It Takes a Thief (1968 TV series) motion picture "To Catch a Thief", directed by Alfred Hitchcock; both of their titles stem from the English proverb "Set a thief to catch a thief". (Or as is more widely used, "It takes a thief to catch a thief".) "It Takes a Thief," which was created by television writer Roland Kibbee, featured the adventures of cat burglar, pickpocket, and thief Alexander Mundy, who steals to finance his life as a polished playboy and sophisticate. He is in prison when the U.S. government's SIA (the fictional Secret Intelligence Agency) proposes a deal to Mundy: steal for the government in exchange
To Catch a Thief (novel) The police are cracking down, threatening to send all the old ex-prisoners back to prison. The thief is using Robie's methods, so Robie can help them catch the thief, and get the police off their backs. Jean-Pierre disguises Robie as a pudgy, middle-aged man. As "Jack Burns", vacationing American businessman, Robie scouts Riviera nightclubs and casinos. He identifies three likely targets for the new "Le Chat": Mrs. Stevens, the Souzas, and the Sanfords. He works out "Le Chat"-style plans for burgling their residences. Unfortunately, Mrs. Stevens becomes attached to "Burns". He stands next to her in a casino (to study