cut the ruby; the phone rings and Cat hears another threat himself. Amelia says they will all be safe at Carver Parmiter's ranch in the desert, which is where they head in her vintage 1930s auto. (What she refers to as a "ranch" is really a small ghost town, consisting of a dozen 2-story buildings which look like a set for filming a TV western-- which is exactly what it is.) They introduce Cat to Stoddard (wearing a cowboy hat) who manages and guards the place; he says it is safe with an electrified fence all around. (though how much of a deterrence is an 8-foot fence to a determined burglar?) Inside the old hotel, which has old furnishings and a pool table, and makes Cat remark of the days of "Billy the Kid," they meet Carver Parmiter-- an eccentric who likes to live in the Old West, and carries a Colt .45 around in a holster on his hip. Parmiter asks Cat if he believes the superstition surrounding the ruby; Cat doesn't. Parmiter tells Cat that his namesake, the cat, is a symbol of superstition; legend has it Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft, turns into a cat at nightfall. Just then Amelia screams from upstairs, someone has put a gila monster in her luggage; Cat kills the venomous lizard with his cat's-claw knife. This was no superstition, this was a real attempt at her life. Nightfall. Amelia tells Cat, "oh, the horror," and says that when Roger Mandy owned the ruby, he was killed by a cobra. Cat figures that since no stranger could get in, the attempt on her life was an inside job. Amelia locks the door to her bedroom, and Cat checks around outside. Cat talks to Gail, she says Parmiter's an old family friend, he got her the job as Amelia's private secretary. Just then Amelia upstairs screams again; Stoddard is in her room, stealing the ruby. Cat chases him, and finds Parmiter in another building, admiring the ruby. He tells Cat it is "the most priceless ruby in the world"; Cat also finds out that Gail is in cahoots with him. Parmiter puts the ruby down on the table. Stoddard, armed with a 6-shooter, sneaks up behind Cat; Parmiter tells him to take Cat into the desert and kill him. Cat knocks the gun out of Stoddard's hand and pummels him. Parmiter runs, with Cat chasing him. Parmiter fires all his bullets at Cat, and then, running blindly, crashes into the electrified fence-- and gets electrocuted in a blinding flash of sparks and smoke. The ruby is gone; Cat goes to Gail's room upstairs, and confronts her. Gail was double-crossing Amelia with Parmiter, and then she was going to double-cross Parmiter to get the ruby. Cat picks up her glass of blood-red burgundy wine, and finds the ruby inside. Gail picks up the ruby and starts to run, but at the top of the stairway, Cat says, "There's no place for you to run." She falls down the stairs and dies. The next day, in broad daylight, the master jewel-cutter Herr Van Geller is ready to cut the ruby. He asks Amelia one last time if she is certain she wants it cut, it is such an exquisite ruby; Amelia is sure. The cleavage lines on the ruby are set; with one expert tap, the big ruby becomes 3 little ones. Amelia sighs her relief, "The evil power is broken." Cat says that legend has it, once the ruby is shattered, good luck will replace the bad luck. (synopsis by: kdh) [movie trivia: John Hoyt played the mad scientist in the sci-fi classic "Attack of the Puppet People" (1958).]

23. The Ninety Percent Blues  

First aired: 2/24/1967

(intro narration) Gangster Milo Andrade, along with 2 of his thugs, is having a meeting in his penthouse apartment with handsome, young black comedian Timmie Taylor. In front of them is a 10-gallon aquarium filled with piranha, their teeth "sharper than razors." Milo tells Timmie to sign the management contract: 90% for Milo, 10% for Timmie-- no wonder Timmie has got The Ninety Percent Blues. When Timmie refuses, Frankie Welles and the other thug grab him, and force his hand into the piranha tank-- but only for a second, as a warning. One thug forces Timmie into the next room. Then Cat silently enters the room, knocks out Frankie Welles and throws him across a table. Cat sneaks Timmie out, and to safety. That night, at a nightclub, Timmie is doing his act: dancing with a 4-piece band (bass guitar, horn, drums and piano) and telling jokes-- "My friend was on a far-out diet. For 3 weeks all he ate was bananas. He didn't lose any weight, but man, you should see him climb trees!" (it's a wonder Timmie doesn't starve, even with 100% of his salary.) In the audience are Cat, and Timmie's beautiful black girlfriend Marcie Moore; Timmie sits at their table after his show. Marcie is the one who hired Cat; she also wants Timmie to sign, because she doesn't want to see him dead. Then Milo Andrade, with Frankie Welles and 2 other goons, crash the scene. Milo points out that a few years ago, Frankie Welles was one of the most promising middleweight boxers, and had a shot at being champion-- but he didn't like his contract. Now Frankie has a stump wrapped in leather where his right hand used to be. Milo says with Timmie, they'll cut his vocal cords so he can't talk above a whisper. But Timmie tears up the contract. Cat gives Milo an elbow to the gut that knocks the wind out of him. Milo threatens, "There'll be other times," and Milo and his thugs leave. Not much later, Milo's 3 hoods follow Cat, outside the Casa del Gato. Cat starts beating them up, but they finally overpower him; they take Cat for a ride in Milo's car. Milo wants to pay Cat to stay out of it; Cat refuses, and they dump him in the street. Then, a roughed-up Cat visits Timmie and Marcie; (beating up Cat only makes him more determined). Cat asks Timmie if he has enough information on Milo to testify against him and put him behind bars. Timmie says yes, and adds that Milo has records and papers in a wall-safe at his apartment. So Cat does what he does best-- he uses his grappling hook and rope to scale to the top of Milo's building, and cracks his wall-safe. (but Cat keeps his gloves on! Some safecrackers actually use sandpaper on their fingertips to make their fingers more sensitive, to feel the tumblers in the lock.) Frankie Welles sneaks up behind Cat. Even though Milo had piranhas eat off his right hand, Frankie is going to fight to defend his boss. Frankie attaches a metal hook to his right stump. Even though Frankie was a middleweight boxer, and coulda been a contender, Cat finishes him off with 2 punches. Milo and a thug enter; Cat flips the thug, and shatters a stool over his head-- the thug crashes into the aquarium, sending broken glass and piranhas onto the floor. Then Cat turns his attention to Milo. Cat pounces like a panther on Milo, and slugs him, and tells him, "You're through, Andrade. All your dirty wash is in that safe." And Timmie's testimony will put him away for a long time. Later, Timmie is doing his nightclub act. Timmie says he talked to a producer about getting his own TV series: he will be Superman who is also the president of the United States, and he fights bug-eyed monsters from outer space who work in cahoots with Ho Chi Min; the producer said it's too far-fetched, leave out the part about Ho Chi Min. (Timmie's jokes aren't any better, but at least he's a free man, not controlled by any gangster.) Cat and Marcie and the rest of the audience laugh, and give Timmie heartfelt applause. (synopsis by: kdh) [trivia: Carol Cole is the adopted daughter of Nat "King" Cole, and the sister of singer Natalie Cole.]

24. The Long Chase  

First aired: 3/10/1967

(intro narration) Night. Dozens of policemen are having a big shootout with escaped convict Laurent, who is holed up in a large steel works plant. 2 officers are dead; Lieutenant Lassiter has sent for Cat. Lassiter explains to Cat that they can't rush Laurent, he has a hostage: nurse Valerie. Cat is an expert at high steel and high wires; so is Laurent. Complicating matters is the fact Laurent once saved Cat's life; Cat figures he still owes him, and will try to take him alive. Daylight. Laurent, armed with a high-powered rifle and a gun, is somewhere on the upper floors of a factory building, which consists of steel girders and exposed pipes (no walls, as if it were still under construction). The police fire to create a diversion, but Laurent sees Cat enter the site. Cat, silently as a panther, prowls about the upper stories-- but Laurent still manages to sneak up behind Cat and get the drop on him. Cat says he comes as a friend; Laurent retorts, "To capture me and lock me back in a cage?" Cat answers, "If that's what it takes to keep you from killing anyone else." Laurent talks of their days back in Leone, and Cat's broken rigging (he must be referring to Cat's days as "an aerialist who refused the net"). Laurent broke Cat's fall, and saved his life. Finally, Laurent shoots at Cat, and wings him in the left shoulder; Cat falls to the story below. Laurent runs away. Cat picks up the chase, and walks across narrow steel girders high up in the air, and slides down pipes; he sees Laurent running with the girl. Cat opens the door to a huge smokestack and finds Valerie inside; Cat unties her. But then Laurent slams the metal door shut and locks it; Cat and Valerie are trapped inside the smokestack, and outside Laurent is opening a gas valve. Steam fills the smokestack. Cat climbs up some pipes; when he's about 50 feet up, he turns the valve on an escape hatch and slips through it, and gets to an outside platform. Then Cat quickly climbs down a metal ladder and rescues Valerie just in time. Laurent, from above, starts firing at Cat and Valerie. Cat climbs up some steps, hops over rails and goes across a catwalk. Laurent drops a 3-foot section of steel girder down on Cat; with his cat-like reflexes, the girder misses by inches. Cat shimmies up a pole to the very top; it is acrophobic up there. Laurent says he does not consider Cat a friend. Laurent shouts, "If I die, I won't be alone. I'm taking you with me!" But when Laurent pulls the trigger, he is out of bullets. Cat pounces on him like a panther. There is a struggle; Laurent falls 100 feet to his death, The Long Chase is over. Later, on the ground, Lieutenant Lassiter is wrapping up the case with Cat; nurse Valerie is lovingly patching up Cat's shoulder, taking good care of her hero. Valerie says his case will require some tender loving care. (synopsis by: kdh) [movie trivia: Carolyn Craig played Nora Manning in the Vincent Price horror classic "House on Haunted Hill" (1958).] [note: no Captain McAllister this episode; Lieutenant Lassiter fills in for what would have been his role.]

25. Twenty-One and Out  

First aired: 3/24/1967

(intro narration) Daytime. Undercover cop Joe is bringing groceries, and a couple of books to read, to lovely Laurie Neal-- she's holed up in a room in 2-story motel, as part of a witness protection program. (She's been shuttled from one safe spot to another for 7 months now.) Suddenly, a car speeds by and fires at some undercover cops stationed outside; they return the fire, but then a bomb blasts through Laurie's window. Later, Lieutenant Lassiter puts Laurie up in a backroom at the Casa del Gato; he also sends for Cat, who is an old friend of Laurie's. They will have a federal indictment against mobster John Radek within 48 hours, if Laurie stays alive to testify-- Radek has put a $200,000 price on her head. Cat meets with Radek in his private office; Radek owns and runs a big gambling casino. Cat tells Radek to take his bounty off Laurie; Radek says Laurie was his secretary, and then told a grand jury he was into narcotics-- and without Laurie, they have no case. Cat makes it personal: if anything happens to Laurie, the same will happen to Radek. Then Radek tells his bodyguard to throw Cat out; Cat roughs up the bodyguard and shows himself out. Back at the Casa del Gato, Lassiter tells Cat that Laurie has flown the coop; after being shut up for 7 months, she has gone shopping. At a boutique, Laurie has put on an adorable green midi-dress, and buys it. Laurie is being tailed; Cat tells her she's a sitting duck. Laurie retorts that she has been in a prison for 7 months, not Radek; she wants some freedom and happiness now. Cat puts her up in room 819 of a fancy, 15-story hotel; he says he'll pick her up at 7:30 p.m. But that evening, when Cat comes around, Laurie's room is empty. Cat finds her at a party in another room, gambling (she was the big winner). When Cat and Laurie leave the party, 3 of Radek's goons follow them, but Cat gives them the slip. Later, Cat is on the phone in a lobby, talking to Lassiter, when he tells Laurie the surprise news, "They've got the indictment against Radek." (But Laurie hasn't been in court, and it was her testimony that was supposed to get the indictment.) Cat and Laurie have to meet with Lassiter; of all places, Cat takes Laurie to Radek's private office in his casino, saying "Radek wouldn't dare try anything in his own place." Radek and 2 armed hoods get there ahead of Lassiter. With the police on the way, the hoods don't dare shoot Cat, they don't want to risk the gas chamber. But Cat has underestimated Radek; even as Laurie makes a run for it, Radek grabs one of his hood's guns and wings Cat in the left shoulder. In the gambling room, Radek stalks Laurie; Cat wrestles Radek to the floor, and in the struggle Radek is shot and killed. (But why did Cat endanger Laurie's life by bringing her here?) Lassiter and the cops show up; they haul off Radek's body, and his hoods. Now, Cat is going to help Laurie start living again. (synopsis by: kdh) [trivia: The lovely Susan Oliver was part of TV history-- she played Vina in the pilot episode for Star Trek, "The Menagerie" (1966).] [note: no Captain McAllister this episode; Lieutenant Lassiter fills in for what would have been his role.]

26. Lisa  

First aired: 3/31/1967

(intro narration) Night. A man is running away, he's being chased by 2 goons in a Rolls Royce. In the alley behind the Casa del Gato, the hoods (dressed as cops) get out of the car and shoot the man. Cat whales into the crooks, but they escape. Pepe asks Cat if he knows the murdered man; Cat doesn't, but the dead man had a note with Cat's name on it. Cat goes to meet Lisa, a beautiful woman around 30; she is on the 6th floor terrace of a swanky hotel. "You got my message," Lisa says, as she offers Cat some champagne and they sip it together. Cat reminds his felonious friend, "The last time you sent me a message, you cost me 50,000 pesetas." (about $312) Cat tells her the man who delivered her message is dead; she says he was "a dear friend" yet seems remarkably unconcerned with his death. Cat quips her friends have a high mortality rate; and even as Lisa tells Cat of her latest $1.5-million larceny, she has drugged his champagne. When Cat wakes up, he is greeted by General Burek; the massive Burek introduces Cat to his bodyguard Pinoir, who is puny compared to Burek. Here is what Lisa has gotten Cat into: General Burek is demanding from Cat the 33 million Nirudian pounds sterling he "stole." (Nirudi is a newly-independent country in central Africa.) Burek explains the country is instituting currency reforms; they must get the money to a Hong Kong broker within 36 hours from now (local time), or the money will be worthless. General Burek had sold armaments to factions in that country; Lisa was the messenger, but she absconded with the money-- her accomplice Shawn Dunlevy disappeared, too. However, Burek has Lisa in the next room, and 2 of his goons have guns pointed at her. Cat says he won't work for Burek, and Cat leaves. However, Cat tails Burek's car as Lisa takes Burek and his hoods to a cheap hotel where Dunlevy is staying. Cat fights the hoods, and gets a key to the money from the dying Dunlevy. Later, in a private room at a Chinese restaurant, Cat makes a deal with Burek: Cat wants Lisa's safety, and 20% of the money. When Cat wants to see Lisa to make sure she's okay, she gives Cat a revelation: those armed hoods don't work for Burek, in fact, they have orders to kill him if he doesn't get the money. Cat and Burek go to a locker room, and pull a suitcase out of a locker. But the money is gone. One of Lisa's tricks. Cat punches out a hood, Burek hits another over the head with his cane. They go to the airport, but Cat turns Burek over to the cops. Lisa has a suitcase full of money; she is flying to Honolulu, then taking a direct connection to Hong Kong. She tells Cat he can meet her there. Cat lets her get on the plane. Burek, in handcuffs and accompanied by cops, says to Cat that he is a "hopeless romantic." But Cat has the last laugh; he says that by flying west, across the international dateline, Lisa loses both a day and a fortune. But Lisa will survive, that's one of her great talents. (synopsis by: kdh) [movie trivia: Diana Van der Vlis played Dr. Diane Fairfax in the Roger Corman AIP sci-fi classic "X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes" (1963).]