That's Cat

That's Cat was a children's television show that premiered on Saturday, September 18, 1976. [Lee Margulies, "Bright Show for School-Age Set," Los Angeles Times, Sept. 18, 1976.] It was both produced by and aired on KNBC, the NBC owned and operated station in Los Angeles, California.

The show's first episode credits Susan Cuscuna (co-producer), Perry Krause (co-producer), and Myra Cohen as writers. It starred Alice Playten (as "Alice"), Frank Cala (as "Me," a mime), and Whitman Mayo (as "Grandpa"). [Ibid.] The show interspersed segments involving stories, music, humor, and various learning-centered activities. The word "Cat" in the title is connotatively used in place of "Cool."

The show's first episode debuted at 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday night, a move intended to interest parents. The second episode aired in its regular Sunday morning 8:00 a.m. time slot the following day. That same night, a compilation episode of segments from the first two episodes aired at 6:30 p.m. [Ibid.] The show moved to the 7:30 a.m. time slot a few episodes later. [Lee Margulies, "Scream Listings for Halloween," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 29, 1976.]

Among the more notable features of the first episode was a segment with a song in Spanish; a clip of Woody Allen describing where mustard comes from (likely from a 1970 NBC series "Hot Dog"); and a feature on the importance of garbagemen. [See "Bright Show."]

The show's theme song ("That's Cat") was sung by John Sebastian, and his son, who echoed the words "That's Cat", during the repeated chorus. The lyrics begin with:

:Hey Pumpkin, come along with me:Been thinkin' 'bout some things to see:Take a look at this and that:We'll find something that's cat:That's Cat - That's Cat:It a-means that you like that!:Like an Indian drum or a kiss from your mom,:or gettin' something under your hat...

Recurring segments on the show included "Can you find 'Me/me' in this picture" ("Me" being "Alice's" sidekick on the show); and a segment where "Grandpa" spoke directly to the camera.

The show received a nomination for a 1976 Los Angeles Area Emmy award (for film editor Donn Hoyer). ["Emmy Picks Announced," Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1977.] In 1979, a Los Angeles-based consumer group--Coalition on Children and Television--selected the show for an award for excellence. ["Local Shows Win Awards From Children's Group," Los Angeles Times, March 19, 1979."] To date, 2007, this show still hasn't shown up anywhere on IMDB.

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