"It Takes a Thief" (1968) TV series 1968-1970

Creator:

Roland Kibbee

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

9 January 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure

Plot:

The adventures of suave cat burglar Alexander Mundy, who plies his trade for the U.S. Government.

Plot Keywords:

Cat Burglar | Burglar | Espionage | Political Intrigue | Criminal Turned Spy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Wagner	...	Alexander Mundy / ... (66 episodes, 1968-1970)
Malachi Throne	...	Noah Bain (42 episodes, 1968-1969)

Also Known As:

Once a Crook (USA) (working title)
Ladrón sin destino (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
Ihr Auftritt, Al Mundy (West Germany) [de]
Itse teossa (Finland) [fi]
O Rei dos Ladrões (Brazil) [pt]
Opération vol (France) [fr]
Operazione ladro (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

60 min (65 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

In the first season, Alexander Mundy was a cat burglar hired by American spy agency: The SIA. In the second season, he became a freelance operative.

Quotes:

Alistair Mundy: [part of opening title narration] I've hear of stealing *from* the government, but *for* the government

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Hot Diggity Dog (1990)

Ultimate Cool - World Traveller and all that goes with it.

Someone do a DVD boxed set with commentaries on this quickly before Malachi Throne, Susan St. James and R.J. leave us!!!! Much like the Man From UNCLE, Mission: Impossible and other shows "filmed" all over the world, the Universal backlot was Paris, Istanbul, Rome, etc. But the one thing this show did have that none other would was R.J., AKA Robert Wagner. The first season was great and when joined by his Dad (Fred Astaire) the scripts became a little more tortured, but still, you wanted to move and talk like R.J. When Bette Davis was a co-star as an ailing female thief that was going to hold a formal party, R. J. commented on the class she exuded by saying, "White Tie - First Cabin". He is what Austin Powers attempted to be, he is what a less brutal version of Connery's Bond could have been. No matter where he went, he could be the playboy who knew the best Bistro in Cannes, the grooviest bar in Picadilly, the best casino in Monaco. He had the women: Susan St. James before Rock Hudson, an early interracial fling with one of the Fifth Dimension-ettes. Studios are making a fortune on DVD releases. I am stunned with slack-jawed amazement that they can come up with the first season of the Brady Bunch but not a unique cultural event like "It Takes a Thief". Trust me, we'll buy it.