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* WellIntentionedExtremist: In the last episode ("Project 'X'"), a pro-environmental group starts killing a group of nuclear scientists for neglecting to focus on repairing Earth's ecological damage. Al even says he agrees with their basic premise, though certainly not their actions.
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** In the series' first episode ("Takes One to Know One"), "Charlie" Brown mentions that she's also a third generation thief, several episodes before Al does.
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** In the series' first regular episode ("Takes ("It Takes One to Know One"), "Charlie" Brown mentions that she's also a third generation thief, several episodes before Al does.
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** In the series' first episode ("Takes One to Know One"), "Charlie" Brown mentions that she's also a third generation thief, several episodes before Al does.
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* PaperThinDisguise: Some of Al's disguises fall under this trope.
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* BavarianFireDrill: One of Al's frequent methods of theft. For example, he'll show up saying he's been assigned to evaluate the security around the target of the week. The guards uaually buy this, giving Al the chance to get vital information for that episode's caper.
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* NoodleIncident: Even though "Charlie" Brown only appears four times in the series, she and Al refer to several other times they've met/worked together/been friendly adversaries.
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* MusicalTrigger: In the third-season story "To Sing a Song of Murder", the song "One Less Bell to Answer" serves this purpose.
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Note: There is an entirely different show which came out in the mid 2000s with the exact same name, it involves two former burglars gone straight who approach a family and offer them a free security system if they can stage a robbery of their place, giving the homeowner time to do anything necessary to protect the place. Invariably, the homeowners have the worst security you can believe, and typically the burglary team are in-and-out in under ten minutes, taking with them thousands of dollars of loot. The homeowners watch in horror on a closed circuit feed as they see their home broken into, then get to see when the stuff is brought back, just how much they could have lost. Often the amounts that would have been lost are 5 to 6 figures. Then the guys come back a few weeks after the homeowners have had a new, expensive security system installed. And in a form of SchmuckBait, about 1/2 of the houses they hit a second time can be successfully burglarized again!
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* DeadManWalking: In the third season story "Saturday Night in Venice", Al is poisoned by Russian agents and offered the antidote in exchange for an item he'd previously stolen.
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* CatchPhrase: For Al, it's, "Oh, you're beautiful!" He uses it either sarcastically (to Noah or Wally when they force him to do a dangerous caper) or honestly (to 99.9% of the women he meets).
* DeadManWalking: In the third season story "Saturday Night in Venice", Al is poisoned by Russian agents and offered the antidote in exchange for an item he'd previouslystolen.stolen.
* DeadpanSnarker: Al, especially to anyone from the SIA.
* DeadManWalking: In the third season story "Saturday Night in Venice", Al is poisoned by Russian agents and offered the antidote in exchange for an item he'd previously
* DeadpanSnarker: Al, especially to anyone from the SIA.
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* InsaneAdmiral: In the third-season episode "Situation Red", a USAF Major (played by Earl Holliman) becomes dangerously paranoid due to a bad reaction to (non-anabolic) steroids. He becomes convinced that a StrategicAirCommand test is an actual war situation and takes control of the bombers.
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* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: The third season story "Flowers from Alexander".]]
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* BigBrotherIsWatching: During the first season, when Al isn't on a mission, he's kept under house arrest and constant video surveillance.
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* BigBrotherIsWatching: During the first season, when Al isn't on a mission, he's kept under house arrest and constant video surveillance.surveillance.
* DeadManWalking: In the third season story "Saturday Night in Venice", Al is poisoned by Russian agents and offered the antidote in exchange for an item he'd previously stolen.
* DeadManWalking: In the third season story "Saturday Night in Venice", Al is poisoned by Russian agents and offered the antidote in exchange for an item he'd previously stolen.
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* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In the second season episode "A Case of Red Turnips", Al has to steal a pop art film containing top secret information. During the heist, [[spoiler: the film in inadvertantly ruined. The ruined film, consisting of random splotches of color, is screened for an audience and hailed as a cinematic masterpiece.]]
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* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In the second season episode "A Case of Red Turnips", Al has to steal a pop art film containing top secret information. During the heist, [[spoiler: the film in inadvertantly ruined. The ruined film, consisting of random splotches of color, is screened for an audience and hailed as a cinematic masterpiece.]]
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** Subverted on a couple of occasions. For example, one first season episode has Al actually volunteer to rescue a little girl (the daughter of a defecting scientist) being held captive behind the Iron Curtain.
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** Subverted on a couple of occasions. For example, one first season episode has in "The Radomir Minature" Al actually volunteer volunteers to rescue a little girl (the daughter of a defecting scientist) being held captive behind the Iron Curtain.
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** An example of the former is in the first season episode "The Radomir Minature", when Al actually threatens an enemy agent holding a little girl captive. The latter is shown in the second season story "The Galloping Skin Game", when Al angrily quits the SIA and demands to be sent back to prison when he [[spoiler: mistakenly]] thinks Noah has set up friendly adversary Nick Grobbo to be killed.
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* BerserkButton: Normally, Al is cool and unflappable during his missions. However, he doesn't react well when children or his friends are threatened.
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* EvolvingCredits: Each season has a different title sequence, with a variation during the third season for when Fred Astaire was guest-starring. Each sequence included a progressively jazzier arrangement of Dave Grusin's OpeningTheme.
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* {{Expy}}: The SIA for the CentralIntelligenceAgency.
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*ReTool: There were several throughout the series:
** During the first season, Al was given a big, well-appointed house outside of Washington, D.C. to live in (and be kept under servelliance) when not working. In the second season, he had an expensive batchelor apartment in town (without the surveillance).
** For several episodes in the third season, Al's base of operations was in Italy, though he'd later move back to the D.C. apartment.
** The biggest ReTool was in the third season when his father, Alistair, [[spoiler: arranges for Al to get a full pardon, to be no longer under the threat of prison, and be asked, rather than ordered, to do jobs for the SIA]].
** During the first season, Al was given a big, well-appointed house outside of Washington, D.C. to live in (and be kept under servelliance) when not working. In the second season, he had an expensive batchelor apartment in town (without the surveillance).
** For several episodes in the third season, Al's base of operations was in Italy, though he'd later move back to the D.C. apartment.
** The biggest ReTool was in the third season when his father, Alistair, [[spoiler: arranges for Al to get a full pardon, to be no longer under the threat of prison, and be asked, rather than ordered, to do jobs for the SIA]].
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* {{Retcon}}: Originally, Noah was portrayed as the only cop who had ever caught Al, which he used as a way to recruit Al for the SIA. In the third season, after Noah was PutOnABus, this was changed to where Wally Powers was also a former cop who'd helped Noah bust Al in the beginning.
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* PunchClockVillain: Al runs into several of these throughout the series; usually they're his fellow thieves and con-artists, either working for themselves or employed by the bad guys.
** One example of this is Nick Grobbo (Ricardo Montalban), a high-class fence who shows up a couple of times. While he genuinely likes Al and would prefer that he simply stay out of his affairs, Nick threatens to kill Al if he should try to louse up one of his deals.
** One example of this is Nick Grobbo (Ricardo Montalban), a high-class fence who shows up a couple of times. While he genuinely likes Al and would prefer that he simply stay out of his affairs, Nick threatens to kill Al if he should try to louse up one of his deals.
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* AlwaysABiggerFish: Even though Al is a master thief, he readily admits that his father, Alistair, is even better.
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** In one first season episode, Mundy says he's, in fact, a third generation thief.
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** In one first season episode, Mundy Alexander says he's, in fact, a third generation thief.
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* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Wally Powers (Edward Binns), who takes over as Al's main SIA boss in the third season, replacing Noah Bain.
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* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Wally Powers (Edward Binns), who takes over as Al's main SIA boss in the third season, replacing Noah Bain.Bain.
* WorthyOpponent: Noah and Al consider each other this, even after they start working on the same side.
* WorthyOpponent: Noah and Al consider each other this, even after they start working on the same side.
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* BigBrotherIsWatching: During the first season, when Al isn't on a mission, he's kept under house arrest and constant video surveillance.
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* PutOnABus: Noah Bain vanishes without explanation, beyond a couple of brief mentions, and isn't seen in the third season.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Actor Malachi Throne left the series after the second season, following a contract dispute. As a result, Noah Bain is PutOnABus.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Actor Malachi Throne left the series after the second season, following a contract dispute. As a result, Noah Bain is PutOnABus.
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** Subverted on a couple of occasions. For example, one first season episode has Al actually volunteer to rescue a little girl (the daughter of a defecting scientist) being held captive behind the Iron Curtain.
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* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Wally Powers (Edward Binns), who takes over as Al's main SIA boss in the third season, replacing Noah Bain.
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* DistaffCounterpart: Charlene "Charlie" Brown (Susan Saint James), an equally skilled, though rather kooky female thief/con artist. She shows up in four episodes (two in the first season, two in the third).
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* SceneryPorn: The opening episodes of the third season, filmed and set in Italy, featured a lot of this.
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''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered a chance to get out of prison if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.
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''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered Mundy. Facing a chance to get out long sentence in prison, he's given an offer by Noah Bain (Malachi Throne), the cop who caught him and now the head of prison the SIA, an American intelligence agency. Mundy will be released from jail if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.
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* {{ReasonableAuthorityFigure}}: Noah Bain varied between this and being a real hard-case, especially during the first season.
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* {{ReasonableAuthorityFigure}}: {{Reasonable Authority Figure}}: Noah Bain varied between this and being a real hard-case, especially during the first season.
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* {{ReasonableAuthorityFigure}}: Noah Bain varied between this and being a real hard-case, especially during the first season.
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** In one first season episode, Mundy says he's, in fact, a third generation thief.
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* {{Family Business}}: Alastair Mundy ({{Fred Astair}}), Alexander Mundy's father, was also a thief.
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* {{Family Business}}: Alastair Mundy ({{Fred Astair}}), Astaire}}), Alexander Mundy's father, was also a thief.
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''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered a chance to get out of prison if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.
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''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered a chance to get out of prison if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.Rogue}}.
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!!Tropes related to the series:
* {{Family Business}}: Alastair Mundy ({{Fred Astair}}), Alexander Mundy's father, was also a thief.
* {{Loveable Rogue}}: Mundy was an unabashed con-artist and thief, but was clearly the hero protagonist.
* {{Reluctant Hero}}: Mundy only agrees to take the job to get out of jail.
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!!Tropes related to the series:
* {{Family Business}}: Alastair Mundy ({{Fred Astair}}), Alexander Mundy's father, was also a thief.
* {{Loveable Rogue}}: Mundy was an unabashed con-artist and thief, but was clearly the hero protagonist.
* {{Reluctant Hero}}: Mundy only agrees to take the job to get out of jail.
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->"Look, Al, I'm not asking you to spy, I'm just asking you to steal."
-->-- '''Noah Bain''', ''Series/ItTakesAThief''
''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered a chance to get out of prison if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.
-->-- '''Noah Bain''', ''Series/ItTakesAThief''
''It Takes a Thief'' was an American television series that aired on {{ABC}} between 1968 and 1970. It followed the exploits of master thief Alexander Mundy, offered a chance to get out of prison if he agrees to provide his unique skills to the government. It starred {{Robert Wagner}} as Mundy, and served as a prototype for similar shows, such as {{White Collar}}, that also featured a {{Loveable Rogue}}.
