Once a Crook

Well, it’s about damn time! The Web site TV Shows on DVD reports that the 1968-1970 spy adventure series It Takes a Thief, starring Robert Wagner as a globetrotting cat burglar turned U.S. government agent, is due out in an 18-DVD collectible set on October 11. Here’s that site’s description of the set:

Priced at $199.98 SRP, you will get all 3 seasons of the classic TV show from the late ’60s, presented in the original full-screen video format with English mono audio. There are English subtitles on board, too. Also included you’ll find extras such as a retrospective featurette, a new Robert Wagner interview, the “Magnificent Thief” version of the pilot episode, “A Matter of Larceny” interview with [producer] Glen A. Larson, and a collectible photo book.

It Takes a Thief was one of my favorite Saturday afternoon indulgences as a boy. Oh, how I longed to be Wagner’s suave thief/spy, Alexander Mundy. But far too many years have passed since I sat down to enjoy that series, with its ultra-cool theme by jazz pianist Dave Grusin. Add this DVD set, pricey though it will be, to my must-have list.

READ MORE: “It Takes a Thief Now Playing on a Computer Near You,” by Dean Brierly (CinemaRetro).