The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight

The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight
Written by	Owen Crump D.W. Owen
Directed by	Bob Richardson
Voices of	Frank Welker Brian Cummings Marilyn Schreffler Weaver Copeland Hal Smith
Music by	Steven DePatie
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	David H. DePatie
Production company(s)	Marvel Productions Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng United Artists
Distributor	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Original release	February 14, 1981

The Pink Panther in: Pink at First Sight is an animated Valentine's Day special starring The Pink Panther. It premiered on ABC on February 14, 1981.

This would be final new Pink Panther production produced by co-creator David H. DePatie (who later worked as executive producer on the 1983 mini-series of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, The Charmkins and My Little Pony: Rescue at Midnight Castle) before his retirement in 1984.

This was the first Pink Panther project produced by Marvel Productions, which would go on to make the theatrical opening film titles for Trail of the Pink Panther and Curse of the Pink Panther.

Plot

It is Valentine's Day and the hip feline has no love and no money except for seven cents. He goes to a messenger service for a job but messes his rehearsal up. He then buys a cassette player and pre-recorded cassettes with the seven cents he had left and goes back to the messenger service miming to "Vesti la giubba", an aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci, and gets hired as a messenger on Valentine's Day. Antics on the job entangle the breezy panther with a jealous husband (after the Panther steals the heart of a housewife whilst miming a 50s-ish sounding ballad), a snobby classic violinist (after the Panther, who had the wrong recording on at the time, used a precious violin as an electric guitar), a priest and tough gangsters. Finally, our hero meets the pantheress of his dreams, the ideal feline valentine.

Home Media releases

On November 6, 2007, Pink at First Sight alongside Olym-Pinks and A Pink Christmas was released as part of the DVD collection The Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas from MGM Home Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Production

Most of the animation staff utilized for the 1978 made-for-television All New Pink Panther Show worked on Pink at First Sight. The special also utilized the musical score that appeared on the The All New Pink Panther Show as well. Unlike The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, Friz Freleng was absent from this production due to his departing from DFE to return to Warner Bros. Animation. Many of the characters' voices on this special (saving the silent Panther himself) were done by Frank Welker.

References