The Pink Panther (Films)

The Pink Panther is a series of comedy films featuring the bungling French police detective Jacques Clouseau that began in 1963 with the release of the film of the same name. The role was originated by, and is most closely associated with, Peter Sellers. Most of the films were directed and co-written by Blake Edwards, with notable theme music composed by Henry Mancini.

As of 2009, eleven Pink Panther films have been made:

Pink Panther films

Film	Year	Notes
The Pink Panther	1963	Although centered on David Niven, Peter Sellers was so popular that the resulting series would be built on Clouseau rather than the Phantom/Sir Charles Lytton.
A Shot in the Dark	1964	Released less than a year after The Pink Panther, Clouseau returns to bumble his way through a murder investigation. This also marks the first appearance of both Herbert Lom’s Dreyfus and Burt Kwouk’s Cato.
Inspector Clouseau	1968	This film stars Alan Arkin as Clouseau, and does not have any other recurring characters (Dreyfus, Cato, the Phantom, etc.) from the rest of the series. Although produced by the Mirisch Corporation, Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini were not involved in the making of this film.
The Return of the Pink Panther	1975	Not only does this mark the return of the famous “Pink Panther” diamond, but also the successful return of Peter Sellers as Clouseau (along with Edwards, Mancini, Dreyfus, and Cato). Sir Charles Lytton is portrayed by Christopher Plummer.
The Pink Panther Strikes Again	1976	Dreyfus’ insanity reaches a pinnacle, as he tries to intimidate the rest of the world into killing Clouseau.
Revenge of the Pink Panther	1978	This film pits Clouseau against the French Connection. This is the last film for which Sellers played Clouseau; he died two years after its release.
Trail of the Pink Panther	1982	Features Peter Sellers as Clouseau using unused material from Strikes Again, this was intended as a tribute to Sellers, but after its release, Sellers’ widow Lynne Frederick successfully sued Edwards and the studio for tarnishing her late husband’s memory. David Niven and Capucine reprise their original roles.
Curse of the Pink Panther	1983	Inspector Clouseau and The Pink Panther diamond, both of which had gone missing in Trail, are pursued by the bumbling American detective, Clifton Sleigh (Ted Wass). Clouseau returns in an amusing cameo played by an uncredited Roger Moore after having plastic surgery to disguise his identity. Although intended to spawn a new series of misadventures for Sergeant Sleigh, the film’s dismal box office performance and critical drubbing led to a Panther hibernation for the next decade.
Son of the Pink Panther	1993	Roberto Benigni tries to revive the series by portraying Gendarme Jacques Gambrelli, Inspector Clouseau’s illegitimate son by Maria Gambrelli (the murder suspect from A Shot in the Dark). Once again, many former Panther co-stars return. Although intended to relaunch the series with a new lovable bumbling hero, Son became the final installment in the original Panther series.
The Pink Panther	2006	This relaunches a new Pink Panther series starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau and Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Not a remake of the original film, this forms a new starting point for a contemporary series, introducing the Clouseau and Dreyfus characters along with the famous diamond to a new generation.
The Pink Panther 2	2009	The sequel to Steve Martin’s 2006 film. Martin reprises his role, but John Cleese replaces Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus.

Despite its use in the titles of most of the films of the series, the “Pink Panther” is not the Clouseau character, but a large and valuable pink diamond which is first shown in the first film in the series. he phrase reappears in the title of the fourth film, The Return of the Pink Panther, in which the theft of the diamond is again the center of the plot; that film also marked the return of Sellers to the role after a gap of ten years, which may have contributed to some confusion between the character and the diamond. The phrase has been used for all the subsequent films in the series, even when the jewel does not figure into the plot (the diamond has only appeared in six of the eleven films in the series).

The first film in the series had an animated opening sequence, created by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises and set to the theme music by Henry Mancini, which featured the Pink Panther character. This character, designed by Hawley Pratt, was subsequently the subject of its own series of animated cartoons which gained its greatest fame when aired on Saturday mornings as The Pink Panther Show. The character would be featured in the opening of every film in the movie series except A Shot in the Dark and Inspector Clouseau.

Posted by back2retro on April 26, 2011

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