The Pink Panther Show

This article is about the original 1960s television show. For 1990s show, see The Pink Panther (1993 TV series). For 2010s show, see Pink Panther and Pals.
The Pink Panther Show

Title card from the 1980 syndicated version of The Pink Panther Show
Created by David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
Starring Daws Butler
John Byner
Don Diamond
Pat Harrington, Jr.
Tom Holland
Bob Holt
Arte Johnson
Rich Little
Diana Maddox
Larry D. Mann
Bob Ogle
Arnold Stang
Lennie Weinrib
Frank Welker
Paul Winchell
Narrated by Marvin Miller
Composer(s) Henry Mancini
Doug Goodwin
Walter Greene
Steve DePatie
William Lava
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 11
No. of episodes Three 6-minute shorts + bumpers per half-hour
Production
Producer(s) David H. DePatie
Friz Freleng
Jim Foss
Bill Orcutt
Harry Love
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Mirisch Films
DePatie-Freleng Enterprises
Distributor United Artists Television
MGM Television
Release
Original network NBC
ABC
Original release September 6, 1969 – September 1, 1980
Chronology
Followed by Pink Panther and Sons

The Pink Panther Show is a showcase of cartoon shorts produced by David H. DePatie and Friz Freleng between 1969 and 1979, starring the animated Pink Panther character from the opening credits of the live-action films. The series was produced by Mirisch Films and DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, and was broadcast on two American television networks: from September 6, 1969—September 2, 1978, on NBC; and from September 9, 1978—September 1, 1980, on ABC (as The All New Pink Panther Show).

History

Format

When The Pink Panther Show first aired in 1969, it consisted of one cartoon featuring The Inspector, sandwiched by two Pink Panther entries. The 30-minute show was then connected via bumper sequences featuring both the panther and Inspector together, with announcer Marvin Miller acting as an off-camera narrator talking to the panther. Bumper sequences consisted of newly animated segments as well as recycled footage from existing cartoons We Give Pink Stamps, Reel Pink, Pink Outs and Super Pink, fitted with new incidental music and voice-over work from Miller.[1]

Pink Panther shorts produced after 1969 (starting with A Fly in the Pink) when The Pink Panther Show began airing were produced for both broadcast and theatrical release, typically appearing on television first, and released to theaters by United Artists.[1] A number of new series were created, including the very popular The Ant and the Aardvark, Tijuana Toads (a.k.a. Texas Toads), Hoot Kloot, Misterjaw, Roland and Rattfink, The Dogfather and two Tijuana Toads spinoffs: The Blue Racer and Crazylegs Crane. The New Pink Panther Show and later shows featured newly animated bumper segments involving the Panther, the Ant and the Aardvark, Misterjaw, and the Tijuana/Texas Toads.[1]

In 1976, the half-hour series was revamped into a 90-minute format, as It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw; this version included a live-action segment, where comedian Lenny Schultz would read letters and jokes from viewers. This version did performed poorly and eventually reverted to the original 30-minute version in 1977 as Think Pink Panther.[1]

After nine years on NBC, the Pink Panther moved to ABC in 1978 and was retitled The All New Pink Panther Show, where it lasted one season before leaving the network realm entirely. The ABC version of the series featured sixteen episodes with 32 new Pink Panther cartoons, and 16 featuring Crazylegs Crane: no bumpers were produced for The All New Pink Panther Show, but 10–15 second "Stay tuned..." snippets explaining an upcoming entry were produced for the first few episodes. The 32 new Pink Panther cartoons were eventually released to theatres by United Artists.[1]

Theme music

Henry Mancini composed "The Pink Panther Theme" for the live action films, which would be used extensively in the cartoon series as well. Doug Goodwin composed the show's opening title music while William Lava and Walter Greene composed music scores heard throughout the cartoons, many which were variations on Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme".

Laugh track

By the time of the show's 1969 debut, fitting cartoon and children shows with a laugh track was standard practice (Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Archie Show, H.R. Pufnstuf).[1] In keeping with this standard, NBC added a laugh track to the Pink Panther and Inspector cartoons for inclusion in The Pink Panther Show, marking the first time in history that theatrical films gained a laugh track for television broadcast.[1] This was unusual, as other theatrical cartoon series' that were aired successfully on television (i.e. Tom and Jerry, Woody Woodpecker, Looney Tunes, Popeye) did not receive this addition. Eventually other theatrical cartoon series that were broadcast on the show, which were also produced by DePatie-Freleng such as Roland and Ratfink, The Ant and the Aardvark, The Tijuana Toads (redubbed into The Texas Toads), The Blue Racer, Hoot Kloot and The Dogfather would also contain a laugh track.

The resulting effect of having laugh tracked and non-laugh tracked versions of the same cartoon meant that both would become available over the years. Later editions of the show would utilize both the theatrical (without laugh track) and television broadcast (with laugh track) versions, depending on which edition the television station would choose to air. Current incarnations of the show feature both. The U.S.-based Boomerang occasionally airs versions with the laugh track intact, though these versions are more commonly found outside of the U.S. The Spanish language Boomerang insists that MGM/UA supply them with laugh track-only versions of all shorts; if there is no laugh track, Boomerang will add their own (consisting of isolated laughter from 1960s-era sitcoms). The Portuguese language Boomerang, France-based Gulli, and Poland channels TV 4 and TV6 also broadcast certain entries utilizing laugh track versions.

Incarnations

Over its 11 years on various television networks, The Pink Panther Show had a variety of names:[1]

Syndication

United Artists Television syndicated The Pink Panther Show in 1980, complete with bumpers and laugh-tracked versions of the shorts. By 1982, MGM/UA Television began syndicating some individual cartoons to local stations to air them as they saw fit. This format did not contain the series' bumpers nor the laugh track.[1]

The following series were included in MGM/UA Television's syndication package:

The following series were not included in MGM/UA Television's syndication package:

Most television stations aired the later package released in 1982, featuring the cartoon shorts by themselves, ostracized from the show's original bumpers sequences. The laugh track was also silenced on all entries except for Misterjaw. Chicago-based WGN-TV was one of the few stations to air the 1980 The Pink Panther Show syndication package. Conversely, New York City-based WPIX featured a stripped-down version of the shorts, airing the entries without the laugh track, bumpers, or theatrical opening/closing credits.

Reruns

The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970) and The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974) has been remastered in its original format, and currently airs in its entirety (including bumpers and laugh track) on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. It was previously shown on UK Gold, BBC One, Boomerang and Cartoon Network. In the late 2000s, it aired in Canada on Teletoon Retro weekday mornings at 8:00 AM. Teletoon Retro showed all 32 episodes of The Pink Panther Show with the panther and the Inspector, all 17 episodes of The New Pink Panther Show with the panther and the Ant and the Aardvark, and select episodes of the first syndicated Pink Panther Show series (only those episodes with the middle cartoon being an Ant and Aardvark). Teletoon Retro then showed all 17 episodes of The All New Pink Panther Show, with the panther and Crazylegs Crane. The laugh track is muted for most entries.

The episodes shown on Teletoon Retro also featured remastered versions, while the wrap-around content was in rougher condition. The Inspector cartoon, Tour de Farce, had the wrong title card, that for Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat.

A "no-frills" version aired on Boomerang five days a week at 5:30 AM, 10 AM and 2:30 PM; the Boomerang version included four shorts and no bumpers, in the style of its other theatrical-short compilation shows. Until August 2009, Boomerang only featured shorts from The Pink Panther, The Ant and the Aardvark and The Inspector. The laugh track was present on several entries. Currently, the show remains intact on the Spanish Language Boomerang TV channel with most entries containing their original laugh track.

The show also previously aired in its original format on This TV on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 AM Eastern time (as part of its Cookie Jar Toons programming block) until September 22, 2011,

A kit of the Panthermobile, which appeared during the 1969–1970 season.

Overall cast

Credits

(1969-1980)

Episode list

The Pink Panther Show (1964–1970)

The first season of The Pink Panther Show (1969–1970) consisted of one The Inspector entry sandwiched by two Pink Panther entries.[1] On occasion (episodes #021 and #032), the scenario would be reversed, with a Pink Panther entry sandwiched by two Inspector entries.[2] The show was "hosted" by The Pink Panther and The Inspector, seen during the opening sequence, which showed a boy driving the Panthermobile from the countryside to Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. During the journey, images of animals mentioned in the song (rhinoceros, tiger, cats, American mink) are seen alongside clips of the panther from Reel Pink, Come On In! The Water's Pink and Put Put Pink. Upon arrival, the Pink Panther and the Inspector then disembark from the Panthermobile and enter the famous theatre. In the ending credits, the Inspector climbs back into the Panthermobile, but leaves the Pink Panther behind, who is seen chasing after the car.

The show's title song, "Panther Pink Panther", was written by Doug Goodwin and played over the opening sequence.[1]

The first season is currently broadcast on BBC Two in the U.K. and is available for viewing on Amazon Video in the U.S.[3]

Episode No. 1st cartoon 2nd cartoon 3rd cartoon
#001 The Pink Blueprint Bomb Voyage The Pink Tail Fly
#002 Pinto Pink Le Pig-Al Patrol In the Pink
#003 Jet Pink The Pique Poquette of Paris Tickled Pink
#004 The Pink Pill Plastered in Paris Pink Pistons (mistitled Pink Piston)
#005 Rock A Bye Pinky Toulouse La Trick Sink Pink
#006 Prehistoric Pink Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat Come On In! The Water's Pink
#007 Pink Pest Control Tour de Farce Pink-A-Boo
#008 Pink Panic Transylvania Mania An Ounce of Pink
#009 Prefabricated Pink Le Bowser Bagger Sky Blue Pink
#010 Dial "P" for Pink Napoleon Blown-Aparte Bully for Pink
#011 Pink Sphinx @#!*% -A-Doodle Deux-Deux The Pink Phink
#012 Pink of the Litter The Great De Gaulle Stone Operation Shocking Pink
#013 Pink Valiant Le Quiet Squad The Hand Is Pinker Than the Eye
#014 Reel Pink Les Miserobots Smile Pretty, Say Pink
#015 Put-Put, Pink French Freud Pink is a Many Splintered Thing
#016 Extinct Pink Le Great Dane Robbery The Pink Quarterback
#017 Genie with the Light Pink Fur Cherche Le Phantom Pinknic
#018 G.I. Pink Carte Blanched Pinkadilly Circus
#019 Lucky Pink The Shooting of Caribou Lou Pink in the Clink
#020 Little Beaux Pink Bear de Guerre The Pink Package Plot
#021 Pierre and Cottage Cheese Pinkcome Tax Cirrhosis of the Louvre
#022 Pink Pajamas Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! Pink Ice
#023 Pickled Pink Ape Suzette Pinkfinger
#024 Pink Punch Unsafe and Seine Vitamin Pink
#025 Pink, Plunk, Plink That's No Lady — That's Notre Dame! Pink Outs
#026 Pink Paradise Sacre Bleu Cross Congratulations It's Pink
#027 Psychedelic Pink Le Escape Goat Pink Posies
#028 Super Pink Le Cop on Le Rocks Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Pink
#029 Slink Pink Canadian Can-Can Pink-A-Rella
#030 In the Pink of the Night London Derriere Think Before You Pink
#031 Pink Panzer La Feet's Defeat Pink on the Cob
#032 Le Ball and Chain Gang We Give Pink Stamps Crow de Guerre

The Pink Panther Meets the Ant and the Aardvark (1970–1971)

The second season consisted of the same half-hour format of the show with The Inspector replaced by The Ant and the Aardvark.[1]

The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974)

The New Pink Panther Show (1971–1974) featured a new opening/closing sequence and theme song, pitting the attention-seeking Aardvark against the panther. The show's new title song, "Pantherly Pride", was written by Doug Goodwin and played over the opening sequence.[1]

This incarnation aired The Ant and the Aardvark during the 1971–1972 season. Later seasons swapped The Ant and the Aardvark with theatrical series' Roland and Rattfink, Hoot Kloot or The Blue Racer, as well as reruns of The Inspector.[1] Only eight new Pink Panther cartoons were produced during this three-year era. Other were repeated from the 1969–1970 season (marked with an *).[4]

Episode No. The Pink Panther The Ant and the Aardvark The Pink Panther
#001 In the Pink of the Night* Technology, Phooey Super Pink*
#002 Think Before You Pink* Ants in the Pantry Pink-a-Rella*
#003 Twinkle Twinkle Little Pink* Isle of Caprice Pink Punch*
#004 Pink on the Cob* Rough Brunch Congratulations It's Pink*
#005 Pink Outs* Scratch a Tiger Pink, Plunk, Plink*
#006 Extinct Pink* Science Friction Pink Paradise*
#007 A Fly in the Pink The Ant From Uncle Pinkfinger*
#008 Pink Blue Plate The Froze Nose Knows Little Beaux Pink*
#009 Pink Tuba-Dore Dune Bug Sink Pink*
#010 Pink-In Don't Hustle an Ant with Muscle The Pink Tail Fly*
#011 Psst Pink Never Bug an Ant The Pink Blueprint*
#012 Psychedelic Pink* The Ant and the Aardvark Gong with the Pink
#013 Pink Pranks Hasty But Tasty In the Pink*
#014 The Pink Flea I've Got Ants in My Plans Pinto Pink*
#015 Slink Pink* Odd Ant Out Tickled Pink*
#016 Pinkadilly Circus* From Bed to Worse Pinkcome Tax*
#017 We Give Pink Stamps* Mumbo Jumbo Lucky Pink*

The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976)

The Pink Panther and Friends (1974–1976) followed the same format as the The New Pink Panther Show. The first Pink Panther entry was a new episode, while the second was a repeat of an old entry. Bumpers featuring The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark connected the three entries. New series The Dogfather (originally produced for theatrical release) was also added to broadcasts, in addition to The Blue Racer or Hoot Kloot.[1]

Episode No. The Pink Panther
new entry 		The Ant and the Aardvark
repeat		 The Pink Panther
repeat
#001 Salmon Pink The Ant and the Aardvark The Pink Phink
#002 Pink Streaker Never Bug an Ant Reel Pink
#003 Pink Plasma The Ant from Uncle The Pink Tail Fly
#004 Pink Campaign Technology Phooey Smile Pretty Say Pink
#005 Pink Piper Hasty But Tasty The Pink Blueprint
#006 Bobolink Pink Isle of Caprice Pink-a-Boo
#007 Trail of the Lonesome Pink Dune Bug Pink, Plunk, Plink
#008 Pink Aye Ants in the Pantry Genie with the Light Pink Fur
#009 Keep Our Forests Pink Science Friction Super Pink
#010 Pink DaVinci Odd Ant Out Prefabricated Pink
#011 Forty Pink Winks Rough Brunch Pink Outs
#012 Sherlock Pink I've Got Ants in My Plans Pinkadilly Circus
#013 Therapeutic Pink Don't Hustle an Ant with Muscle Come On In The Water's Pink!
#014 Pink Elephant Scratch a Tiger Twinkle Twinkle Little Pink
#015 It's Pink But Is It Mink? The Froze Nose Knows Pink Pest Control
#016 The Scarlet Pinkernel Mumbo Jumbo Slink Pink
#017 Mystic Pink From Bed to Worse In the Pink of the Night

It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (1976–1977)

It's the All New Pink Panther Laugh-and-a-Half Hour-and-a-Half Show Introducing Misterjaw (also commonly known as The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show) was an attempt by DFE to revamp the traditional format of three entries airing in a 30-minute format. The show was expanded to 90 minutes, and included a live-action segment featuring comedian Lenny Schultz reading letters and jokes from viewers. The show also featured two new made-for-television series, a first for the franchise: the Texas Toads (a redubbed version of the theatrical Tijuana Toads series), and Misterjaw. New bumper sequences featuring both the Texas Toads and Misterjaw were created for the series. These new entries were aired in combination with repeats of The Pink Panther, The Inspector and The Ant and the Aardvark.

The Pink Panther Laugh and a Half Hour and a Half Show did not do well in the ratings, and lasted only one season.[1]

Think Pink Panther (1977–1978)

The final series broadcast on NBC, Think Pink Panther reverted to the traditional 30-minute format and consisted of repeats. No new cartoons were created for this show.[1]

The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980)

The All New Pink Panther Show (1978–1980) was a new version of the series commenced after NBC ended its run. ABC-TV picked up the series, and requested 32 brand new made-for-television Pink Panther shorts, along with 16 entries for the new Crazylegs Crane segment.[1] A disco-flavored rendition of Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme" was used for the opening and closing credits, with the closing credits featuring a disco-dancing panther: no bumpers were produced.[5]

Episode No. The Pink Panther Crazylegs Crane The Pink Panther Original Air Date
#001 Pink Bananas Crane Brained Pinktails for Two September 9, 1978
#002 Pink Arcade Life With Feather Pink S.W.A.T. September 16, 1978
#003 Pink Suds King of the Swamp Pink Pull September 23, 1978
#004 Toro Pink Winter Blunderland Pink in the Woods September 30, 1978
#005 Spark Plug Pink Sonic Broom Pink Breakfast October 7, 1978
#006 Pink Lightning Storky and Hatch Pink in the Drink October 14, 1978
#007 Doctor Pink Bug Off Pink Pictures October 21, 1978
#008 Supermarket Pink Animal Crackups String Along in Pink October 28, 1978
#009 Pink Lemonade Fly-by-Knight Pink Trumpet November 4, 1978
#010 Dietetic Pink Sneaker Snack Sprinkle Me Pink November 11, 1978
#011 Pink Daddy Barnacle Bird Cat and the Pinkstalk November 18, 1978
#012 Pink Quackers Jet Feathers Pink and Shovel November 25, 1978
#013 Yankee Doodle Pink Beach Bummer Pinkologist December 2, 1978
#014 Pet Pink Pebbles Nest Quest The Pink of Bagdad December 9, 1978
#015 Pink Press Flower Power Pink U.F.O. December 16, 1978
#016 Pink Z-Z-Z Trail of the Lonesome Mine Star Pink December 23, 1978

The Pink Panther Show (1980, syndicated)

MGM/UA Television syndicated a weekday 30-minute Pink Panther show in 1980, complete with bumpers and laugh-tracked versions of the shorts. A new opening sequence preceding the show featured Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther Theme" played under a segment from Pink Outs featuring the Pink Panther folding the backdrop into a square to be eaten. The closer featured the last few seconds of the theme played under a scene from Reel Pink featuring the panther water skiing.[1]

MGM/UA created two versions of the syndication package. The first consisted of The Pink Panther, Inspector, The Ant and the Aardvark and Texas Toads.[1]

The second version consisted of The Pink Panther, The Ant and the Aardvark and Misterjaw. These featured the new opening sequence with Pink Outs, and also incorporated several of the made-for-television Pink Panther entries from The All New Pink Panther Show. Pre-1978 Pink Panther and Ant and the Aardvark entries featured shorter opening titles with introduction music from either The New Pink Panther Show (1971-1974) or The All New Pink Panther Show (1978-1980). The show was also fitted with a less invasive laugh track being employed on sitcoms at the time (the Misterjaw entries retained the original 1976-1977-era laugh track, albeit slightly muted, and never had opening theatrical credits). Closing credits featuring the Pink Panther disco dancing from the The All New Pink Panther Show closed out the episodes.[1]

Version 1

The Pink PantherThe Inspector
The Ant and the Aardvark
Texas Toads		The Pink Panther
Pink Plasma Sicque! Sicque! Sicque! Pink Pest Control
Pink-A-Rella Don’t Hustle an Ant with Muscle A Fly in the Pink
Rock a Bye Pinky Cirrhosis of the Louvre Pinto Pink
Tickled Pink I’ve Got Ants in My Plans Pink Outs
Pink Streaker Le Pig-Al Patrol Psychedelic Pink
The Hand is Pinker Than the Eye Reaux, Reaux, Reaux Your Boat Pink-In
Pink Aye The Pique Poquette of Paris Come on In! The Water’s Pink
Pink Pranks Scratch a Tiger The Pink Quarterback
Trail of the Lonesome Pink Ape Suzette Gong With the Pink
Lucky Pink Technology Phooey In the Pink of the Night
The Pink Phink Never Bug an Ant Pink DaVinci
Prefabricated Pink Cock-a-Doodle Deux-Deux Psst Pink

Version 2

The Pink PantherMisterjaw
The Ant and the Aardvark		The Pink Panther
Pinkcome Tax Little Red Riding Halibut Pink Blue Plate
Pink Paradise Dune Bug Pink of the Litter
Pink on the Cob The $6.95 Bionic Shark The Pink Pro
Rocky Pinky Moulin Rouges Pink U.F.O.
Genie with the Light Pink Fur Shopping Spree Pink S.W.A.T.
We Give Pink Stamps Showbiz Shark Pink Panic
Sherlock Pink To Catch a Halibut Pink, Plunk, Plink
Pinkadilly Circus The Codfather Dial ‘P’ For Pink
Pinknic The Ant From Uncle Twinkle Twinkle Little Pink

Spanish versions

Other versions of The Pink Panther Show have been seen and aired only in Spanish.

Episode No. The Pink Panther Hoot Kloot The Pink Panther
#001 Pinky Doodle Apache on the County Seat Pink Pajamas
#002 Pink 8 Ball Pay Your Bufallo Bill The Pink Pro
#003 Bobolink Pink The Badge and the Beautiful Dial "P" for Pink
#004 Salmon Pink Ten Miles to the Gallop Pink Streaker
#005 Rocky Pink As the Tumbleweed Turns Pickled Pink
#006 Mystic Pink By Hoot or by Crook Pink Panzer
#007 Trail of the Lonesome Pink Strange on the Range Pink Aye
#008 The Scarlet Pinkernel A Self-Winding Sidewinde Vitamin Pink
#009 The Pink of Arabee Stirrups and Hiccups Rock A Bye Pinky
#010 Pink Campaign Phony Express The Hand Is Pinker Than the Eye
#011 Sherlock Pink Kloot's Kounty (pilot) G.I Pink
#012 Pink Piper Giddy Up Woe Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Pink
#013 Pink DaVinci The Shoe Must Go On Forty Pink Winks
#014 Therapeutic Pink Mesa Trouble Pink in the Clink
#015 Pink Elephant Big Beef at the O.K. Corral Pink Sphinx
#016 Pink Plasma Gold Struck Pink Pest Control
#017 It's Pink But Is It Mink? Saddle Soap Opera Extinct Pink

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Beck, Jerry (2006). Pink Panther: The Ultimate Guide to the Coolest Cat in Town. New York, New York: Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. pp. 38–39, 44–45, 135. ISBN 0-7566-1033-8.
  2. ↑ "BBC Two Listings: The Pink Panther Show". April 18, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  3. ↑ amazon.com The Pink Panther Show – Season 1 at Amazon Video
  4. ↑ "BBC Two Listings: The New Pink Panther Show"
  5. ↑ "BBC Two Listings: The All New Pink Panther Show"

External links

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