Outstanding episode, and particularly for the acting of a very famous cat!
The M. I. team has an extremely difficult task of retrieving a 2000 year old jade figure, an imperial seal, that belongs to a small, vulnerable country bordering China. The figure is in the hands of a greedy collector called Taggert (marvelously played by Darren McGavin), who knows of its significance, but care less if the country it belongs to falls into Communist control.
Here's the neat catch; the team has to employ a trained cat, called Rusty, who can only retrieve the figure, due to the fact that it's under mega tight security. Rusty has to literally walk a narrow plank to the figure, enclosed in a glass case. He must latch onto a small rope with his teeth, and carry it back through a hole in the wall where Barney and Phelps are waiting. Easier said than done.
Even though it's all make believe, the sequence with the cat is fun, campy stuff. Rusty is played by famous cat actor Orangey, who won two Patsy Awards in his career, sort of like an Oscar for animals. Orangey appeared in many tv shows, foremost the BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, which used lots of animals, also BATMAN as the Catwoman's cat.
To note; Orangey was acting since the early 1950s, so he would have to be at least 17 years old in this episode, which is fairly old for a cat. There are no notes as to how long Orangey lived either, except he was trained by Frank Inn who handled many famous movie and tv animals.
I agree with the last reviewer, Martin Landau steals the show. He has an over the top scene, playing a mystic, who can boil a bowl of water in his hands! The goon watching him doesn't believe it, so Rollin asks him to put his hands in the SCORCHING water! Ah, refreshing!
Good support from popular character actress Joan Tompkins (MY THREE SONS) who plays the computer agency manager, Miss Putnam. Superbly written by William Read Woodfield, who wrote 24 episodes for the show.
Do not miss this one. SEASON 2 EPISODE 9 remastered Paramount dvd box set/7 discs total, 2007 release.