Explain the Pink Panther to me...

[Liam]

Ok, I was thinking about this earlier today, and need help....

...I seem to remember when I was younger watching the Pink Panther TV series , and it being a cartoon about the Panther and the Inspector. The films, however, are both (...or are there 3?) live action, aren't they? Also, the Pink Panther was surely named after its namesake in the cartoon...yet is there a Pink Panther in the live action films, or is it just about the inspector?

Yeah, this confused the hell out of me earlier.

[Plankton]

I have actually wondered about this myself for years. Fom what I can gather from the little "research" I did just a few second ago here, the movies came first. The plot (in just some of the movies, I guess) revolves around the Pink Panther diamond. One of the filmakers thought the movie would benefit from having some kind of cartoon character in the opening credits, which explains the creation of the Pink Panther our generation is more familiar with. I'm guessing they decided to profit from that later with a cartoon series.

From Wikipedia:

The opening title sequence of the original 1963 Pink Panther film was such a success with the United Artists executives that they decided to adapt the title sequence into a series of theatrical animated shorts. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, run by former Warner Bros. Cartoons creators David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng, had produced the opening sequences, with Freleng as director. UA commissioned a long series of Pink Panther shorts, the first of which, 1964's The Pink Phink won the 1964 Academy Award for Animated Short Film. By the late-1960s, the shorts were being broadcast as Saturday morning cartoons, and new shorts were being produced for both television broadcast and theatrical release.

Edited June 20, 2006 by Plankton

[Liam]

Thanks man, that had confused me for ages.

I should dig out some old Pink Panther cartoons, they were well good.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

And the theme song ruled.

Still does.

[Plankton]

Did anyone else ever rent those movies thinknig they were about the cartoon Pink Panther? I did that once when I was really young and I was very confused and disappointed.

[Guest We Are Robots]

That happened to me once but it was on TV.

[YI]

Did anyone else ever rent those movies thinknig they were about the cartoon Pink Panther? I did that once when I was really young and I was very confused and disappointed.

Edited June 20, 2006 by YI

[Kaney]

The Pink Panther films were much better than the cartoon though, Peter Sellers was a comedy god. I haven't seen them in a while, but they were brilliantly stupid.

[Plankton]

I could never appreciate them when I was younger because all I could think was, "WHEN THE HELL DOES THE PINK PANTHER COME IN?" I'm pretty sure I either just ignored the movie and waited until my eye caught the Panther or I fast forwarded. Either way, I was really confused when I got to the end and my little kid patience wouldn't tolerate a second viewing where I actually watched the film.

Looking back on it, I bet it would be a good movie to rent soon.

[Liam]

A giant pink panther > Peter Sellers

But yeah, I probably should watch the old films and see if I like them. I did remember turning the TV on, watching it for about 5 minutes and then turning it off when I couldn't see the Pink Panther at all.

[YI]

Clifford The Big Red Dog > The Big Pink Panther.

[Liam]

Bear In The Big Blue House > *

[Bigal]

Bear's singing with the moon got more and more awesome with every episode.

[Numbahs]

Steve Martin > Nobody