The Pink Panther Show (1969–1976)

The Pink Panther is an heroic, moral cartoon cat with pink fur and the manners of an English aristocrat. He only becomes flustered or angry at obtuse or offensive humans who try to disrupt ... See full summary »

Stars:

Paul Frees, Rich Little, June Foray

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Paul Frees	...	Man talking to Pink Panther (2 episodes, 1969)
Rich Little	...	Devereaux DeBoors (2 episodes, 1969)

Storyline

The Pink Panther is an heroic, moral cartoon cat with pink fur and the manners of an English aristocrat. He only becomes flustered or angry at obtuse or offensive humans who try to disrupt his existence, or at troublesome gadgets, rodents, or insects. In most of his cartoons, he stumbles into a difficult situation and stoically endeavors to make the best of it. Episodes of this series feature three theatrical cartoons, two with the Pink Panther, and one featuring the Inspector, a cartoon version of the accident-prone, bumbling French detective, Inspector Clouseau, played in movies by Peter Sellers. The Inspector is often assisted by a Spanish gendarme, Sergeant Deux-Deux, and together they fallibly battle villains of all shapes and sizes in various parts of the world, always on the orders of the long-suffering Surete Commissioner.

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Plot Keywords:

inspector | the inspector | panther | cartoon cat | cat | 

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1971 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

The New Pink Panther Show

Filming Locations:

Grauman's Chinese Theater - 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (DFE), Mirisch Corporation, The, National Broadcasting Company (NBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 21 min (94 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening titles, the man seated in the auditorium is Henry Mancini.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Pink Panther puts a quarter in a vending machine] Strawberry pop, huh? Great stuff, that strawberry!
Narrator: [Pink Panther waits, but nothing happens, so he bends down for a look. Strawberry pop sprays in his face] There's your strawberry...
Narrator: [Ice cubes hit him in the face] Your ice cubes...
Narrator: [the cup plops on his nose] And your cup! Now, wasn't that refreshing?
Narrator: [Pink Panther throws the cup on the floor and stomps off] Awww, he's going away mad.
[Money spews out the change return]
Narrator: And he forgot his change!

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Connections

Featured in Behind the Feline: The Cartoon Phenomenon (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Theme from [link=tt0057413]"
Composed by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

Sublimely absurd and stylish

I didn't enjoy many cartoons as a child, but this one is so clever and stylish. The "stories" (or scenarios) are funny without being too corny. It's hard to think of anything being "clever" without thinking of dialog, but this has no dialog and yet is clever.

Many cartoons, notably the Warner Brothers cartoons, obviously have elements of absurdity and physical impossibility (like objects falling through the air landing on or passing other objects also falling through the air). But in the Pink Panther, the absurd element is more sublime, sometimes almost breathtaking.

Maybe it's partly because, unlike Bugs Bunny and co., whose fast-talking and whirlwind pranks stun and confuse his assailants, the Pink Panther is non-verbal and more subtle. His stunts can range from blunt physical comedy, to smart and suave, to a series of bizarre visual tricks reminiscent of M. C. Escher. Sometimes it is almost the equivalent of a special effect.

This flexibility seems to be tied into the fact that the Pink Panther is not necessarily one fixed character. He lives in different places, and has different habits, interests and projects in the different cartoons. Sometimes there is no story, no explanation for the actions we are seeing. Sometimes it's more "normal" and the Pink Panther seems to be a plausible guy in society.

Also the Henry Mancini soundtrack sets a fabulous mood.