It Takes a Thief "To Steal a Battleship" #1.11 (1968)

Robert Wagner and Bill Bixby work well together, 29 September 2017

A diplomat is suspected of having stolen NATO documents that he intends on selling to the highest bidder. Mundy's mission is to pose as a photographer, infiltrate the diplomat's villa, and recover the documents. The problem is, however, Mundy's got some competition. Another world-class thief, George Palmer (Bill Bixby), has been casing the villa and intends to steal a very valuable necklace. Al and George will battle it out to see who can get there first.

To Steal a Battleship is easily one of the best episodes I've seen so far. The actual theft isn't much to write home about, so that's not the reason. Instead, what makes this episode so special is the way Robert Wagner and Bill Bixby work off each other. Their back and forth and one-upmanship is on another level altogether. It's a blast. There are so many moments in To Steal a Battleship that work, I can't list them all. But my absolute favorite set-piece has to be the fistfight the two have in the hotel room. While the two go at it, The Blonde (Janis Hansen) watches on, munching an apple like popcorn in a movie theater. Funny stuff. Other than Susan Saint James, I've yet to see co-star in the series the Wagner worked so well with. I haven't looked to see if he comes back, but I can only hope that Bill Bixby pops up in a future episode.

8/10