The Pink Panther Show 

A classy, resourceful panther has plenty of hilarious misadventures, outwitting those who annoy him with his clever tricks.

Stars:

Larry D. Mann, Frank Welker, Rich Little

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Larry D. Mann	...	Crazylegs Crane 16 episodes, 1978
Frank Welker	...	Dragonfly / ... 16 episodes, 1978

Storyline

The Pink Panther is a 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 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:

1960s | 1970s | anthropomorphic panther | inspector | panther | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

TV-Y

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Pink Phink won an Academy Award.

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Quotes

[repeated lines]
Sargeant Toto: Yes, Inspector.
Inspector Clouseau: Don't say "yes". Say "oui".
Sargeant Toto: Yes, Inspector.

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Alternate Versions

The series was given a unique spin in Germany. Comedic voice-over was added to every episode, with a narrator following along the stories and providing commentary in rhyming verse, full of various wordplays and puns. Many originally unnamed characters were given names, even the Pink Panther himself: in Germany, he was known as Paul or Paulchen (Paulie). Another change was giving the originally male blue Ardwark a female voice and naming her "die Blaue Elise" or "the Blue Elise", and she would at times refer to herself in third person. The German edit also created unique opening and closing titles with original songs. At the end of every episode, Paulchen Panther would turn to the audience and say the rhyming phrase "Heute ist nicht alle Tage; ich komm wieder, keine Frage." ("Today is not every day; I will be back, no questions about it."). The phrase was so popular among German viewers that it became part of everyday use. Adding rhyming commentary to voiceless foreign cartoons was a common thing in Germany. "Tom and Jerry" (1940) and Oggy and the Cockroaches were also famously given the same treatment.

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Connections

Spin-off Pink Panther and Sons (1984)

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Soundtracks

Theme from 'The Pink Panther'
(The Pink Panther (1963))
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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 September 1969 (USA)

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), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), The Mirisch Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

21 min (94 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3