My Favorite Martian – “Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off”

by Linda Kay

Original Air Date: April 17, 1966

Directed by: Jean Yarbrough

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains spoilers for this episode!

Synopsis: Mrs. Lorelei Brown (Pamela Britton) manages to intercept Uncle Martin’s (Ray Walston) sixth sense which needs to be reversed before she is able to deduce that Martin is a Martian.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): The other trouble this brings about is Mrs. Brown’s heightened intuition makes her an ace reporter for a rival newspaper and threatens Tim’s (Bill Bixby) job. Near the end of the episode, Tim follows Mrs. Brown, hoping to find out which story she is about to uncover. It turns out a lion (played by Zamba) has escaped from nearby and is inside the house. Detective Bill Brennan (Alan Hewitt), who is anxious for Mrs. Brown to figure out the mystery behind Martin, also ends up at the house. After some silly shenanigans with a fake lion and paw batting a chair in Tim’s hands, Martin shows up. With the others out of the room, Tim asks about the lion. With a point of his finger, Martin changes the lion into a tuxedo cat. “The lion and the cat are both members of the Felidae family,” Martin explains, “It’s a simple matter of rearranging the molecules.”

My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - tuxedo cat sitting in abandoned house
My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - Tim Bill Bixby watches as Uncle Martin Ray Walston turns lion into tuxedo cat animated gif

Moments later Mrs. Brown, Brennan and the Police Captain (Roy Engel) enter and Brennan points out the lion, which is now the cat.

My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - tuxedo cat sitting on wood floor

As they try to sort out what has happened, Mrs. Brown is just about to out Martin but he is able to use his machine to take the sixth sense away from her in time. In the meantime, the Captain has picked up the cat and is looking at him or her affectionately.

My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - Tim Bill Bixby, Uncle Martin Ray Walston, police chief Roy Engel holding tuxedo cat with Detective Brennan Alan Hewitt and Mrs. Brown Pamela Britton

The Captain hands the cat to Brennan before exiting.

My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - Tim Bill Bixby, Uncle Martin Ray Walston, police chief Roy Engel handing tuxedo cat to Detective Brennan Alan Hewitt and Mrs. Brown Pamela Britton

Brennan is startled when the cat suddenly roars like a lion, sending him running from the house.

My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - tuxedo cat squirming in man's arms
My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - Tim Bill Bixby, Uncle Martin Ray Walston, police chief Roy Engel handing tuxedo cat to Detective Brennan Alan Hewitt who is startled when cat roars and Mrs. Brown Pamela Britton animated gif
My Favorite Martian - Stop the Presses, I Want to Get Off - Tim Bill Bixby, Uncle Martin Ray Walston, Detective Brennan Alan Hewitt looking startled at tuxedo cat in his hands and Mrs. Brown Pamela Britton

Final Mewsings: Cats may be big or small but their courage remains the same.

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