Editing Top Cat (section)

===Series overview===
<onlyinclude>{{Series overview
| color1    = #0b24b4
| link1     = #Season 1 (1961–1962)
| episodes1 = 30
| start1    = {{Start date|1961|9|27}}
| end1      = {{End date|1962|4|18}}
}}</onlyinclude>

{{Episode table |background=#700070 |overall=5|title=25|airdate=10 |viewers=|viewersT=US households (in millions)|prodcode=|prodcodeR=<ref name="Copy">From the United States Copyright Office catalog: {{cite web|url=http://cocatalog.loc.gov/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=First|title=Public Catalog – Copyright Catalog (1978 to present) – Basic Search [search: "Top Cat"]|publisher=United States Copyright Office}}</ref>|episodes=

{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1 (4)
|Title=The $1,000,000 Derby
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|9|27}}
|ProdCode=T–4
|Viewers=7.55<ref name="drive2">{{cite web|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aChl1QrrYM3MBtcDhLqhy7zj2k7Rh2QU/view|title=1961-62 Primetime.pdf|publisher=[[Google Drive]]|date=August 27, 2023|access-date=October 25, 2023}}</ref>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny gets a new pet, a devoted, camera-loving horse. Top Cat tries everything to get rid of the horse after it incurs a million-dollar debt, but changes his mind when he sees the horse's shock-induced superior racing abilities.</P>

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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|Title=The Maharajah of Pookajee
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|10|4}}
|ProdCode=T–2
|Viewers=6.19<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=Top Cat impersonates the Maharajah of Pookajee and lives the good life at a swank hotel with his cronies... until a pair of gangsters show up.
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|Title=All That Jazz
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|10|11}}
|ProdCode=T–3
|Viewers=6.94<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Jazz (voiced by [[Daws Butler]] impersonating [[Jack Oakie]]), the new cat in town (known as "A.T." – All That), takes over the pool hall, steals Top Cat's girlfriend, sways the gang, and cleans up the alley. This sparks a contest between the pair. However, when both Jazz and Top Cat are offered a part in a Hollywood film, they assume that it is another trick. The offer turns out to be legitimate and Benny is cast in the starring role in ''The Thing from the Alley''. He leaves for Hollywood in a limousine, accompanied by Top Cat and the gang in the guise of Benny's manager, valet, vocal coach, tailor, and chauffeur. After that, Officer Dibble catches Jazz using the police phone, now declaring that Jazz "is just as bad as Top Cat". Jazz and his buddy Beau (voiced by [[Don Messick]]) are forced by Officer Dibble to keep the alley clean for 30 days.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4 (1)
|Title=Hawaii – Here We Come
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|10|18}}
|ProdCode=T–1
|Viewers=
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny wins a trip to [[Hawaii]]. Top Cat and the gang join him on his trip as [[stowaway|stowaways]]. Things take a drastic turn as Officer Dibble also ends up aboard the ship, and the discovery of a suitcase containing counterfeit money leads to Top Cat and the gang being thrown into the brig as suspected counterfeiters. However, with Top Cat's assistance, Officer Dibble is able to catch the real counterfeiter and prove the gang's innocence.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=5
|Title=The Violin Player
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|10|25}}
|ProdCode=T–5
|Viewers=6.66<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Mr. Gutenbad (voiced by [[John Stephenson (actor)|John Stephenson]]), the musical director of Carnegie Hall, mistakes a recording of violin virtuoso Laszlo Laszlo for the playing of Benny the Ball, who has just taken up the instrument. He approaches Benny with an offer to perform and Top Cat negotiates a deal for $50,000 for a Saturday night performance at the Hall—an offer that is withdrawn when Carnegie's Board of Directors really hear Benny play. When Gutenbad offers a $10,000 reward to find the true violinist, the gang discovers that their neighborhood street cleaner is in fact Laszlo Laszlo (voiced by [[Leo De Lyon]]).</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=6
|Title=The Missing Heir
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|11|1}}
|ProdCode=T–6
|Viewers=8.25<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny is a double for "Catwallader", the missing heir to a millionaire's fortune, the identification being clinched by a supposed birthmark on the sole of Benny's foot. Top Cat and the gang get Benny to the mansion in time to claim the money, but this is bad news for the scheming [[butler]] Chutney (voiced by [[Paul Frees]]) and dog Griswold (voiced by Don Messick) who hoped to claim the fortune for themselves. After a few failed attempts to kill Benny, Chutney and Griswold are arrested by Officer Dibble, who recognizes Chutney as a wanted criminal. The lawyer appears with the real Catwallader, while Top Cat gets shocked to see that Benny's "birthmark" was chewing gum all along. The next day, Catwallader visits the gang and asks to join them -- after Top Cat discovers that Catwallader gave his whole fortune away.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=7
|Title=Top Cat Falls in Love
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|11|8}}
|ProdCode=T–7
|Viewers=7.46<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">While visiting tonsillectomy patient Benny in the hospital, Top Cat falls for the pretty cat nurse Miss LaRue (voiced by [[Jean Vander Pyl]]). T.C. decides to attract her attention by pretending to come down with a rare illness, which will need a lot of nursing care.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=8
|Title=A Visit from Mother
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|11|15}}
|ProdCode=T–8
|Viewers=7.08<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny has written to his mother that he's the mayor of New York. Now Benny's mother is coming for a visit, and Top Cat and the gang must do everything they can to convince Mrs. Ball (voiced by [[Bea Benaderet]]) that her son really is the mayor.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=9
|Title=Naked Town
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|11|22}}
|ProdCode=T–9
|Viewers=7.18<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">"Naked Town," (a TV crime show parodying the real–life series "[[Naked City (TV series)|Naked City]]") will be shooting a warehouse robbery scene in Top Cat's alley. Officer Dibble offers his cooperation, but is unaware that some crooks will be using the TV filming as a cover for a real robbery.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=10
|Title=Sergeant Top Cat
|AltTitle=Sgt. Top Cat
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|11|29}}
|ProdCode=T–10
|Viewers=7.22<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify>After overhearing Officer Dibble suggesting ways to improve conditions for the police force, Top Cat passes off Dibble's ideas to the chief of police as his own. This leads to Top Cat's being made an honorary police sergeant and Dibble's boss in the alley.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=11
|Title=Choo-Choo's Romance
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|12|6}}
|ProdCode=T–11
|Viewers=7.69<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Choo-Choo has fallen in love with a beautiful French cat named Goldie (voiced by [[Jean Vander Pyl]]); Top Cat and the gang help Choo-Choo to court her, but they hadn't figured on Goldie's jealous boyfriend Pierre (voiced by [[John Stephenson (actor)|John Stephenson]]).</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=12
|Title=The Unscratchables
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|12|13}}
|ProdCode=T–12
|Viewers=3.56<ref name="drive2"/>{{efn|In the Nielsen Ratings pocketpiece listings, it is called a "Bell&HowellClose-Up" instead of "Top Cat," as that is what was the episode's sponsor during its premiere.<ref name="drive2"/> On all schedule listings, it is still called "Top Cat."<ref>From Newspapers.com {{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=Top%20cat&ymd=1961-12-13|title=Search ["Top Cat"] from Dec 13, 1961|access-date=October 25, 2023|publisher=Newspapers.com}}</ref>}}
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">When a stolen diamond ends up in Benny the Ball's stomach, it is up to Top Cat and the gang to find a way to retrieve him from Big Gus and his band of gangsters, who have kidnapped him and are attempting to retrieve the diamond the hard way.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=13
|Title=Rafeefleas
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|12|20}}
|ProdCode=T–13
|Viewers=
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">After Benny spends the night sleeping inside a museum, T.C. discovers a scarab attached to his back. The jewel is later found to be an expensive antique, and the gang attempts to return it. Once the scarab is returned, a jewel thief arrives and takes a number of jewels. Officer Dibble arrives and mistakes T.C. as the thief; however, the real thief is caught when he runs into the rest of the gang.  [[Fred Flintstone]] and [[Barney Rubble]] from ''[[The Flintstones]]'' make cameo appearances as prehistoric statues at the museum.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=14
|Title=The Tycoon
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1961|12|27}}
|ProdCode=T–14
|Viewers=7.94<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">A tycoon (voiced by Don Messick) decides to give away $1 million to the most unfortunate person he finds, which ends up being Top Cat. He gives the check to Benny, who tries to show it to Top Cat (who mistakenly believes it is for 25 cents due to his latest hustle), so he tries to cash it himself. A merchant overhears him and tells all his associates. Everybody gives things to Top Cat thinking he is a millionaire and that he will pay them back.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=15
|Title=The Long Hot Winter
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|1|3}}
|ProdCode=T–15
|Viewers=6.91<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">During a cold winter in the alley, Top Cat and the gang scheme to find a way into Officer Dibble's house in an attempt to keep warm. Once inside the house, Dibble struggles to live with the gang. In the end, the gang stays for several months until spring and the warmer weather arrive.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=16
|Title=The Case of the Absent Anteater
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|1|10}}
|ProdCode=T–16
|Viewers=8.28<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny gets a new pet; a hungry, brown [[giant anteater]] which followed him into the alley. Top Cat attempts to get rid of the animal until it is revealed that the anteater had escaped from the zoo and a large reward is offered for its return.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=17
|Title=T.C. Minds the Baby
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|1|17}}
|ProdCode=T–17
|Viewers=7.69<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">An abandoned baby (voiced by [[Jean Vander Pyl]]) is found by Top Cat and the gang who intend on looking after it after finding a note from its desperate mother. However, they find parenthood much more difficult than they thought it to be. When Officer Dibble catches onto them, he is shown the note left with the baby and takes it into police custody. In the end, Officer Dibble tells Top Cat's group that the mother is found and the baby is safely returned, while seeing that something like this never happens again.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=18
|Title=Farewell, Mr. Dibble
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|1|24}}
|ProdCode=T–18
|Viewers=8.04<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Officer Dibble is replaced by a new recruit named Ernest Prowler (voiced by Don Messick). Prowler intends to be more forceful in his duty than Dibble and intends to stop the trouble that Top Cat and the gang cause. Due to the new regime, the gang hatches a plan to have Dibble return to his old beat in the alley.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=19
|Title=The Grand Tour
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|1|31}}
|ProdCode=T–19
|Viewers=6.96<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Top Cat and the gang are struggling to make money. However, T.C. comes up with a new [[get-rich-quick scheme]] which involves creating a fake "historical" tour of New York. Choo-Choo begins selling "phony" maps. However, it is later found that the maps point to a real treasure in a dilapidated house.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=20
|Title=The Golden Fleecing
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|2|7}}
|ProdCode=T–20
|Viewers=7.74<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Benny receives an insurance payment of $2,000, giving T.C. ideas about how to spend it. The first spree is at a local nightclub, where Benny falls in love with showgirl Honeydew Mellon (voiced by Sallie Janes). She's in league with poker-playing con artists, who will do everything they can to separate Benny from his money.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=21
|Title=Space Monkey
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|2|14}}
|ProdCode=T–21
|Viewers=7.06<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Officer Dibble takes a job at [[Cape Canaveral Space Force Station|Cape Canaveral]], and the gang discover about the luxurious treatment a chimpanzee (voiced by [[John Stephenson (actor)|John Stephenson]]) receives while in the space program. Top Cat and his gang join up in attempt to access the same luxurious facilities, but  they want out when they discover they will be going into space.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=22
|Title=The Late T.C.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|2|21}}
|ProdCode=T–22
|Viewers=8.43<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">While the gang is watching a baseball game at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]], Top Cat ends up being hit by a home run, causing him to fall off the fence. Choo-Choo stays behind while the others take T.C. to the doctor (with Benny making, according to T.C., the "worst siren [noise] I've ever heard!"). Officer Dibble comes along and asks Choo-Choo what happened. Dibble follows T.C. to make sure he doesn't cheat the doctor. T.C. is diagnosed with only a bump on the head, but when paying the doctor's fee he offers his pocket clock, which was broken when he fell off the fence. The doctor tells him, "Your ticker will only last a week." Dibble, overhearing, mistakes the "ticker" for Top Cat's heart and thinks he will soon "conk out". After realizing the misunderstanding, T.C. takes advantage of the situation and Dibble helps him – that is, until Dibble invites the doctor to T.C.'s going-away party and finds out!</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=23
|Title=Dibble's Birthday
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|2|28}}
|ProdCode=T–23
|Viewers=7.30<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Officer Dibble's birthday is coming up and he thinks he's getting too old. To help cheer him up, the gang decide to throw him a birthday party, with gifts from everybody in the neighborhood.</P>
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=24
|Title=Choo-Choo Goes Ga-Ga
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|3|7}}
|ProdCode=T–24
|Viewers=7.69<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Choo-Choo threatens to kill himself unless he can get a date with a Hollywood movie star named Lola Glamour (voiced by [[Jean Vander Pyl]]). Top Cat tries getting him that date by visiting her at her penthouse, but Officer Dibble gets complaints from other people who live there. Top Cat soon finds out Lola will only date rich men, so Choo-Choo once again tries to commit suicide. This annoys Top Cat, so he tries to get Lola to think Choo-Choo is a rich count named Count Chooch.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=25
|Title=King for a Day.
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|3|14}}
|ProdCode=T–25
|Viewers=6.32<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">After Top Cat upsets Officer Dibble one time too many, he and the gang decide to lie low for a while. After spending the night in a department store, the gang go on the "King for a Day" show which offers a number of prizes, after writing to the show's producers about the gang being a "poor family". Instead, Dibble wins the prizes and offers to take T.C. and the gang for a ride to show no hard feelings.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=26
|Title=The Con Men
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|3|21}}
|ProdCode=T–26
|Viewers=7.45<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">A friendly hot dog vendor (voiced by Paul Frees) is swindled out of $1,000 by con men who pretended to have an oil well in Nova Scotia. Top Cat disguises himself as a wealthy Texan in an attempt to get the money back, by convincing the crooks that the oil well really does exist.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=27
|Title=Dibble Breaks the Record
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|3|28}}
|ProdCode=T–27
|Viewers=6.37<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Officer Dibble attempts to break a record as the longest-serving police officer on the beat, which had been set years ago by his idol, policeman "Iron Man" Muldoon (voiced by Paul Frees); if he beats the record, he wins a vacation that would allow him to escape the gang for a while. With this information, Top Cat does everything he can to help Dibble win, and has the gang watch over him so he doesn't have an accident.</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=28
|Title=Dibble Sings Again
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|4|4}}
|ProdCode=T–28
|Viewers=6.76<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=Top Cat owes money to loan shark Big Gus. After hearing Officer Dibble singing, he convinces him that under his management, he could become a big singing star.
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=29
|Title=Griswald
|AltTitle=Griswold
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|4|11}}
|ProdCode=T–29
|Viewers=7.15<ref name="drive2"/>
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">Officer Dibble gets a new partner on the beat: the dog Griswold. Top Cat and the gang attempt to outwit him, but the dog always seems to be one step ahead. T.C. gets the dog removed from duty after he bites the police sergeant and the police commissioner (voiced by Don Messick).</P>
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}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=30
|Title=Dibble's Double
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1962|4|18}}
|ProdCode=T–30
|Viewers=
|ShortSummary=<P align="justify">A thief named Al the Actor (voiced by Don Messick) disguises as Officer Dibble to steal a fortune from an art gallery. After seeing how much can be paid for artworks, Top Cat has also taken up painting, but discovers his own artwork was also stolen. The gang and Dibble team up to catch the thief.</P>
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}}
}}