It Takes a Thief is an American action-adventure television series that aired on ABC for three seasons between 1968 to 1970 It stars Robert Wagner in his television debut as sophisticated thief Alexander Mundy, who works for the U.S. government in return for his release from prison. For most of the series, Malachi Throne played Noah Bain, Mundy's boss.
It was among the last of the 1960s spy television genre, although Mission: Impossible continued for several more years. It Takes A Thief was inspired by, though not based upon, the 1955 Cary Grant motion picture To Catch a Thief, directed by Alfred Hitchcock; both of their titles stem from the English proverb "It takes a thief to catch a thief."
It Takes a Thief, which was created by television writer Roland Kibbee, featured the adventures of cat burglar, pickpocket, and thief Alexander Mundy, who steals to finance his life as a polished playboy and sophisticate. He is in prison when the U.S. government's SIA (the fictional Secret Intelligence Agency) proposes a deal to Mundy: steal for the government in exchange for his freedom. Mundy is puzzled and asks, "Let me get this straight. You want me to steal?" In the main opening titles, his new SIA boss, Noah Bain, uses the catch phrase, "Oh, look, Al, I'm not asking you to spy. I'm just asking you to steal." In pre-production, the title for a while was Once a Crook.
"It Takes a Thief" may refer to:
It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio. It was released on July 19, 1994 on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to often violent and profane themes of typical Gangsta rap.
"Fantastic Voyage", a hit from the early 1980s, returned to the charts after Coolio released a song of the same name from this album. The song received regular airplay on MTV and became his breakout hit, peaking at #3 in the US. Songs "Smokin Stix", "Can-o-Corn" and "Sticky Fingers" first appeared in the film Poetic Justice.
It Takes a Thief is an American reality television series that originally aired on the Discovery Channel from February 2, 2005 to April 13, 2007. The program stars and is hosted by Matt Johnston and Jon Douglas Rainey, two former thieves who use their unique expertise to teach people in an unusual way to protect their properties.
With the owners' permission, the hosts stage a full-fledged burglary as their victims watch on closed-circuit television (CCTV), either live during the break-in (for season 1) or in real time with pre-recorded video playback (for season 2). Rainey assumes the burglar role and plans and executes the break-ins while Johnston acts as mentor to the security-challenged owners. Immediately following the burglary, Johnston and Rainey meet with the residents to return their stolen goods and explain to them what they have been doing wrong. Johnston then organizes a complete security makeover and provides additional safety tips. Weeks later, Johnston and Rainey return and attempt another break-in to test whether the homeowners are using their new security system properly. Although most thefts on the show occur in suburban homes, some places such as businesses, college houses, and even a police station have also been burglarized.