The Pink Panther is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau, as well as an animated series created by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises about the titular Pink Panther character. The franchise began with the release of the film The Pink Panther in 1963 and the animated cartoons began in 1964 with the short film The Pink Phink.
The role of Clouseau was first acted by and is most closely associated with Peter Sellers. Most of the films were written and directed by Blake Edwards, with theme music composed by Henry Mancini. Elements and characters inspired by the films were adapted into other media, including books, comic books, video games and animated series.
The first film in the series derives its title from a pink diamond that has enormous size and value. The diamond is called the "Pink Panther" because the flaw at its center, when viewed closely, is said to resemble a leaping pink panther. The phrase reappears in the title of the fourth film, The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), in which the theft of the diamond is again the center of the plot. The phrase was used for all the subsequent films in the series, even when the jewel did not figure in the plot. The jewel ultimately appeared in six of the eleven films.
The first film in the series had an animated opening sequence, created by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, featuring "The Pink Panther Theme" by Mancini, as well as the Pink Panther character. Designed by Hawley Pratt and Friz Freleng, the animated Pink Panther character was subsequently featured in a series of theatrical cartoons, starting with The Pink Phink in 1964. The cartoon series gained its highest profile on television, aired on Saturday mornings as The Pink Panther Show. The character returned to the film series opening sequences in 1975.
Synopsis of the original The Pink Panther film The film series follows the exploits of an inept policeman named Inspector Jacques Clouseau. In his first adventure he is assigned to investigate Dala, a princess who received a gift from her father, the Maharajah: the "Pink Panther", the largest diamond in the world. This huge pink gem has an unusual flaw: by looking deeply into the stone, one perceives a tiny discoloration resembling a leaping panther. Twenty years later, Dala has been forced into exile following her father's death and the subsequent military takeover of her country. The new government declares her diamond the property of the people and petitions the World Court to determine ownership. However, Dala refuses to relinquish it.
Dala goes on holiday at an exclusive ski resort in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Also staying there is English middle-aged playboy Sir Charles Lytton, who leads a secret life as a gentleman jewel thief called "the Phantom" and has his eyes on the Pink Panther. His brash American nephew George arrives at the resort unexpectedly. George is really a playboy drowning in gambling debts, but poses as a recent college graduate about to enter the Peace Corps so his uncle continues to support his lavish lifestyle.
On the Phantom's trail is French police detective Inspector Jacques Clouseau, whose wife Simone is having an affair with Sir Charles. She has become rich by acting as a fence for the Phantom under the nose of her amorous but oblivious husband. She dodges him while trying to avoid her lover's playboy nephew, who has decided to make the seductive older woman his latest conquest. Sir Charles has grown enamored of Dala and is ambivalent about carrying out the heist. The night before their departure, George accidentally learns of his uncle's criminal activities.
At a gala, the heist is attempted by both Lytton and his nephew, only for them to find that the jewel is gone. Dala had faked the theft in order to retain the diamond. Lytton is arrested for the theft. Simone convinces Dala, who has fallen in love with Lytton, to frame Clouseau by planting the Pink Panther on him.
As Clouseau is taken away to prison, he is mobbed by a throng of enamored women. Watching from a distance, Simone expresses regret, but Sir Charles reassures her that when the Phantom strikes again, Clouseau will be exonerated and plans the Phantom's next heist in South America. The film ends after the police car carrying Clouseau to prison runs over a traffic warden.
Films Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s) Starring Original series The Pink Panther December 18, 1963 Blake Edwards Maurice Richlin & Blake Edwards Martin JurowPeter Sellers A Shot in the Dark June 23, 1964 Blake Edwards & William Peter Blatty Blake Edwards Inspector Clouseau May 28, 1968 Bud Yorkin Tom Waldman & Frank Waldman Lewis J. RachmilAlan Arkin The Return of the Pink Panther May 21, 1975 Blake Edwards Frank Waldman & Blake Edwards Blake EdwardsPeter Sellers The Pink Panther Strikes Again December 15, 1976 Revenge of the Pink Panther July 20, 1978 Frank Waldman, Ron Clark, & Blake Edwards Blake Edwards Trail of the Pink Panther December 17, 1982 Frank Waldman, Tom Waldman, Blake Edwards, & Geoffrey Edwards Blake Edwards & Tony Adams Curse of the Pink Panther August 12, 1983 Blake Edwards & Geoffrey Edwards Ted Wass Son of the Pink Panther August 27, 1993 Blake Edwards, Madeline Sunshine, & Steve Sunshine Blake Edwards Tony AdamsRoberto Benigni Reboot series The Pink Panther February 10, 2006 Shawn Levy Len Blum & Steve Martin Len Blum & Michael Saltzman Robert SimondsSteve Martin The Pink Panther 2 February 6, 2009 Harald Zwart Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, & Steve Martin Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
Original series The Pink Panther (1963)
The Pink Panther (1963), the original film of the series, centered on the Phantom/Sir Charles Lytton, portrayed by David Niven. It is set in the ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo. Peter Sellers's performance was so popular that the resulting series was built on the Clouseau character rather than the Phantom character. Niven and Sellers's co-stars included Capucine, Robert Wagner, and Claudia Cardinale.
A Shot in the Dark (1964)
A Shot in the Dark (1964) was released less than a year after The Pink Panther, and was the first to feature the Clouseau character as the protagonist of the film, investigating a murder set in a mansion in Paris. This film marked the first appearance of many of the tropes and supporting characters long associated with the series, including Commissioner Dreyfus (Herbert Lom), his assistant François (André Maranne), and Clouseau's manservant, Cato (Burt Kwouk). Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Graham Stark, Tracy Reed and Douglas Wilmer also appeared in the film.
Inspector Clouseau (1968)
The 1968 film Inspector Clouseau stars Alan Arkin as Clouseau, and does not feature any other recurring characters from the rest of the series. Although it was produced by the Mirisch Corporation (who owned the rights to the Pink Panther and Clouseau characters), key people associated with the earlier films, such as Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards, and Henry Mancini, were not involved in the making of this film.
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975)
More than a decade after his previous portrayal, Peter Sellers returned as Clouseau in 1975's The Return of the Pink Panther. The film marked the return of the famous "Pink Panther" diamond as well as most of the creative team associated with the prior films, including director Blake Edwards, composer Henry Mancini, Herbert Lom as Dreyfus, Burt Kwouk as Cato and André Maranne as François. Christopher Plummer appears as Sir Charles Lytton, after David Niven declined to reprise the role. The film also co-starred Catherine Schell, Peter Arne, and Graham Stark.
The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976)
In The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976), Dreyfus' insanity reached its zenith, as he tried to blackmail the rest of the world into killing Clouseau. It co-starred Leonard Rossiter, Lesley-Anne Down, Michael Robbins, Colin Blakely, and featured an uncredited cameo by Omar Sharif.
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978) pitted Clouseau against the French Connection. It is the last in which Sellers played Clouseau. It co-starred Dyan Cannon, Robert Webber, Robert Loggia and Graham Stark.
Trail of the Pink Panther (1982)
Trail of the Pink Panther (1982) was the first Pink Panther film made following Peter Sellers' death in 1980. Sellers' role as Clouseau is created by using several scenes cut from Strikes Again, as well as flashbacks from the previous Pink Panther films. The film was intended as a tribute to Sellers, but after its release, Sellers' widow Lynne Frederick successfully sued Edwards and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for tarnishing her husband's memory. David Niven and Capucine reprise their original roles from the first Pink Panther film. Trail was a critical and commercial failure.
Curse of the Pink Panther (1983)
1983's Curse of the Pink Panther is the first to feature a different lead character, blundering American detective Sgt. Clifton Sleigh, portrayed by Ted Wass. Inspector Clouseau and the Pink Panther diamond, both of which had disappeared in Trail, are pursued by Sleigh. Clouseau returns, after having plastic surgery to disguise his identity, in a cameo appearance by Roger Moore (who is credited as "Turk Thrust II"). Although intended to spawn a new series of misadventures for the inept Sergeant Sleigh, the film's dismal box-office performance and critical drubbing, along with a complicated series of lawsuits between Edwards and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, led to a decade-long hiatus of the series. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court in 1988, around the time Edwards came up with one final film idea that would ultimately become the unofficial series finale.
Son of the Pink Panther (1993)
In Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Blake Edwards made one final attempt to revive the Pink Panther series, this time by casting Italian actor Roberto Benigni as Gendarme Jacques Gambrelli, Inspector Clouseau's illegitimate son by Maria Gambrelli, the murder suspect from A Shot in the Dark (1964). Once again, regular Panther co-stars return – Herbert Lom, Burt Kwouk, and Graham Stark, and a star of the original 1963 film, Claudia Cardinale. Although intended to relaunch the series with the blundering Jacques as a lead, Son failed both critically and commercially and became the final installment in the original Pink Panther series. It was also the final film for both retiring director Blake Edwards and composer Henry Mancini, who died in 1994.
Reboot series The Pink Panther (2006)
This reboot launches a new Pink Panther film series starring Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau and Kevin Kline as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Not a remake of the original film, it 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 film was panned by most critics, and grossed $164.1 million against an $80 million budget.
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. This film received negative reviews and meager box office, grossing a worldwide total of $76 million against a budget of $70 million.
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