Dog and Cat

Dog and Cat is an American television series that aired on ABC on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m Eastern time in 1977.

This article is about the American television series. For the Japanese manga, see Dog × Cat.
Dog and Cat
Created byWalter Hill
StarringLou Antonio
Kim Basinger
Matt Clark
Opening themeBarry Devorzon
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producerLawrence Gordon
Running time74 minutes
Production companiesLargo Productions
Paramount Network Television
DistributorCBS Television Distribution
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseMarch 5 (1977-03-05) –
May 14, 1977 (1977-05-14)

Premise

Lou Antonio played Sgt. Jack Ramsey, an undercover detective with the Los Angeles Police Department, who found himself teamed with a very green partner named J.Z. Kane (Kim Basinger). Together they formed a relationship based on friendship and trust (completely platonic) that led to them capturing many of L.A.'s criminals. Lieutenant Arthur Kipling (Matt Clark) was their boss.

"Dog and Cat" is a slang term used by police officers to denote a male-female partnership. The show is especially remembered for the car that Kim Basinger used in the series: a souped-up Volkswagen Beetle with a Porsche engine.

Production History

Lawrence Gordon pitched the show to ABC who bought it. He took it to Paramount who produced it.[1] The show as one of the first supervised by Brandon Tartikoff when he was at ABC.[2]

It replaced Most Wanted which moved to Monday night.[3]

Reception

Critical

The New York Times described one of the earliest episodes, "Live Bait",, about a rapist, as "a particularly repulsive tale" and thought the male lead was a rip off of Baretta and the female lead too obviously inspired by Charlie's Angels.[4]

The Washington Post said Antonio does "a nice, grumpy job" and Basinger was "a little saltier than Angie Dickinson's Pepper" but liked the fact it was not overly violent and "had a sense of humour. It could be around in the fall."[5]

Ratings

The first episode after the pilot was meant to be "Live Bait", about a rapist, but was changed to be about a corrupt cop. It got a 40% rating and was the 23rd most watched show of the week.[6]

Joel Silver reported that Walter Hill's original pilot script inspired Shane Black to write Lethal Weapon.[7]

Credits
Basinger as J.Z. Kane in the show.

Directed by:

  • Bob Kelljan

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)

  • Heywood Gould
  • Tom Greene
  • Walter Hill
  • William Keys
  • Owen Morgan (also story)
  • Henry Rosenbaum

Credited cast

  • Lou Antonio .... Jack Ramsey
  • Kim Basinger .... Officer J.Z. Kane
  • Matt Clark .... Lt. Arthur Kipling
  • Charles Cioffi .... Ralph Travan
  • Richard Lynch .... Shirley
  • Dale Robinette .... Nicholas Evans
  • Janit Baldwin .... Roeanne Lee Peters
  • Geoffrey Scott .... David Storey
  • Lesley Woods .... Velma
  • Matt Bennett .... Gonzo
  • Walt Davis .... Trog
  • Dick Wesson .... Zink Kauffen

rest of cast listed alphabetically:

  • Lynn Borden .... Mavis
  • Richard Forbes .... Earl Seagram
  • James Hall .... Frank
  • Dianne Kay .... Connie
  • Frank McRae .... Morgue Attendant
  • Catherane Skillen
  • Jim Storm .... Change Maker
  • Ken Sylk .... Doty
  • Betty Thomas .... Waitress

Episode Guide
  • Pilot - aired 5 March 1977 - w: Walter Hill, d: Robert Kelljan, guest: Charles Cioffi, Richard Lynch, Dale Robinette, Dick Wesson - When his partner is shot, a police detective (Lou Antonio) reluctantly accepts a slightly kooky lady replacement (Kim Basinger).
  • Ep 1 - "Dead Dog and Cat" - 12 March 1977 - guest stars: Charles Siebert, Jennifer Shaw, Gary W. Giem, Dennis McMullan - plot: J.Z.and Jack hunt a hood who's accused of peddling stolen diamonds.
  • Ep 2 - "Live Bait" - 19 March 1977 - guest stars: Alan Feinstein, John Karlen, Lou Elias, Tracy Brooks Swope, Robert Symonds - plot: Important women are the victims of a rapist.
  • Ep 3 - "A Duck is a Duck" - 9 April 1977 - guest stars: Gerrit Graham, Scott Edmund Lane, Alex Rocco, Barbara Cason, Margie Gordon - plot: Thieves have bad luck when they steal from a mob chief.
  • Ep 4 - "Brother Death" - 16 April 1977 - guest stars: Richard Mulligan, John Krokes, Joseph Stern, Tannis G. Montgomery, Gary Wood, Ron Burke = plot: A murder gets caught on film by a photographer who decides to use the evidence as blackmail
  • Ep 5 - "Dead Skunk" - 23 April 1977 - guest stars: Clu Gulager, Shannon Wilcox, Normann Burton, Richard Roar, Charles Cyphers, Conrad Janis
  • Ep 6 - "Yesterday's Woman" - 14 May 1977 - guest stars: Susan Sullivan, Mark Goddard, Luke Andreas, Peter Mark Richman, Gene Conforti, Cliff Carnell - plot: a socialite with a gambling problem steals from a loan shark

References
  1. Masters, Kim (2000). The keys to the kingdom : how Michael Eisner lost his grip. W. Morrow. p. 115.
  2. Tartikoff, Brandon; Leerhsen, Charles (1993). The last great ride. Delta. p. 188.
  3. Changes in ABC's TV Schedule: Broadcast Notes By John Carmody. The Washington Post 10 Dec 1976: D11.
  4. TV WEEKEND By JOHN J. O'CONNOR. New York Times 4 Mar 1977: 70.
  5. 'Dog and Cat' By John Carmody. The Washington Post5 Mar 1977: B8.
  6. Viewers Mad at Newsbreak Los Angeles Times 17 Mar 1977: f17.
  7. "Joel Silver Interview".
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