THE GAME OF THE NAME - "IT TAKES A CAT"

'IT TAKES A THIEF'

"THE THREE VIRGINS OF ROME"

When Alexander Mundy ran into his father Alister in the Rome Cavalieri Hilton in Rome, he was bemused by Alister's choice of the alias under which he registered: "Mr. Gatto".

"Gatto" is Italian for "cat".

I think it was Alister Mundy's way of taking advantage of a fellow thief, a younger competitor who may have been an adversary on occasion - Thomas Hewitt Edward Cat.

By using that name, Alister may have also been providing some insurance for himself.  Should anything have gone wrong with his plans to steal (to steal back, actually) a sketch by Raphael Sanzio, the polizia could go looking for T.H.E. Cat instead.....

SHOWS CITED:

• 'It Takes A Thief'
• 'T.H.E. Cat'

BCnU!

PS:

This post is dedicated to Win Scott Eckert, guardian and caretaker of the Wold Newton Universe.  He and Matthew Baugh have written a book teaming T.H.E. Cat with Honey West.  Happy birthday Win!