Original Air Date: September 28, 1978
Directed by: Michael Zinberg

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

Synopsis: As the station employees adjust to their new rock and roll format, protesters demand the return of their easy listening standards.

Kitty Cameo: The protesters are a group of elderly people including Mrs. Burstyn (Nedra Volz) who holds a white cat during the initial protest.

The cat’s name, we later learn, is Mr. Harrison.

While the cat does not appear again, Mr. Harrison becomes a running joke throughout the episode with Mrs. Burstyn asking everyone if they’ve see him, including Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) after she hits his turntable with her umbrella. Fed up with the protester’s lack of enthusiasm, their leader Mr. Coe (Richard Stahl) tells her “to heck with your cat!” when she asks again. Mrs. Burstyn next tells Bailey (Jan Smithers) that if she sees her cat his name is Mr. Harrison. “We’ll try our best,” Bailey promises her. “Of course he’s really not a ‘he’ any more,” Mrs. Burstyn adds. At the end of the episode Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid) comes in to work and notices everything in disarray. Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) explains what has happened and adds, “One old lady said I stole her cat.” Mr. Carlson decides he should enjoy the peace and quiet while he can and goes into his office, grabbing a magazine to read. As he sits down at his desk, a meow comes from his chair, making him jump up.

Final Mewsings: Cats make themselves scarce during protests.

Many thanks to Erin T. Aardvark for reminding us of the cat in this episode!

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